Electrician invoices that are as tidy as your installs

Electrical work is easy to under-explain on paper. A single line reading "rewire - £4,200" invites questions; a breakdown of first fix, second fix, consumer unit and testing does not. Invoito gives each stage its own line, with its quantity and price, and totals them for you.

Longer jobs can be split into stage invoices - for example first fix and second fix - so you are not carrying the whole cost of materials until the final day.

An invoice is a request for payment; it is not an electrical installation certificate or an inspection report, and it should not be treated as one. Keep your certificates as their own documents.

What the invoice can do is point to them: put the certificate or job reference in the notes field so the customer, a landlord or an agent can match the paperwork to the bill.

Cable, accessories and boards can be itemised so a customer sees what was bought; your time sits on its own line. If you are VAT registered, Invoito shows your VAT number and the VAT on each line, and totals it in whole pence.

If you are not VAT registered, leave VAT switched off and your invoice will not mention it. Whether you must register is a question for GOV.UK or your accountant, and depends on your turnover.

Electricians commonly work both for main contractors and directly for homeowners. Save each as a customer so their address and your usual terms are filled in for you, and set a due date that suits - a contractor on 30-day terms, a homeowner on completion.

Invoito does not calculate Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) deductions. If a contractor deducts CIS from your payments, you can note it on the invoice, and your accountant or HMRC guidance should be your source for the tax treatment.