High-quality cleaning services are such a critical part of any household or office operations. And for cleaning company owners or managers, the capability to provide top-notch services is the difference between a mediocre business and a thriving one. But that’s not all it takes. Behind the scenes, there is a mountain of administrative paperwork and organization that goes into running a smooth, efficient company. Every cleaning service needs a strong, efficient back-office to handle all the different parts of the business – and that includes invoicing.
How The Specific Needs of Cleaning Services Affect The Set up of an Invoice
One of the main challenges of invoicing for cleaning services is the numerous ways that services are structured, and the different payment set-ups typically used. Cleaning businesses have multiple customers, with many jobs happening simultaneously, and sometimes, turnover can be high. Certain times of the year are particularly busy, which means there are more jobs than usual to bill for. Plus, customers use cleaning services at different frequencies. Some have cleaning services every day, others every week, yet others every fortnight, or month, and even one-time cleaning jobs. In addition, there are many payment terms and methods for cleaning services, such as cash, check or credit card, advance payment, payment only after completion of the job, and more.
There are so many variables in a cleaning service invoice, it makes sense to use a basic invoice template that makes room for all the ways that cleaning services are charged and invoiced. Online invoicing software is a popular choice among business owners, as it provides a range of convenient invoice templates that can be easily adapted for any cleaning job or customer need.
Make Sure Your Invoice Includes The Following Information
No matter what size the cleaning business or how complex the job, every cleaning invoice example must include the following information:
Cleaning company details
Include the name, address, and phone number of the cleaning service. This must be the same as the company’s official registered information. You can also include the business logo if you have one.
Business ID numbers
Any relevant business ID numbers should be included together with the company details.
Customer details
The invoice must state the name and address of the customer. In some cases, the name needed on the invoice for accounting purposes will be different than the customer’s personal name. Check with the customer to make sure you have the right details.
Project address
This is the address where the actual cleaning work takes place. Note that it may be different than the address of the customer who is being invoiced.
Invoice number
Any valid invoice includes a unique number. If you are using online invoicing software, the invoice number will be generated automatically by the system in correct chronological order.
Date of issue
This is the date that the invoice was created and issued to the customer.
Items
This is a list of all the services the customer is being invoiced for. If you have a set list of cleaning services and prices, this can be entered into an online invoicing system in advance. When creating a new invoice, you just need to select the relevant predefined item or items, and add them to the invoice, rather than entering them from scratch every time. Items usually include a short description, so the customer knows what they are being billed for.
Cost per item/Quantity
The cost of each service is featured alongside the item description. If charging by the hour, then you will need to state how much the service costs per hour (cost per item), and the number of hours provided for each service (quantity). These are then multiplied together to arrive at the total cost per item.
Taxes
If there are any state or federal taxes that apply, these are added to the bottom of the items list.
Total amount
Once all services/items, taxes, and discounts are calculated, you will arrive at the total amount due. This is the final amount owed by the customer for the cleaning services and should appear clearly and boldly at the end of the items list.
Payment Due Date
Make sure to clearly display the final date that payment is due. After this date, the payment is officially overdue, and penalties may apply, depending on your policy.
Notes/Terms & Conditions
Other important information should be included on the invoice, such as terms, late payment fees, available payment methods, and more. You can also include a short message or note for the customer if you like.
Cleaning Invoice Templates
For cleaning business owners, messing about with invoices may feel like the lowest priority on a very busy to-do list. While it’s important to have a systematic invoicing process, it should also be simple and efficient to run, and with the capability of handling the wide range of variables that are part of a bustling cleaning services company.
Online invoicing software is an excellent option for cleaning businesses, as it comes with a set of ready-made templates that take away almost all the work of building and designing invoices. It’s simply a matter of choosing a template, going through a one-time setup process of entering in the company details and choosing basic design elements, such as template style and colors. Once that is complete, generating invoices is done in an instant, with a few clicks of the mouse.
The ready-made invoice templates available with online invoicing software are professional, attractive, yet at the same, simple in style – enabling the creation of valid, appropriate and well-designed invoices with hardly any investment of time and energy.
Cleaning Invoice Software For Smoother Business Management
A key advantage of cleaning invoice software is the ability to streamline all customer and invoicing data into one platform, accessible anywhere and anytime. With just a few clicks of the mouse, the software generates complex invoices, without any need for confusing paperwork and filing. All invoicing information for every customer is recorded and securely stored on the web, and can be analyzed, sorted and filtered into reports in a matter of seconds.
In addition, many of the good quality invoicing software programs offer a mobile app version, which means invoicing can be done on the go, in between jobs, even on the busiest days with the most customers on the books.
Invoicing programs can also be integrated with other bookkeeping programs, which makes it much easier for your accountant when it comes to tax reporting.
Great looking invoices, instant distribution of invoices via email, access to all your invoicing records at any time online – for thriving cleaning companies, choosing an online invoicing software is no longer a luxury, it’s a must.
Clean up your invoicing – for good!
Cleaning service companies are all about cleaning up for others. Invoicing software can do a great job of cleaning up your finances! There’s no need to invest in expensive or complicated programs. The online invoicing systems available today are user-friendly, incredibly efficient, and extremely affordable or even free. While the types of cleaning services and all the different ways you can charge for them might seem endless, a great cleaning invoice example will sweep away all the clutter and make this critical part of running a cleaning business smooth and streamlined as never before.
