Joiner invoice template

How do joiners usually invoice?

Joiners make pieces in a workshop and invoice in two or three parts: a deposit of around 50% to cover materials when the drawing is signed off, then the balance on delivery or fitting. The workshop piece is a fixed price, while site fitting is often charged by the day because walls are rarely square. Sash window and staircase jobs also carry a survey fee that is credited against the final bill.

Joiners in this example give the customer 14 days to pay, after a 50% deposit taken before the work starts. Hourly rates run from £32 to £55. A full day is typically £240 to £380.

What should a joiner put on an invoice?

Beyond the legal basics, joiners should:

• Quote the drawing or specification number so the invoice ties back to what the customer approved.
• Separate the workshop price from the fitting days, which may vary.
• Show the deposit already paid and the balance due, not just the balance.
• State the finish supplied (primed, painted, oiled) because a change of finish is a common dispute.

Every UK invoice, whatever the trade, must also show:

• a unique, sequential invoice number
• your business name and address (and company number if you trade as a limited company)
• the client’s name and address
• the invoice date and, for VAT invoices, the date of supply if different
• a clear description of each item of work or goods
• the amount due and when it must be paid
• your VAT number, the VAT rate per line and the VAT total, if you are VAT registered

Do joiners charge VAT?

Construction work for a contractor falls under CIS: the contractor deducts 20% (30% if you are not CIS registered) from the labour element before paying you, so show labour and materials on separate lines. If you are VAT registered and the contractor is too, the domestic reverse charge applies and you charge no VAT; write "Reverse charge: customer to account for VAT" on the invoice. Work for private householders is outside both rules. Below the £90,000 registration threshold you charge no VAT at all.

On the Flat Rate Scheme the sector for joiners is usually “General building or construction services” at 9.5% of VAT-inclusive turnover, with a 1% discount in the first year of registration. If you spend little on goods you may be a limited cost trader and have to use 16.5% instead. The scheme suits businesses with few VAT-able costs; check it against the standard method with the VAT calculator before joining.