Clodou

Who it's for / Plumbers

Plumbing invoices for the service call, the repair and the water heater

Plumbers bill a service call or trip charge to come out, then either a flat price per repair from their own price list or labor by the hour plus parts, with higher rates for nights, weekends and emergencies. Bigger jobs, such as a water heater replacement or a repipe, are quoted first, may need a permit and are often booked with a deposit. Tell Clodou what you did and at what price: it writes the invoice or the quote, remembers your flat rates if you ask it to and tracks who has paid.

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Sound familiar?

  • A trip charge, a flat-rate drain clearing and a part added up in the van
  • After-hours rates and permit fees forgotten on the invoice
  • Water heater quotes on paper, and deposits hard to match to the job
  • Supply house receipts that never get matched to a job

How Clodou helps

Service calls and flat-rate repairs

"Invoice Grace Hill: service call $79, drain clearing flat rate $189 and an after-hours charge of $95" writes three lines, $363. Clodou uses your prices; it never picks a flat rate for you.

Your flat rates, remembered

Ask Clodou to remember your flat rates, such as "drain clearing is $189 flat", and it uses them when you leave a price out, telling you it did. The notes are listed in Clodou learns, where you can change them.

Water heaters quoted, then invoiced

Quote the unit, the labor, the permit and the haul-away with your deposit terms in the note. When the customer says yes, the quote becomes the invoice, and Clodou keeps the balance after the deposit.

How plumbers bill, and how Clodou handles it

Service calls, flat rates or time and materials

Most plumbers charge a service call or trip charge, then either a flat price per repair from their own price list or labor by the hour plus parts. Give Clodou each line with your price, such as drain clearing, flat rate, $189, or labor, 1.5 hours at $120. A service call credited toward the repair is a discount line with the amount you give. Clodou never picks a rate or adds a fee by itself.

After hours, parts and permits

Nights, weekends and emergencies often carry a higher rate or a surcharge, parts are billed at the price you set, and some installs need a permit, billed at cost or at your set fee. Give each its own line. In some places sales tax applies to parts and not to labor: give a line its own rate, or none, and check what applies with your accountant.

Bigger jobs, deposits and supply house costs

Water heaters, repipes and sewer lines are quoted first and often booked with a deposit: write the terms in the quote's note and record the deposit when the customer accepts. Some states limit how much a home improvement contractor may take up front, so check your state's rules before you set a deposit. Log supply house receipts as expenses, from a photo you confirm, to see what each job cost.

An emergency drain call and a water heater replacement

  1. Step 1

    Invoice Grace Hill for tonight's call: service call $79, drain clearing flat rate $189 and the $95 after-hours charge. She paid on the spot.

    Adds Grace Hill as a client and creates invoice INV-0510 with three lines: service call, $79.00; drain clearing, flat rate, $189.00; after-hours charge, $95.00. No tax is set on this workspace, so the total is $363.00. It marks INV-0510 as sent and shows an approval card to record $363 received; once you approve it, the invoice is marked paid.

  2. Step 2

    Quote the Owens a 50-gallon gas water heater replacement: heater $1,150, labor $650, permit $85 and haul-away of the old unit $50. Note: $500 deposit to order the heater.

    Finds the Owens and creates quote DEV-0102 with four lines: 50-gallon gas water heater, $1,150.00; installation labor, $650.00; permit, $85.00; haul-away of the old unit, $50.00. Total: $1,935.00, with the deposit terms in the note.

  3. Step 3

    The Owens accepted and paid the $500 deposit. Turn DEV-0102 into an invoice and record it. Log $1,012 from Valley Plumbing Supply for the heater.

    Creates draft invoice INV-0511 for $1,935.00 with the same lines and note, plus a reference to DEV-0102, and shows an approval card to record $500 received; once you approve it, $1,435.00 is still owed. Records a $1,012.00 expense, water heater, with Valley Plumbing Supply as the supplier.

  4. Step 4

    Installed today. I sent INV-0511, and the Owens paid the $1,435 balance.

    Marks INV-0511 as sent and shows an approval card to record $1,435.00 received. Once you approve it, the invoice is marked paid.

Just ask

Invoice Grace Hill: service call $79, drain clearing flat rate $189 and an after-hours charge of $95

Quote the Owens a 50-gallon water heater replacement: heater $1,150, labor $650, permit $85 and haul-away $50

Remember: drain clearing is $189 flat and a toilet rebuild is $225

Questions

How do I make a plumbing invoice?
Tell Clodou the customer, the work and your prices, such as a service call at $79 and a drain clearing at $189 flat. It finds or adds the customer and writes the invoice with your logo, your business details, the next number in your sequence and the taxes you set. There is no plumbing invoice template to fill in, and if a price is missing, Clodou asks instead of guessing.
Can I use flat-rate pricing?
Yes. Give the flat price for each repair, or ask Clodou to remember your flat rates as short notes; when you leave a price out, it uses the one in your note and tells you so. Clodou has no price book with photos or options for customers to choose from.
Can I add a permit fee?
Yes, as its own line at cost or at the fee you set, such as permit, $85. Clodou does not apply for permits or know what they cost where you work.
Can my plumbers use it too?
Yes. Team includes 5 seats for $79 a month per workspace. Plumbers on the team can create quotes and invoices and log job costs, while recording payments waits for an owner or admin.
Does Clodou dispatch plumbers or book jobs?
No. Clodou has no dispatch board, scheduling, GPS, customer financing or technician app, and it does not take card payments. It handles the business side: customers, quotes, invoices, payments, expenses, time and stock. For remodeling and general contracting, see the page for contractors.
What does it cost?
Free covers up to 5 clients and 20 AI actions a month, with no separate cap on quotes and invoices (making them in the chat uses AI actions). Solo, with your payment link on invoices, is $29 a month per workspace. Team, with 5 seats and automatic reminders, is $79 a month. Prices are in USD, and the first 14 days are a free Team trial.

Guides

Your whole back office, in one chat

Every new workspace starts with a 14-day trial of Team, no card required. Then stay on Free: up to 5 clients and 20 AI actions a month; quotes and invoices have no separate cap, and making them in the chat uses AI actions.

Free: $0. Solo: $29 a month. Team: $79 a month with 5 seats. Prices per workspace, in USD.

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