For plumbers, electricians and maintenance teams

Invoices for plumbers and electricians

Finish the call-out, send the invoice from your phone and get paid by card before you leave. Rebill keeps the call-out fee, labour and parts on separate lines, with room for the CoC number your client may need later.

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Sample invoice

Geyser repair, Pinetown

Item	Qty	Amount
Call-out fee Within 20 km	1 × R550.00	R550.00
Labour Per hour	2 × R480.00	R960.00
Geyser element and thermostat Parts supplied	1 × R1,250.00	R1,250.00
Total		R2,760.00

Payment due on completion by card, EFT or the payment link on this invoice.

Example figures. Call-out fees, hourly rates and parts prices vary by area and time of day.

A geyser repair, invoiced on site

The sample invoice is a typical call-out: a geyser that stopped heating, two hours to find and fix the fault, and a new element and thermostat. Call-out, labour and parts each sit on their own line, and the note asks for payment on completion with the card link on the invoice. An element and thermostat repair like this usually lands in the R1,800 to R3,000 range in 2026.

Figures are examples, not a rate card. For context: EnergyBee: geyser repair costs in South Africa; SAQA: PIRB licensed plumber designation; Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr: electrical certificates of compliance on transfer.

Call-out, labour and parts: three lines, no arguments

Disputes on trade invoices are almost always about one total with no detail. Splitting it settles the questions before they are asked. The call-out fee covers getting to the property and finding the fault, and it is agreed on the phone before you go. Labour is billed in hours or part hours. Parts are listed by name and quantity, so a client who wants to see the old element can match it to the line.

After-hours and weekend work usually carries a higher call-out fee or hourly rate. Name it on the line, for example "Call-out fee, after hours", so the client sees why it differs from last time.

Certificates of compliance on the invoice

Some work needs a certificate of compliance, and clients come back for it months later when they sell the property or claim from insurance. On plumbing, a PIRB registered licensed plumber issues and signs the plumbing CoC, and some municipalities ask for one on a replaced geyser. On electrical work, the Electrical Installation Regulations require a certificate issued by a registered person, and owners need a valid one for the whole installation when a property is transferred.

Charge the CoC as its own line and put the certificate number in the description. When the client or their conveyancer asks, the number is on the invoice in Rebill and on the PDF they already have.

Landlords, agents and insurance work

Rental agents and landlords send a steady stream of maintenance jobs and pay at month end, often for several properties at once. Keep one client per agency, put the property address on each invoice and let them pull a statement from the client portal. Insurance jobs need the claim number in the reference and an itemised invoice, because the assessor checks every line against the report.

Paid on site, not in 30 days

A homeowner standing next to a working geyser is the most willing payer you will ever have. Send the invoice before you leave, with a payment link, and most will pay by card there and then. For the rest, reminders go out on WhatsApp or email on the schedule you set.

What plumbers and electricians use in Rebill

Quotes, invoices and the client portal are on the free plan. Recurring invoices, WhatsApp delivery, card payment links and automatic reminders are on Premium, R99 a month.

Invoices from your phone: Create and send the invoice on site by WhatsApp or email, with the client's details saved from the last job.
Card payment links: A Paystack, Yoco, PayFast or iKhokha link on every invoice, paid into your own account. Rebill adds no fee.
Quotes for bigger jobs: Quote a geyser replacement, rewiring or a DB board upgrade, and convert it into an invoice when the client accepts.
Reminders that chase for you: Agents and landlords who pay at month end get automatic reminders, and the ageing report shows who is late.

VAT for one-person trades

Plenty of owner-operated plumbing and electrical businesses are not VAT registered, and their invoices carry no VAT. Registration becomes compulsory when taxable supplies pass R2.3 million in 12 months, with voluntary registration from R120,000. Contractors who work mostly for companies and insurers often register earlier, because those clients claim the VAT back.

What a tax invoice must show: the SARS section 20 fields. Thresholds as SARS applies them from 1 April 2026, while the law change is finalised.

Questions plumbers and electricians ask

Should a call-out fee be on its own line?

Yes. Tell the client the call-out fee and what it covers before you drive out, then show it as the first line on the invoice. Labour by the hour and parts follow as separate lines, so a client who questions the total can see each part of it.

How do I invoice a certificate of compliance?

As its own line, with the certificate number in the description once it is issued. A plumbing CoC is signed by a PIRB registered licensed plumber, and an electrical CoC by a registered person under the Electrical Installation Regulations. Clients selling a house or claiming from insurance often need the number on the invoice.

Do I mark up parts?

That is a business decision, not a rule. Many trades charge parts at a set margin over cost; others charge cost and earn on labour. Either way, list parts by name and quantity so the client can see what was fitted.

How do I get paid before I leave the site?

Send the invoice from your phone the moment the job is done, with a payment link. The client pays by card through Paystack, Yoco, PayFast or iKhokha while you pack up, and Rebill marks the invoice paid when the money comes through.

What should an invoice for an insurance claim show?

The client's claim or policy number, the cause you found, each part and the labour hours, and the CoC number where one was issued. Put the claim number in the invoice reference so the assessor can match it.

Also see quotations for contractors and builders, online payments in Rebill and how Rebill works.

Invoice the job before you drive away

The free invoice generator opens with the sample call-out lines. Change them to this job and download the PDF, no account needed.

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