Invoicing ·
How to Number Invoices: Formats, Gaps and Credit Notes
How to number invoices: sequential numbers, prefixes, yearly series, gaps, voided invoices, credit notes, and what HMRC, the ATO and the EU say.
9 min read
Who it's for / Pool service & maintenance
Pool service invoices for the weekly route, the extras and the repairs
Pool service companies usually bill a flat monthly price for a weekly visit, with chemicals included or on top, and charge extra for treatments such as an algae clean-up, for repairs and equipment, and for opening and closing the pool where the season ends. Repairs are quoted first, with the part and the labor on separate lines that may be taxed differently. Tell Clodou what you agreed and it prepares the monthly invoices as drafts, writes the repair quotes and keeps track of who has paid.
Sound familiar?
- Monthly invoices for the whole route written by hand on the first
- An algae treatment or an extra shock done on the visit and never billed
- Repair quotes with the part and the labor, and tax on the part only
- Payments by check, transfer and app, with no single list of who still owes
How Clodou helps
Monthly plans as drafts
Set up each customer's plan once as a retainer, such as weekly service at $160 a month. Clodou prepares one draft invoice a month for you to check and send, and you pause it when the pool closes for the season.
Repairs quoted, then invoiced
"Quote the Hendersons a pump replacement: pump $685 and 2 hours of labor at $95, sales tax on the pump only" writes the quote with each line and the tax where it applies. When they say yes, the quote becomes the invoice.
Notes for each pool
Log notes on each customer, such as the pool size, the equipment or that the side gate sticks, and ask "what are my notes on the Hendersons?" before a visit.
How pool service & maintenance bill, and how Clodou handles it
A flat monthly price for weekly service
Most residential customers pay a flat monthly price for a weekly visit: skimming, brushing, emptying the baskets and balancing the water, with standard chemicals included or billed on top. In Clodou this is a retainer: the amount, the first month and the line printed on each invoice. Clodou prepares one draft a month and sends nothing on its own. A commercial pool with several visits a week gets its own price on its own retainer.
Treatments, chemicals and repairs
Work outside the plan, such as an algae treatment, a green-to-clean or an extra shock, is billed on its own line at the price you set, on its own invoice or added to the month's draft. Repairs and equipment are quoted first, with the part and the labor on separate lines, and Clodou turns the accepted quote into the invoice. Clodou never adds a markup or a fee by itself: every line is one you gave.
Openings, closings and tax
Where pools close for the winter, opening and closing are billed as one-off services at a set price, and the monthly plan runs only for the season: pause the retainer after the last month's draft and set up a new one next spring, because resuming a paused retainer also prepares drafts for the months it was paused. Whether parts, chemicals or labor are taxed depends on where you work: check with your accountant, and Clodou applies the rate you set, per line if needed.
A monthly plan and a pump replacement
Step 1
Set up a $160 monthly retainer for Dana Henderson from April 1: weekly pool service, chemicals included. Then prepare this month's retainer invoices.
Adds Dana Henderson as a client and sets up the retainer: $160 a month with the line "Weekly pool service, chemicals included", starting April 1. Then creates draft invoice INV-0120 for Dana with that line, $160.00. No tax is set on this workspace, and nothing is sent on its own.
Step 2
Quote the Hendersons a pump replacement: variable-speed pump $685 and 2 hours of labor at $95. 7% sales tax on the pump only.
Creates quote DEV-0061 with two lines: variable-speed pump, $685.00, with 7% sales tax; labor, 2 hours at $95, $190.00, with no tax. Sales tax is $47.95, so the total is $922.95.
Step 3
Dana accepted and I replaced the pump today. Turn DEV-0061 into an invoice. I sent it with the April invoice.
Creates invoice INV-0121 for $922.95 with the same lines and tax, plus a reference to DEV-0061, and marks INV-0120 and INV-0121 as sent.
Step 4
Dana paid both: $160 and $922.95.
Shows two approval cards: $160.00 on INV-0120 and $922.95 on INV-0121. Once you approve them, both invoices are marked paid.
Just ask
Set up a $160 monthly retainer for Dana Henderson from April 1: weekly pool service, chemicals included
Quote the Hendersons a pump replacement: variable-speed pump $685 and 2 hours of labor at $95, 7% sales tax on the pump only
Invoice the Garcias for an algae treatment on June 12 at $120
Questions
- How do I make a pool service invoice?
- Tell Clodou the customer, the service and your price. A monthly plan can be a retainer that Clodou prepares as a draft every month; a treatment or a repair is one sentence, such as algae treatment on June 12 at $120. Each invoice prints your logo, your business details, the next number in your sequence and your payment terms. There is no pool service invoice template to fill in, and Clodou never invents a price.
- Can I add extra chemicals to the monthly invoice?
- Yes, while the month's invoice is a draft: ask Clodou to add a line, such as extra shock, 2 treatments at $25, and it works out the total again. You can also invoice extras on their own. Clodou does not track chemical use per visit: it bills what you tell it.
- What happens when pools close for the winter?
- Pause each customer's retainer once the last month's draft is prepared, and invoice the closing as a one-off service. In spring, invoice the opening and set up a new retainer from the first month of service; resuming the old one would also prepare drafts for the months it was paused.
- Can I bill a commercial pool or an HOA?
- Yes. Add the property or the management company as the client, with the manager and their accounts team as contacts, and put their purchase order number in the note if they ask for one. A fixed price for several visits a week is a retainer of its own, and repairs are quoted and invoiced as for any customer.
- Does Clodou plan routes or log water readings?
- No. Clodou has no route planning, service logs, water chemistry readings, photos for customers or customer portal, and it does not take card payments. It handles the business side: customers, quotes, invoices, payments, expenses and notes. Log chemical and equipment purchases as expenses, from a sentence or a receipt photo you confirm.
- 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
Invoicing ·
Invoice Spreadsheet vs Invoicing Software: When to Switch
Invoicing from an Excel or Word template vs invoicing software: what each does well, the hidden work in templates, and a checklist of signs it's time to switch.
10 min read
Expenses ·
Expense and Receipt Tracking: A Simple System
How to track business expenses and receipts with a simple system: capture, categorize, store, reconcile monthly and hand clean records to your accountant.
9 min read
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