⏱ 45 minutes to set up
Invoice Automation for Plumbers: Get Paid on the Job, Every Time
You did the work. The customer is happy. But then comes the awkward part, "I'll send you a check", and two weeks later, you're still waiting. Or you're back at the shop at 9pm, manually typing up invoices in a spreadsheet, trying to remember which jobs you billed and which you didn't.
The average plumbing business with 3-5 technicians has $12,000–$18,000 in outstanding receivables at any given time. That's not a collections problem, it's a billing process problem. And it's completely fixable in an afternoon.
In this tutorial you'll set up a complete plumbing billing system: mobile invoices you send before you leave the driveway, text-to-pay so customers pay on their phone in 60 seconds, automatic payment reminders so you never have to chase anyone, and recurring billing for maintenance contracts. Every step takes under 10 minutes.
Purpose-built for field service businesses. Handles estimates, invoices, scheduling, client management, and payment collection in one app. Mobile-first design built for the job site.
From $49/mo · https://getjobber.com Try free →Best for solo plumbers who want clean invoicing + solid bookkeeping. Automatic late fees, recurring invoices, and time tracking built in. Integrates with your accountant's software.
From $19/mo · https://www.freshbooks.com Try free →Best free option. Send invoices by text or email, collect card payments on your phone, and track what's paid vs. outstanding, all at $0/month. Add Square Reader for in-person tap-to-pay.
Free plan · https://squareup.com Get started →The connector that automates the repetitive parts, like sending a reminder when an invoice hasn't been paid, or adding a new customer to your email list when a job closes.
Free plan · https://zapier.com Try free →Our recommendation: If you run a crew of 2+ technicians, start with Jobber, it'll pay for itself in the first week. If you're a solo plumber, Square is free and gets you 90% of the way there immediately.
Before we get into steps, here's what a complete plumbing billing system looks like. Right now you probably do some of these, but not all:
| Capability | What it means for your business | Tool that handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile invoicing | Create and send invoice while still at the property | Jobber / Square / FreshBooks |
| Text-to-pay | Customer pays from their phone in 60 seconds | Square / Jobber Payments |
| Automatic reminders | Overdue invoices follow up themselves | FreshBooks / Zapier |
| Progress billing | Collect deposit + milestone payments on big jobs | Jobber / FreshBooks |
| Recurring invoices | Maintenance contracts bill automatically every month | FreshBooks / Jobber |
Download Jobber (recommended) or Square on your phone. Create your company profile: business name, logo, license number, address. Set up your payment processing, this is what lets you accept cards. Jobber uses Jobber Payments (powered by Stripe). Square uses Square Payments. Both take about 2 minutes to connect your bank account.
Think of your 10 most common jobs: drain cleaning, water heater replacement, toilet repair, faucet replacement, emergency after-hours call, etc. In Jobber or FreshBooks, create a "Product/Service" entry for each one with a standard price. Now when you create an invoice, you just tap "Drain Cleaning" and the price fills in automatically, no typing, no forgetting to charge for something.
In Jobber Settings → Payments, turn on "Collect payment on job completion." When you mark a job done, the customer automatically gets a text with a payment link. In Square, this is called "Payment Links", you can send it from the app in 10 seconds. Set your invoice due date to "due on receipt" for residential jobs. From now on, hand the customer their copy of the invoice on the spot and say: "You'll get a text with a payment link, most people just tap it right now while I'm packing up."
In FreshBooks: Settings → Invoices → Late Payment Reminders. Turn on automatic reminders at Day 3, Day 7, and Day 14 overdue. In Jobber: Client Hub → Payment Reminders. Do the same. Each reminder automatically includes the invoice amount, a payment link, and your contact info. You set it once, it runs forever. Add a late fee of 1.5%/month for anything over 30 days (turn this on in FreshBooks under Late Fees). You'll be surprised how many people pay when they get the first reminder, they genuinely forgot.
If you offer annual water heater flushes, drain maintenance plans, or backflow testing services, these are perfect for recurring invoices. In FreshBooks: Invoices → Recurring. Pick the client, the service, the amount, and the schedule (monthly, quarterly, annual). Set it and forget it. In Jobier: Settings → Recurring Jobs. Same idea, it auto-creates and auto-sends the invoice at the right interval. A 10-home maintenance plan at $150/year = $1,500 in automatic recurring revenue.
| Job Type | Billing Approach | Deposit? | When to Invoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency call (clog, burst pipe) | Full payment on completion | No | Before leaving property |
| Standard repair (faucet, toilet, valve) | Full payment on completion | No | Before leaving property |
| Water heater replacement | 50% deposit + balance on install | Yes, 50% | Deposit at booking, balance at install |
| Remodel / new construction | 3-stage: 30% / 50% / 20% | Yes, 30% | Per milestone: contract / rough-in / final |
| Maintenance contract | Recurring annual or monthly | No | Auto-billed on schedule |
| Commercial / property management | Net-15 or Net-30 invoicing | Optional | Within 24 hrs of job completion |
This runs completely on autopilot once you set it up. You never have to manually follow up on an invoice again:
| Timing | Action | Tone | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice sent (Day 0) | Invoice email + text with payment link | Professional | Itemized services, pay now button |
| Day 3 (if unpaid) | Friendly reminder | Warm | "Just a reminder" + payment link |
| Day 7 (if unpaid) | Past-due notice | Firm | Invoice now overdue, late fee coming |
| Day 14 (if unpaid) | Final notice + late fee applied | Formal | Late fee added, payment link, phone number |
| Day 30+ (if unpaid) | Manual outreach or collections referral | Action required | You step in at this point |
Most unpaid invoices resolve by Day 7. The Day 14 notice with a real late fee closes about 80% of the rest. You'll rarely need Day 30+.
Hi [First Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. Your invoice for today's [service type] is ready, total is $[amount]. You can pay here: [payment link] Cash, check, or card all work too. Thanks for having us out today! Let us know if you have any questions.
Subject: Invoice #[###], Past Due, [Your Company Name] Hi [First Name], Just following up on invoice #[###] for $[amount], which was due [date]. You can pay online here: [payment link] Or call us at [phone] to pay by card. Please note: a 1.5% late fee will be added to invoices unpaid after 30 days. Thank you — [Your Name] [Company] | [Phone]
Subject: Your Annual Plumbing Maintenance, [Month] Service Scheduled Hi [First Name], This is your annual invoice for your [service name] maintenance contract with [Company]. Invoice total: $[amount] Pay online: [payment link] We'll be in touch shortly to schedule your service appointment for [Month]. Same great service, no surprises. Questions? Call [phone] anytime. [Your Name] [Company]
Dave runs a 3-technician plumbing company in Columbus, Ohio. When we first talked, he had $22,000 in outstanding receivables, most of it from jobs completed 30–90 days prior. He was spending 6 hours a week chasing payments by phone.
We set up Jobber in one afternoon. Text-to-pay went out automatically at job completion. Three-touch reminders started running on day 3, 7, and 14. Within 60 days:
"I can't believe I waited this long. The text-to-pay link is the single biggest change. People pay before I'm even out of the neighborhood.", Dave, Midland Plumbing
Start with Jobber, the field service app built specifically for plumbers. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Try Jobber Free for 14 Days → See Plumber CRM Tutorial →Jobber is the top choice for plumbing businesses with 2+ technicians, it combines invoicing, scheduling, and client management in one mobile-first app. For solo plumbers, Square is the best free option. FreshBooks is ideal if you want strong accounting integration.
The fastest method is text-to-pay: send the customer a payment link via text while you're still at the property. They tap, enter their card, and you get paid before you pull out of the driveway. Jobber Payments and Square both support this natively.
Collect 50% at the time of scheduling. Send the deposit invoice link right after booking, most people pay immediately when they realize the slot is held by their payment. Jobber lets you create a "deposit invoice" that shows the total job cost and the deposit amount due.