Automotive repair invoice
- Balance due
- $557.38
- Labor
- $237.50
- Parts, marked up
- $234
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs you enter, by the method stated below it. RemitDeck publishes no average rates and quotes no survey: the defaults are a worked example to replace with your own.
An automotive repair invoice is the document a customer keeps for the life of the car: it is what they show the next mechanic, what they send to a warranty company, and what they produce if the repair fails. That makes it a record as much as a bill. It has to say what was found, what was done, what parts went in, what the labor was and what it all came to, in a form that still makes sense to a stranger in three years. This guide covers what has to be on it and why, and the free tool on this site raises one from your figures.
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Say what was found before what was done
A repair invoice that starts with the complaint and the diagnosis, then the work, reads as a professional record; one that starts with a parts list reads as a bill. The diagnostic fee earns its own line because the diagnosis is a separate piece of work that has value whether or not the customer proceeds, and it stops the repair looking padded when the fee is folded in.
List each part with what it is, not just what it cost
Part name, quantity and price, one per line. A later mechanic reading 'brake parts $234' learns nothing; 'front brake pads, set, $89' and 'front discs, pair, $145' tells them what was replaced and roughly when the next replacement is due. It also protects you: a dispute over a failed part is settled by the invoice naming the part, and cannot be settled by an invoice that does not.
Show the tax base and the balance due, then stop
Sales tax applies to the parts in most states and not to the labor, so the invoice should make the taxed base visible: the parts total, the rate, the tax. After that comes anything already paid, and finally one balance due. Payment terms and how to pay belong under that figure, and nothing else should follow it; the last number on the page is the number the customer pays.
Automotive repair invoice: common questions
What must an automotive repair invoice include?
Your trading name and contact details, the customer's name, the vehicle (make, model, registration or VIN and mileage), the date, the complaint or reason for the visit, the diagnosis, labor at a stated rate for stated hours, each part fitted with its price, any shop supplies, sales tax with the base it was charged on, anything already paid, and the balance due. State consumer rules often add a requirement that the customer authorised the work first; the invoice should reference that authorisation.
Do I charge sales tax on labor?
In most US states, no: services are not taxed and the tax falls on the parts. Some states do tax repair labor, and some tax it only on certain property types. The tool on this site taxes only the marked-up parts, which fits the common case, but your state's rule is the one that decides, and the invoice should show which base the tax was charged on.
Can a mobile mechanic use this?
Yes, and it is who it is built for: a sole trader who does the work and sends the bill, not a shop with a service desk. There is no bay scheduling, no parts inventory and no technician roster, because a one-person business does not need to pay for those. Add a travel or call-out charge in the diagnostic fee line if that is how you charge for the drive.
RemitDeck Pro
Keeping what you make
The invoices are free forever. Pro turns them into your paperwork: your name and logo on it, no watermark, every invoice and client saved and findable at tax time, and a clean export when your accountant asks.
- Download as PDF
- No RemitDeck watermark
- Save every invoice and reopen it later
- Your logo and tax number on it
- Export every invoice in one go
- Payment reminders emailed to your clients before and after the due date
- Connect your own Stripe account and get paid online
- Connect your QuickBooks Online or Xero
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Cite or embed this figure
A repair invoice that separates the diagnostic fee, the labor hours at a stated rate and each part fitted is the record a customer needs for a warranty claim; the worked example on this site raises one with a $557.38 balance due from a $60 diagnostic, 2.5 labor hours and $180 of parts.
Automotive invoice template (Balance due): $557.38, RemitDeck, worked example.
Cite as: "Automotive repair invoice, RemitDeck", updated 2026-09-02, https://remitdeck.com/automotive-repair-invoice/.