Free landscaping invoice template with plants by size and count
A landscaping invoice has to count living things and loose material: plants by container size and quantity, mulch and soil by the cubic yard, sod by the square foot, and irrigation by the zone. It also carries the plant warranty, because a shrub that browns out in August sends the client straight back to the paperwork. The sample below bills a front yard install with two trees, 14 shrubs, 900 square feet of sod, and one drip zone for $5,174.00, and the blank PDF and CSV are free.
What goes on a landscaping invoice
| Field | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Company, license, and applicator number | Your business name, any landscaping or irrigation license your state issues, and a pesticide applicator license number if the job included herbicide or weed-and-feed. State rules generally require a commercial applicator license to apply pesticides for hire, so check with your state agriculture department before that line goes on a bill. |
| Property and work areas | The service address and each area by name: front foundation bed, side yard, back lawn. Use the same area names as the design or the estimate so a client can walk the yard with the invoice in hand. |
| Plant list by size and count | Each plant by common or botanical name, container size, and quantity, such as 14 dwarf yaupon holly in 3 gallon pots. Trees are sized by caliper, which the American Standard for Nursery Stock measures 6 inches above the soil on trunks up to 4 inches. |
| Bulk materials by the cubic yard | Mulch, topsoil, compost, and rock in cubic yards, with the depth you spread. One yard of mulch covers 108 square feet at 3 inches deep, so the yardage and the bed area should agree. |
| Sod or seed by the square foot | Square feet installed, the grass variety, and the pallet count. A pallet commonly covers 400 to 500 square feet depending on the farm, so write the coverage your supplier quoted. |
| Irrigation by the zone | Zones added or reworked, with head type and count per zone, the valve, and any controller or backflow assembly. A zone line that reads 6 rotors, 1 valve, 140 feet of pipe is one the next technician can service. |
| Edging, fabric, and hardscape | Bed edging by the linear foot, weed barrier and pavers by the square foot, wall block by the each. Steel edging and plastic edging are priced far apart, so name the material. |
| Utility locate ticket | The 811 ticket number and the date the lines were marked, on any job with trenching, tree planting, or footings. Locators mark utility-owned lines only, so note any private line the owner pointed out, such as lighting wire or an existing sprinkler main. |
| Removal and green waste | Old turf, shrubs, stumps, and debris taken out, billed by the load or the cubic yard with the dump fee stated. Ask your transfer station whether clean green waste tips cheaper than mixed debris, and bill each load the way it was weighed. |
| Plant warranty terms | How long trees and shrubs are covered, what the client has to do to keep the coverage, and what is excluded. One year on trees and shrubs is common, with annuals and anything that went unwatered usually left out. |
| Maintenance line, if recurring | For mowing, bed care, or seasonal visits, the service period, the number of visits, and the flat monthly or per visit rate. Keep it apart from install work so the client can tell a one-time project from a standing charge. |
The line-item table
| Description | Size or unit | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crape myrtle, planted and staked | 15 gal | 2 | $385.00 | $770.00 |
| Dwarf yaupon holly, planted | 3 gal | 14 | $62.00 | $868.00 |
| Perennials, daylily and salvia, planted | 1 gal | 24 | $22.00 | $528.00 |
| Compost, tilled into planting beds | cu yd | 3 | $95.00 | $285.00 |
| Hardwood mulch, spread 3 inches deep | cu yd | 4 | $92.00 | $368.00 |
| Bermuda sod, installed on graded soil | sq ft | 900 | $1.65 | $1,485.00 |
| Drip irrigation zone for beds, valve and 180 ft of drip line | zone | 1 | $685.00 | $685.00 |
| Old turf and shrub removal, hauled off | load | 1 | $185.00 | $185.00 |
How to use this template
- List plants the way the nursery tags them. Copy the name and container size from the nursery tag, then count what went in the ground. If the grower shorted you and you substituted a different variety or a smaller pot, the invoice should show the swap and the price difference.
- Turn bed area into cubic yards. Multiply the bed's square footage by the depth in inches and divide by 324. A 432 square foot bed mulched 3 inches deep works out to 4 cubic yards, which is the number the supply yard loaded and the number you bill.
- Bill irrigation one zone at a time. Give each new or reworked zone its own line with what it waters and what is in it. When a zone is priced as a unit, adding a fifth zone later is a simple quote instead of a renegotiation of the whole system.
- Start the warranty clock on the invoice. Print the planting date next to the warranty length and the watering the client agreed to. A one year tree and shrub warranty that names its start date and its conditions is easy to honor and hard to stretch.
- Keep install and maintenance apart. Bill the project once, then bill mowing and bed care on their own schedule. A client who sees a $5,000 install and a $180 monthly visit on the same page tends to question both.
Get paid faster
Round sod to the pallet, bill the square foot
Farms cut and ship by the pallet, and coming up short means seams you cannot close that day. Order the extra, lay what the yard takes, and bill the square feet installed at a rate that already covers the offcuts. Sod runs about $0.56 a square foot at the farm before delivery, so the rate is mostly prep and labor.
Photograph the paint marks before you dig
Take a photo of the locate flags and paint with the ticket number in the frame. State law sets how far ahead you have to call, commonly two or three business days, and the photo shows you waited for the marks.
Put the license next to the chemical
Any line for pre-emergent, weed control, or insect treatment should name the product and carry your applicator license number. It tells the client the application was done by someone licensed to do it.
Offer the backflow test as its own line
When you add a backflow assembly to an irrigation system, many water utilities want it tested by a certified tester, often every year after that. Print the test date on the install invoice and quote the retest as a separate line.
The blank PDF and CSV carry a Size or unit column for container sizes, cubic yards, and zones, so plants and bulk material sit in one table.
Frequently asked questions
What should a landscaping invoice include?
Plants by name, container size, and count. Mulch, soil, and compost by the cubic yard with the depth spread. Sod by the square foot, irrigation by the zone, and removal by the load. Add the 811 ticket number on any job that involved digging, the plant warranty terms, and a separate section for recurring maintenance.
How do landscapers charge for mulch?
By the cubic yard, installed. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet and covers 108 square feet at a 3 inch depth or 162 square feet at 2 inches. A common bag holds 2 cubic feet, so it takes 13.5 bags to equal one yard, which is why bulk delivery wins on any large bed. Bulk mulch averages about $35 a yard at the supply yard, and the installed rate adds delivery, wheelbarrow time, and edging the bed.
Does a landscaper have to call 811 before planting?
Yes, when the work involves digging. State one-call laws cover excavation by contractors, and tree holes and irrigation trenches count. The call is free, and each state sets its own notice period, commonly two or three business days. The marks cover utility-owned lines only, so sprinkler pipe, lighting wire, and a gas line to a grill are the owner's to point out.
How long should a plant warranty run?
One year on trees and shrubs is the common standard, and written terms range from 30 days to two years. Most exclude annuals and end the coverage if the plant was not watered. Whatever you offer, print the length, the start date, and the watering requirement on the invoice.
Can Staxen bill a landscaping install in stages?
Yes. Staxen's invoicing employee, Ivy the Invoicer, sets up milestone billing so a deposit covers the nursery order and the balance comes due at the walkthrough. Ivy accepts card and ACH payments through Stripe, sends overdue reminders that escalate, and syncs QuickBooks Online both ways. Staxen is $59 per month per AI employee or $149 per month for all three, and the first 7 days are free in the app.