What the ATO requires
For a tax invoice under $1,000, these are the fields that have to be there:
- The words Tax Invoice
- Your business name
- Your ABN
- The date it was issued
- A description of the work, and the quantity or hours
- The GST amount, or a statement that the total includes GST
- Over $1,000, also the buyer's identity or ABN
The lines that are specific to electrical work
Licence number
Not required by the ATO, but normal practice and worth doing on every invoice. On work that produces a compliance certificate, the customer, their insurer, or whoever buys the property in five years may want to know who did it and under what licence. Having it on the invoice by default is easier than reissuing one later.
Call-out fee — on its own line
Same rule as every trade: itemised, it reads as attendance and travel. Buried in labour, it reads as an inflated hourly rate. Say the number when the job is booked rather than when the invoice arrives.
Materials, separated from labour
Cable, points, switches, a switchboard, an RCD. List them as materials with the markup included in the rate. The customer can see what they actually got, which is the whole point of itemising.
Variations
The board was full and needed a sub-board. The wiring behind the wall was rubber-insulated and had to go. Those are variations — priced on their own lines so the original quote still reads honestly and the customer can see exactly what changed.
A worked example
A switchboard upgrade with an added circuit, GST-registered, invoiced on completion.
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call-out / attendance | 1 | $85.00 | $85.00 |
| Supply and install switchboard, 12-way, with main switch | 1 | $780.00 | $780.00 |
| RCBO — supply and fit | 6 | $68.00 | $408.00 |
| Labour — install, terminate, test and tag | 5 hr | $125.00 | $625.00 |
| Additional kitchen circuit (variation) | 1 | $340.00 | $340.00 |
| Subtotal (ex GST) | $2,238.00 | ||
| GST 10% | $223.80 | ||
| Total (inc GST) | $2,461.80 |
The added circuit sits on its own line marked as a variation. The customer can see the quoted work, see what was added, and see why the number moved — without anyone having to explain it over the phone.
Invoice or quote — which one you need
A quote prices the job before you start. An invoice bills it afterwards. If you are pricing rather than billing, use the electrician quote template, which builds a priced quote with a deposit and licence details.
Or skip the retyping
A template handles this invoice fine. The problem is the next two hundred — retyping the customer, recalculating GST, and later trying to work out who has actually paid.
Yamate turns a finished job into an invoice with the quoted numbers already in it, keeps variations and the call-out fee straight, and shows what is still outstanding. Try it free for 30 days — everything unlocked, no card. Then from $19/mo (founder price, until 30 Sept).
Questions sparkies ask
What should an electrical invoice look like?
Clear description of the work, materials separated from labour, call-out fee on its own line, GST stated, ABN present, payment terms and how to pay. Most electricians add the licence number and note any compliance paperwork the job produced.
How do I make an electrical invoice?
Start from a template, fill in your details and ABN once, save your copy, then change the job details each time. Keep the words Tax Invoice and the GST line intact.
Do I put my licence number on the invoice?
Not required by the ATO, but worth doing on every invoice. Someone will ask for it eventually and it is easier than reissuing.
Can I download a free invoice template in Word?
Yes — just check it is Australian. Most that rank are American and have no ABN or GST field.
Do I charge GST?
Only if you are registered. If you are, show the GST or state the total includes it. If you are not registered, do not charge it — see when a sole trader has to register.
Next steps
General information for Australian tradies, not tax, legal or financial advice. Invoice requirements are set by the ATO, and electrical licensing and compliance-certificate rules are set by each state and territory — check yours before relying on this page. Yamate helps you prepare and issue invoices and drafts SWMS for you to review and sign; it does not issue certificates, lodge your BAS, or report anything to the ATO on your behalf.