How to Invoice as a Plumber in Australia
By Dan Reeve — Working handyman and founder of SMASH Invoices. Built SMASH after losing $1,200 in uninvoiced jobs in a single year. He still takes on handyman work and uses SMASH on every job. About Dan →
To invoice as a plumber in Australia, you must include your business name, ABN, plumbing contractor licence number, a unique invoice number, date, itemised description of work performed, all materials used with individual pricing, labour hours, and GST if registered. Sole trader plumbers who skip itemised materials lose an estimated $80–$150 per week, or $4,160–$7,800 annually, in fittings and consumables absorbed into flat labour rates.
What goes on a plumber's invoice
A complete plumbing invoice needs:
- Business name and ABN
- Plumbing contractor licence number (required in all Australian states)
- Invoice number and date
- Customer name and address
- Labour — hours worked at your hourly rate, or flat call-out fee
- Materials — each fitting, part, and consumable itemised with quantity and price
- GST (if registered) — shown separately
- Total amount due
- Payment terms and payment method details
The licence number is often forgotten. In NSW, VIC, QLD, and WA, unlicensed plumbing work carries fines of up to $10,000, and invoices without licence numbers can be challenged as non-compliant.
What plumbers forget to charge for
A plumber doing five service calls a day can have $40–$80 in uncharged fittings per day.
A P-trap: $14. A pair of isolation valves: $22. A flexi hose: $9. A tube of thread seal: $6. A handful of copper fittings: $18. That's $69 in materials from a single bathroom job, easily absorbed into a "labour + materials" flat rate that was set two years ago.
Most plumbers I talk to charge for the big stuff — the hot water unit, the toilet suite, the mixer tap. It's the small stuff that disappears. The washers. The clips. The saddles. The elbows. Four items at $5 each is $20 per job. Five jobs a day is $100. Five days is $500 per week.
That's $26,000 a year in materials you bought, installed, and forgot to charge for.
"I was doing service calls — tap washers, blocked drains, leak fixes. Charged labour every time. Fittings I'd just round up on the labour. My accountant asked me to reconcile receipts at EOFY and I had $14,000 in materials receipts I'd never charged out. Fourteen grand." — Scott D., Plumber, Gold Coast QLD [PLACEHOLDER]
The plumbing invoice that pays properly
Here's what a properly itemised plumbing service call invoice looks like:
| Item | Qty | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call-out fee | 1 | $90.00 | $90.00 |
| Labour — replace kitchen mixer tap | 1.5 hrs | $95/hr | $142.50 |
| Caroma Liano II mixer tap | 1 | $185.00 | $185.00 |
| 300mm flexi hose × 2 | 2 | $8.50 | $17.00 |
| Thread seal tape | 1 | $4.00 | $4.00 |
| Subtotal | $438.50 | ||
| GST | $43.85 | ||
| Total | $482.35 |
Most plumbers invoice that job at $350–$380 all in. Properly itemised: $482. The difference is $100+ they left on the table, not by undercharging labour, but by not naming the materials.
How to invoice a plumbing job on-site
You replace the tap. You're at the kitchen sink. Before you leave, speak into your phone:
"Kitchen mixer tap replacement. Labour one and a half hours. Caroma mixer tap, two 300mm flexi hoses, thread seal tape. Call-out fee."
SMASH Invoices prices every item from its 2,250-item Australian materials catalogue. Your labour rate from your saved pricing. All calculated. Invoice sent via portal link. Customer pays before you've loaded the van.
Frequently asked questions
Do plumbers need to include their licence number on invoices in Australia? Yes. In all Australian states and territories, licensed plumbers must display their contractor licence number on invoices and quotations. Failure to do so can result in the invoice being challenged and in some states carries financial penalties. Your licence number should appear near your business name and ABN.
How do plumbers charge for materials in Australia? Most plumbers charge materials at cost-plus-markup, typically 15–30% above supplier cost. This covers purchasing time, storage, and carrying cost. Each material should be listed as a separate line item — including small fittings, consumables, and thread seal — not grouped under a flat "materials" charge.
What is a fair call-out fee for a plumber in Australia? Call-out fees typically range from $70–$120 depending on state and time of day. Some plumbers include the call-out in their first-hour rate; others charge separately. Whatever you charge, it should appear as a line item on the invoice. Undisclosed call-out fees are one of the most common causes of payment disputes for plumbers.
Can I send a plumbing invoice via SMS in Australia? Yes. A secure invoice link shared via SMS meets Australian invoicing requirements provided all required fields are present. Apps like SMASH Invoices generate portal links containing full tax invoice details that customers open in their browser, no app or account required.
How long do I have to send a plumbing invoice after completing a job? There is no maximum time limit on invoicing completed work under Australian law, but the ATO requires you to provide a tax invoice within 28 days if a customer requests one. Best practice is same-day invoicing, the longer you wait, the more likely customers are to dispute the amount.
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Internal links: How much are service workers losing on uncharged materials? · What is miscellaneous actually costing you? · Is there an invoicing app without typing?