Job sheet template

What is a job sheet?

A job sheet, also called a job card or a works order, is the record of one job. It says who the work was for, where it was, what the customer asked for, what you actually did, what you used and how long it took, and it carries the customer's signature to say the work was done.

It matters twice: when you write the invoice, because every line on the invoice comes from the sheet, and when a customer argues, because a signed sheet with the time on and off site and a few photos is the record a small claims court or a card chargeback will ask for. If a bill goes unpaid, the late payment interest calculator shows what you can add.

What does a job sheet contain?

A useful job sheet has your details at the top, a sheet number and date, the customer and site, the job as the customer described it, the work you carried out, materials with quantities and prices, labour hours and rate, totals, notes and recommendations, and two signatures. Trade sheets add the details their own records need.

• Your business name, address, phone and any registration numbers (Gas Safe, NICEIC or NAPIT).
• A sheet number that is never reused, and the date.
• Customer name, phone, email and address, and the site address if it is different.
• Job requested: what the customer said, in their words.
• Work carried out: what you did, plainly.
• Materials: description, quantity, unit price and line total, excluding VAT.
• Labour: hours and rate, excluding VAT.
• Totals: labour, materials, subtotal, VAT at 20% if you are registered, and the total.
• Time on site and time off site.
• Notes, recommendations and whether a follow-up visit is needed.
• Customer and engineer signatures, printed names and the date.

How to make a job sheet

There are three ways on this page. Download the blank job sheet in PDF or Word and print it. Make a printable pad: enter your details once and download 10 to 100 numbered sheets with your logo, in pairs marked customer copy and office copy if you want them. Or fill one in now on your phone, add photos, get the customer to sign with a finger, and share the PDF.

To make your own in Word or Excel instead: set up a header with your details and a sheet number, add the customer and site boxes, a large box each for the job requested and the work carried out, a materials table and a labour table with a totals box, then two signature lines. Save it as a template so every new sheet starts blank.

Job sheet, job card, work order or works order?

They are the same document. "Job sheet" and "job card" are what UK trades usually say. "Work order" is the American term, and the one facilities managers and maintenance teams use; it is also sometimes the instruction a customer sends you before the job, where the job sheet is the record afterwards. The blank template is here under both names: job sheet and work order.

Job sheets by trade

Plumbers and heating engineers: the sheet carries the appliance make and model, serial number, appliance location, the checks done (gas tightness, flue, ventilation, operating pressure, CO reading), whether the Benchmark checklist was completed, and your Gas Safe number in the header. It says plainly that it is not a Landlord Gas Safety Record, which is a separate document under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. See websites for plumbers.

Electricians: the circuits worked on, the certificate issued (none, Minor Works, EIC or EICR) and its number, whether the work is notifiable under Part P, and optional test results (Zs, insulation resistance, RCD trip time). The job sheet is not a certificate; it points to one. See websites for electricians.

Builders: the phase or area, day works hours by person, plant hire, and who authorised any variation and when. See websites for builders and construction firms.

Roofers: the area of roof, the scaffold or access used, the weather, and a prompt for before and after photos. See websites for roofers. Landscapers: area in m², materials delivered, waste removed and plant hire. See websites for landscapers.

Carpenters and joiners get measurements, materials and finish, and fixings (websites for carpenters); handymen get a task list with minutes for each (websites for handymen). There are garage and general presets too.

Getting the job sheet signed

Ask the customer to sign under a line that says what they are confirming: "I confirm the above work has been completed." Print their name next to it. Add the time you arrived and left, and take before and after photos. Together they answer most arguments before they start.

If the customer is not there, say so on the sheet, note who let you in, and send the PDF the same day so they have it in writing. The builder here will not mark a sheet as signed by the customer unless there is a signature on it. If a customer later refuses to pay, the signed sheet is your evidence: see what to do when a customer refuses to pay.

From job sheet to invoice

The totals box does the sums. The plumber example on this page: 1.5 hours at £45 is £67.50, a £89 tap and two connectors at £6.50 make £102.00 of materials, a subtotal of £169.50, VAT of £33.90 and £203.40 in all. An electrician replacing a consumer unit: 3 hours at £50, a £145 unit and £22.40 of cable and sundries is £317.40, plus £63.48 VAT, £380.88.

VAT is worked out on the subtotal, not line by line, and rounded to the nearest penny. If you are not VAT registered the VAT line is left off. A job sheet is not a VAT invoice, even with your VAT number on it. Setting the rates: the day rate calculator works back from what you want to earn, and the markup calculator prices materials.

How long to keep job sheets

Job sheets that support your invoices are business records. If you are self-employed, GOV.UK says you must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the tax year they relate to. A limited company must keep its records for 6 years from the end of the financial year they relate to, or longer in some cases.

Certificates are separate and have their own rules: a landlord keeps each gas safety record for two years from the check, and electrical certificates go to the customer with the job. Keep the job sheet PDFs somewhere that is not only your phone: the builder here lets you download all your saved sheets as a ZIP.

Paper pad or phone?

Both work. A paper pad works in the rain, never needs charging and customers are used to signing one. A phone job sheet gives the customer a PDF before you leave, with photos, and nothing to type up later. Many trades keep a pad in the van for when the phone is flat.

Want carbonless duplicate pads (NCR)? Make the printable pad here and send the PDF to a printer that makes NCR pads; ask for two or three parts.