A garden maintenance invoice should make it easy to match the charge to a completed visit. Include the service address, date, mowing or gardening work, approved extras and any separately charged green-waste removal. For repeat rounds, decide whether you bill each completed visit or an agreed fixed service fee before you automate anything.
Regular maintenance creates different billing questions from a one-off landscaping project. Rain changes visit dates, grass growth changes the workload, and a pruning request can add work beyond the usual mow. A clear invoice explains those differences without making the customer reconstruct the job from memory.
Make repeat garden billing easier to manage
Create a free invoice PDF for the next completed visit. Pro adds recurring billing for stable arrangements and invoice attachments for approved extras or supporting job records.
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Agree what a normal visit includes
Describe the regular service in the quote: areas to mow, edging, blowing paths and any routine weeding or pruning. State whether you leave clippings in the customer’s green bin or remove them, and whether that cost is included. Record the service address separately when the billing customer is a landlord or managing agent.
If a customer asks for work beyond the normal visit, agree the additional amount before doing it. Keep the normal round and the extra work on separate invoice lines. See the job quote guide for scope and acceptance wording.
Worked example: mowing plus an approved hedge trim
This example uses invented prices to demonstrate the calculation. It assumes a GST-registered supplier and is not a guide to gardening or disposal rates.
| Work completed | Quantity × rate | Ex GST |
|---|---|---|
| Mow, edge and blow paths, regular visit | 1 × $80 | $80.00 |
| Hedge trimming, approved extra | 1.5 hours × $60 | $90.00 |
| Green-waste removal, agreed charge | 1 × $30 | $30.00 |
| Subtotal | $200.00 | |
| GST at 10% | $20.00 | |
| Total payable | $220.00 |
Add your business details, ABN, invoice number, issue date, customer, due date and payment details. If you are not registered for GST, do not add the $20 GST or call it a tax invoice. The government invoicing guide explains the distinction.
For a document you can copy, use the lawn mowing invoice template or gardener invoice template. Larger jobs with staged work belong in the landscaper invoice workflow.
Handle rain delays without creating duplicate charges
Keep the planned visit date separate from the date you actually performed the work. If a Tuesday mow moves to Friday, bill the completed Friday visit under a per-visit arrangement. Do not send a Tuesday invoice and then create another charge for the replacement visit unless there are genuinely two agreed charges.
Before a recurring invoice is due to run, check whether the service has been postponed. Pause or edit the schedule if needed. If an invoice has already been issued, review that document separately; changing a future schedule does not correct a past invoice.
Agree how fixed service fees treat weather, holidays and missed access when setting up the arrangement. Do not assume that the same rule fits a casual mowing visit and a maintenance contract covering a whole property.
Use recurring billing only for a predictable amount
Free Invoice App supports recurring invoices on Pro and Pro+. A fixed fortnightly service may fit well if the customer, price and billing point stay the same. A monthly invoice based on actual visits needs a count: two visits at $80 is $160 before GST, while three visits is $240. A fortnightly schedule is not always two visits per calendar month.
Avoid leaving a one-off hedge trim in a recurring template. Create a separate invoice for an approved extra or review a manual invoice for the whole visit. The app’s recurring schedule does not read your job diary, verify attendance or calculate rain adjustments. Use the recurring invoice setup guide once the billing arrangement is settled.
Invoice a landlord or manager with a useful property reference
Confirm the billing entity and accounts contact before starting. An owner may receive one invoice across several properties, or a manager may want separate documents for each. List the address and service dates clearly in either format, and add the approved work-order reference when supplied.
An approved extra or relevant completion photo can be attached on a paid plan. Share only what is useful for billing, without access codes or unrelated tenant information. Keep purchase receipts for materials in your own expense records; use the expense tracker if you want those records alongside your invoicing.
Check payments before the next round
Review the invoice history, match bank payments and follow up unpaid balances using the agreed terms. A missed payment may be a reference problem rather than a refusal to pay. The payment reminder templates provide wording you can adapt.
Starter allows free invoice creation and PDF downloads with seven included sends per month. Pro adds recurring billing and a larger allowance; Pro+ adds automatic chase sequences. Check the current prices, allowances and card-payment policy against your number of visits, CC recipients and reminders before choosing a plan.
Should green-waste removal always be a separate charge?
Follow what you agreed. If removal is included in the regular service, describe it as included rather than charging twice. If it is an extra, state the agreed basis and amount so the customer can match it to the work.
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