--- title: "Locksmith invoicing app: invoice and get paid on site ยท LockCommand" description: "What a locksmith invoice should include, how to invoice and take payment before you leave, the payment options compared, and how LockCommand keeps it all on the job." url: https://lockcommand.com/locksmith-invoicing --- How to # Locksmith invoicing, from quote to receipt. Most locksmith jobs are paid on the spot, so the invoice has to be ready before you are. Here is what to put on it, how to get paid before you leave, and how to keep the paperwork with the job. [LockCommand payments](https://lockcommand.com//features/payments) ## What a locksmith invoice should include Rules differ by state, and some states require your license number on invoices and ads. Check yours. This list covers what most shops need. - Your shop: Shop name, phone and, where your state requires it, your locksmith license number. - The customer: The customer's name and the service address. - The vehicle: For car jobs: year, make, model and color. - Each piece of work: Labor, parts and extra keys, each on its own line. - The night surcharge: The after-hours charge as its own line, not hidden in the labor. - Sales tax: If your state charges it on your services. - How it was paid: The payment method, and any tip. - When: The date and time of the job. ## Six steps from finished job to paid 1. **Confirm the price first**: Before you start, confirm the final price inside the range you quoted on the phone. Disputes start when the first number the customer hears is on the invoice. 2. **Do the work, record the proof**: ID and proof of ownership on lockouts, before and after photos on anything that could be argued about later. 3. **Send the invoice on site**: Text it while you're still at the door. A customer standing next to you pays now; one who gets an email next week might not. 4. **Take payment there**: Card through your own processor, a pay link, or cash and check recorded on the spot. 5. **Receipt and review**: Send a receipt straight away, then ask for a review once the customer has had time to settle. 6. **Into your books**: Get the invoice and payment into your accounting without typing them twice. ## Ways to take payment, compared Most shops take more than one. What matters is that each payment ends up matched to its job. | | When you get the money | Fees | Watch for | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Cash | On the spot | None | Carrying cash at night; record it right away so the books match | | Check | When it clears | Usually none | Bounced checks; get the customer's ID on the job | | Card through your own processor | Per your processor's payout schedule | Your processor's card fees | Extra fees some software adds on top of the processor's | | Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, PayPal.me | Usually fast | Depends on the app and account type | Each app's rules for business payments; matching the payment to the job | | Invoice paid later | When the customer gets to it | Same as the method they pick | Chasing unpaid invoices; better for commercial accounts you trust | ## The invoice lives on the job The invoice starts from the job, with your tax rate. The ID check, photos and texts sit on the same job, so a dispute is one screen, not a search through your phone. - Invoice by text with a link to view and pay - Card payments into your own Stripe, Square or PayPal, marked paid on their own - PayPal.me, Venmo and Cash App links with the amount filled in, plus your Zelle details - Cash, check and app payments recorded on site, with tips - Invoices and payments copied to QuickBooks Online, plus CSV exports Every setting is on the [payments page](https://lockcommand.com//features/payments). ## No fee on what you invoice Every plan invoices and takes payment. LockCommand adds nothing on top of your payment provider's own fee. ### Solo One locksmith on the road, doing the calls and the work. $149.99/ month Billed monthly. Cancel any time. [Get early access](mailto:support@lockcommand.com?subject=LockCommand%20early%20access) - **200 AI minutes** every month - Just you, one user - AI receptionist on your own local number - Texts, invoices, pay links and ID checks - Reports and QuickBooks Online sync ### Dispatch 3 Most shops A small shop with someone on the board and a couple of techs. $349.99/ month Billed monthly. Cancel any time. [Get early access](mailto:support@lockcommand.com?subject=LockCommand%20early%20access) - **800 AI minutes** every month - Up to 3 users, any mix of roles - Live map and the dispatch board - AI dispatch: Suggest, Offer or Auto - Everything in Solo Every plan, minute price and add-on is on the [pricing page](https://lockcommand.com//pricing). ## Invoicing questions ### What should a locksmith invoice include? Your shop name and phone, your license number if your state requires it, the customer and service address, the vehicle for car jobs, each piece of work on its own line, any after-hours surcharge as its own line, tax, how it was paid and the date. Check your state's rules for anything else it requires. ### Can I send a locksmith invoice by text? Yes, and on site it's usually the fastest way to get paid. In LockCommand the customer gets a text with the invoice number, the amount and a link to view and pay. ### Should the after-hours charge be a separate line? Yes. It matches what you said on the phone, it's easier for the customer to understand, and it keeps your reports honest about what nights earn. ### Does LockCommand charge a fee on invoices? No. Customers pay into your own Stripe, Square or PayPal account, or your own pay links. LockCommand adds no processing fee. Your provider's own fees still apply. ## Keep reading - [Payments Invoices and pay links that pay into your own Stripe, Square, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App or Zelle, with no LockCommand fee.](https://lockcommand.com//features/payments) - [Reports & QuickBooks Roles for your team, revenue and call reports, CSV exports and QuickBooks Online sync.](https://lockcommand.com//features/reports-and-quickbooks) - [ID & proof ID and proof of ownership photos, a customer signature and before and after photos on every job.](https://lockcommand.com//features/id-and-proof) - [Solo locksmiths How a one-person mobile locksmith stops losing calls while on a job or driving.](https://lockcommand.com//for/solo-locksmiths) - [Pricing Monthly plans by team size, included AI minutes, per-minute prices, boosters and top-ups.](https://lockcommand.com//pricing) ## Let the AI pick up. You pick the lock. LockCommand is opening to locksmiths now. Email us and we'll get your shop set up. [Get early access](mailto:support@lockcommand.com?subject=LockCommand%20early%20access) [See pricing](https://lockcommand.com//pricing)