One of the main reasons why businesses fail to get paid on time, is because of a faulty or non-existent invoicing system. If you are providing house cleaning services you probably don't have energy left for administrative tasks after all that hard work. But you can't let this be an excuse for sending a late or incorrect invoice.
As a self-employed worker or small business owner, it's important to stay on top of your billing process, and providing your clients with a clear and professional invoice should be your priority. If you don't want to spend hours behind a desk creating invoices from scratch for each of your customers, how about using a cleaning service invoice template that you can easily fill in and send out in minutes?
Having a pre-filled form will make the invoicing process so much easier for you, giving you more time for other necessary tasks while keeping a clean and professional image with your clients. But what should your invoice template include?
Essential Elements of a Cleaning Invoice Template
When creating your house cleaning invoice template, you want to ensure that all the necessary information will be covered no matter what type of job you are completing. It's important to include all appropriate fees, and a clear breakdown of the cleaning service that you are providing. Let's go over the most basic and essential invoice details to include in your template.
Business Information
Start your cleaning company invoice template with your business name (or your name if you are not registered as a business), as well as contact details such as phone number, email and business address. Personalize this section by adding your company logo, or professional cleaning-related imagery at the top of the page, either on the left or right corner of the page.
Client Information
Next, dedicate a section for your customer's information. Include your client's or company name, the address where the cleaning service is being provided (such as the client's home) and up-to-date contact details. If you keep a database with your recurring clients, you can assign a client ID number to each of them and include it in this section of your cleaning invoice template.
Invoice Date and Number
This simple addition can really help you and your customer keep track of your invoices for accounting purposes. If you are working for corporate clients, keep in mind most of them will not accept invoices without a unique invoice number. Additionally, include the date when the invoice was sent out, which will help you determine the payment due date and know when it's time to apply any applicable late payment penalties.
Cleaning Services Completed
Provide an itemized list of the cleaning services provided (or hours worked if you prefer to bill per hour), unit price and total cost. If you want to be crystal-clear and avoid customers calling in with doubts, you can include a short description of the tasks completed. For example, if you charge for 'bathroom cleaning' you may add the specifics of the job such as 'clean floors, tubs and tiles, shower enclosures, and toilets).
Make sure to separate the cleaning services costs from any supplies to be charged to your client. If you had to use any special spays, window cleaners, antibacterial wipes, etc. add them as separate items and specify the cost for each of them. It's important to make this section as easy-to-understand as possible, so your client feels confident they are getting what they are paying for.
Totals
The totals section of your cleaning invoice template should include separate lines for the subtotal amount (the sum of cleaning services and supplies costs), the applicable taxes, and the total amount due. If you are adding any discount you should add it here, specifying what the discount is for, before you factor in the taxes.
Payment Details
Pay attention to this section as it can make a difference in getting paid faster. Try to include as many payment options as possible. Let your customers know of all the accepted payment methods like ACH transfer, check or online payment (Venmo or PayPal) as well as the account numbers and address. Don't forget to highlight the payment due date, whether it is a specific date or a certain amount of days after the invoice was sent out, and, if applicable, also let them know about any late payment penalties.
Use Our Free Cleaning Invoice Template
If you are running your commercial or house cleaning business solo, you probably don't have time to create your own invoice template. Skip the headache and download Bonsai's free cleaning invoice template to create professional invoices that get you paid on time with minimal effort. By simply filling in the specific cleaning job details and adding a quick personal touch you'll have a fully customized invoice for each client, in a matter of minutes.
By using our house cleaning invoice template you will have consistency and professionalism in your invoices, while providing clarity to your clients and making sure all necessary information is always included. Additionally, you will reduce billing errors, save time, and keep organized records for tax time.
Check out our all-in-one business hub for self-employed workers and small business owners to see what else we can do for your cleaning company. Aside from invoice templates, you'll find accounting solutions such as expense trackers, automated timesheets, tax estimations, and more. We make your cleaning business shine!
Step Up Your Invoicing Game
Now that you know the basic but essential information you must include in your cleaning invoice, let's go over some extra elements you can consider adding to our free invoice template for an even more polished and professional looking invoice.
Promote Your Business
Your invoice serves as an extension of your cleaning business, and aside from using it to get paid, you can also use it to promote your brand and entice your customers to contact you again for future cleaning services. For example, you can mention some of the services you specialize in such as COVID decontamination, clinical cleans, carpet cleaning, graffiti removals etc...
You can also take advantage of any additional space to let your clients know about any upcoming promotions, such as a spring cleaning discount, or winter promotions.
Encourage Loyalty and Referrals
Another way to easily get returning customers, and gain new ones is by including a small note at the end of your cleaning invoice template to give them a special discount for referring a friend, or using your services again in the next 30 days. This doesn't take much space, you can simply say: "Pleased with our cleaning services? Get a 10% discount on your next service by referring a friend!".
Give Early Payment Incentives
If you are struggling with overdue payments, you're spending a lot of time going after delayed accounts, or just want to have a healthier cash flow, you can offer payment terms to your clients that allow them to obtain a discount for making early payments. Consider your profit margin and decide if you can afford to give up some of the income.
It doesn't have to be much. The most common early payment incentive offers a 2% discount if the invoice is paid within the first 10 days after being sent out. In return, you will not only reduce bad debts, but some clients may come back to you because they want to take advantage of that discount.
Remember to use Bonsai's invoicing software to automatically create invoices, send payment reminders, get read-receipts and apply late fees to overdue accounts.
Cleaning Invoice Examples
The world is fast evolving with freelance jobs across both developed and developing nations. You cannot claim to be current in these times and have not heard so much about freelancing. Now, services to employers no longer need to be tenured on long-term contracts.
This is so because freelancers and consultants have designed the best service deliveries for clients on a contract basis. As a freelancer, it will be helpful if you back up your remarkable housekeeping skills with good paperwork and financial management skills. Invoicing is one of the aspects to consider.
If you lack experience in this regard, you might consider checking a cleaning invoice example on this platform for a better understanding of how to design one.
Before designing a billing document, housekeeping professionals must take into cognizance certain factors that affect invoicing for housekeeping. You should consider the size of the home or property and the time it will take to deliver the service in your cleaning invoice example. However, clients should keep in mind that the largeness of their bills is usually proportional to the size of their homes.
This is the kind of information that generates for you.
Exploring a housekeeping or cleaning invoice example
A cleaning invoice is an official document to request payment from a client upon the completion of a cleaning service. If well explored, a professional cleaning invoice example used as an invoicing template can impact your business positively. Asides getting quick responses from clients, the documents make you appear as an expert and also help in good bookkeeping.
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