Landscaper invoice template

How do landscapers usually invoice?

Landscapers price a garden build as a fixed quote broken into areas (patio, lawn, beds, fencing) and invoice in stages: a 30% deposit when materials are ordered, a mid-point payment when the hard landscaping is down and the balance when planting is finished. Materials are a large share of the cost and are listed separately so the customer can see the paving they chose. Design fees, where charged, are invoiced up front and credited against the build.

Landscapers in this example give the customer 7 days to pay, after a 30% deposit taken before the work starts. Hourly rates run from £28 to £45. A full day is typically £220 to £380.

What should a landscaper put on an invoice?

Beyond the legal basics, landscapers should:

• Reference the design drawing and the quote number; gardens change a lot between quote and build.
• Separate hard landscaping (CIS and reverse charge can apply) from planting and turf (they cannot).
• Show materials with quantities: square metres of paving, tonnes of aggregate, number of plants.
• Invoice the deposit when paving is ordered, since bespoke or large orders are non-returnable.
• State the aftercare the customer must do (watering turf, not walking on jointing) to limit comeback.

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 landscapers charge VAT?

Hard landscaping such as patios, walls, fencing and drainage counts as construction for CIS, so a builder paying you deducts 20% from labour and the VAT reverse charge can apply. Planting and turfing are not construction operations. Below the £90,000 threshold you charge no VAT; above it, landscaping is standard rated at 20%, with grounds work for a new dwelling zero rated.

On the Flat Rate Scheme the sector for landscapers 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.