A bad invoice costs you money. Not because the work wasn't done — but because the customer doesn't understand what they're paying for, disputes the charge, or just takes forever to pay because the invoice looks unprofessional.

Here's what a proper repair shop invoice should include, and why each piece matters.

The Essential Elements

1. Your Shop Information

Every invoice should have your business name, address, phone number, and email at the top. This isn't just for looks — it's required for tax purposes and gives customers a way to contact you about the invoice.

Include:

Business name (or DBA)
Street address
Phone number
Email address
Website (if you have one)
Tax ID / business license number (where required)

2. Customer Information

Name, phone, and email at minimum. If you're doing on-site work, include their address too. This makes it easy to match invoices to customers and follow up on unpaid bills.

3. Invoice Number

Sequential invoice numbers are non-negotiable. They help you:

Track payments
Reference specific jobs in conversations
Stay organized during tax season
Prove billing history if there's a dispute

Use a prefix for your shop (e.g., FIL-1047 for Fix-It Labs invoice #1047). It looks professional and avoids confusion if you ever merge with or acquire another business.

4. Dates

Include both:

Invoice date — when the invoice was created
Due date — when payment is expected

"Due upon receipt" is common for walk-in repairs. For B2B or corporate accounts, Net 15 or Net 30 gives them time to process through their accounting.

5. Line Items (The Most Important Part)

This is where most repair shop invoices fall short. Don't just write "Repair — $150." Break it down:

Labor:

|-------------|-----|------|-------|

| Screen replacement — iPhone 15 Pro | 1 | $89.00 | $89.00 |

| Diagnostic fee | 1 | $29.00 | $29.00 |

Parts:

|-------------|-----|------|-------|

| iPhone 15 Pro OLED Screen Assembly | 1 | $89.99 | $89.99 |

| Adhesive strips (waterproofing) | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 |

Why separate labor and parts? Three reasons:

Transparency — customers see exactly what they're paying for
Warranty — if the screen fails, they know the part was $89.99 vs. the labor
Tax — some states tax parts but not labor (or vice versa)

6. Subtotal, Tax, and Total

Break out the math clearly:

| | |

|---|---|

| Subtotal | $212.98 |

| Tax (8.25%) | $17.57 |

| Total | $230.55 |

Never make a customer do math. The total should be obvious.

7. Payment Information

Tell them how to pay:

Accepted methods (cash, card, Venmo, Zelle, etc.)
Payment terms (due upon receipt, Net 15, etc.)
Late payment policy (if applicable)

If you accept online payments, include a link or QR code. The easier you make it to pay, the faster you get paid.

8. Equipment Details

For repair shops specifically, include:

Device make and model
Serial number or IMEI (if applicable)
Description of the original problem
What was done to fix it

This protects both you and the customer. If they come back saying "you broke my phone," you have documentation of what condition it was in and what work was performed.

9. Warranty Terms

State your warranty clearly on the invoice:

What's covered (parts, labor, or both)
How long the warranty lasts
What voids the warranty (water damage, physical damage, third-party tampering)

Even a simple "90-day warranty on parts and labor" in the footer goes a long way.

Common Invoice Mistakes

Writing "Repair" as a single line item

Your customer has no idea what they paid for. Break it down into labor and parts.

No invoice numbers

You'll regret this during tax season. Start numbering from day one.

Handwritten invoices

They look unprofessional, they're hard to read, and you have no digital record. Use software.

Forgetting tax

Charging $100 and eating the $8.25 tax eats into your margin. Calculate and charge tax properly.

No payment terms

"When should I pay?" shouldn't be a question. Put it on the invoice.

A Better Way

Manually creating invoices in Word or Excel works until you have more than a handful of jobs. After that, you need something that:

Auto-generates invoice numbers
Pulls customer info from your job records
Calculates tax automatically
Tracks what's paid and what's outstanding
Sends invoices via email with one click
Lets customers pay online

That's exactly what techsbox invoicing does. Every job can generate an invoice in seconds, with line items, tax calculation, payment tracking, and email delivery built in. No templates to manage, no manual data entry.

Start your free trial →

Repair Shop Invoice Template: What to Include (+ Free Example)