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Landscaper Invoice Template AustraliaFree, ATO-Compliant & Ready to Use

A free landscaping invoice template for Australian sole traders and small landscaping businesses. Covers plant/machine hire, material supply, green-waste disposal, labour, ABN, and 10% GST - for both one-off builds and recurring maintenance work. Or skip the template and use Invio to invoice straight from your phone.

No credit card - GST calculated automatically - Send from your phone

ATO Requirements

What Goes on a Landscaper Invoice in Australia

A GST-registered landscaper's tax invoice needs more than just a total. Here's what the ATO requires and what your customer needs to see.

Your business details

  • Business name (or your name if sole trader)

  • ABN - required on every tax invoice

  • Landscaping/building licence number, if your state requires one for the work

  • Phone number and email

  • Physical or postal address

Invoice identifiers

  • Invoice number (sequential, for your records)

  • Invoice date

  • Payment due date

  • BSB and bank account for payment

Job and line items

  • Description of work, e.g. "Retaining wall + garden makeover - side and rear yard"

  • Machine/plant hire (digger, mulcher, etc.) as its own line

  • Materials at cost + markup - soil, pavers, retaining wall blocks, plants

  • Labour hours x crew rate

  • Green-waste or spoil disposal fee

  • Any deposit already paid, shown as a deduction

GST breakdown

  • Subtotal (ex GST)

  • GST amount at 10%

  • Total amount payable (inc GST)

  • Customer identity (required for invoices A$1,000 or more)

Not GST-registered yet?

If your landscaping business earns under A$75,000/year you do not have to register for GST. In that case, do not charge GST and never use the words "Tax Invoice" - that title is reserved for GST-registered suppliers. Issue a plain invoice showing your total instead. Once you cross the threshold, registration is required within 21 days. Check the full AU tax invoice requirements guide if you are unsure.

Sample Invoice

What a Landscaping Invoice Looks Like

A realistic example for a retaining wall and garden makeover job in Brisbane.

INV-0038.pdf

Blue Gum Landscapes Pty Ltd

14 Grevillea Street
Ashgrove QLD 4060
ABN: 63 218 745 390
0417 662 038

Tax Invoice

Invoice No.

INV-0038

Issue Date

27 Jul 2026

Due Date

10 Aug 2026

Billed To

Callum & Priya Ferris

9 Boronia Street
Ashgrove QLD 4060

Job Reference

Retaining wall + garden makeover - side and rear yard

Mini excavator hire

2-day hire, 1.7t digger for excavation and levelling

Rate

$265.00

Qty

2

Amount

$530.00

Labour - landscaping crew (2 person)

Excavation support, wall build, planting, clean-up

Rate

$145.00

Qty

15.0

Amount

$2,175.00

Retaining wall blocks & drainage

Concrete sleeper blocks + geotextile, materials at cost + margin

Rate

$1,850.00

Qty

1

Amount

$1,850.00

Topsoil & garden mix

10m³ delivered and spread

Rate

$95.00

Qty

10

Amount

$950.00

Plants & mulch

Native planting + bark mulch, materials at cost + margin

Rate

$680.00

Qty

1

Amount

$680.00

Green waste & spoil removal

3 trailer loads to the transfer station

Rate

$110.00

Qty

3

Amount

$330.00

Payment Details

Please pay to:
Blue Gum Landscapes Pty Ltd
BSB: 124-001 Acc: 5573 9042
Reference: INV-0038

Subtotal

$6,515.00

GST (10%)

$651.50

Total Due

$7,166.50

Want this pre-filled with your business name, ABN, BSB, and rates?

Step-by-Step

How to Fill Out a Landscaper Invoice

Follow these steps after every job to get paid faster and stay on the right side of the ATO.

1

Fill in your business details

Add your trading name, ABN, licence number if your state requires one for the work, address, phone, and email at the top. If you trade as Blue Gum Landscapes Pty Ltd, use that - not your personal name. Your ABN must appear on every tax invoice you issue.

2

Set the invoice number and dates

Use a sequential number - INV-0038 after INV-0037. The invoice date is today. Set a due date (14 days is standard for larger builds; maintenance work is often invoiced weekly or fortnightly on a shorter term). Consistent numbering helps if you ever need to prove payment history.

3

Add the customer details

For invoices A$1,000 or more you must include the customer's identity - name and address is the simplest way to satisfy this. Do this on every job - most landscaping invoices cross that threshold once machine hire and materials are included.

4

List plant hire and material supply separately from labour

Split machine/plant hire, materials (soil, pavers, retaining wall blocks, plants) at cost + markup, and crew labour into their own lines. If you took a deposit, show it as a deduction rather than folding it silently into the total - "Less: deposit paid $650.00" - and remember that deposit amount is capped by your state's building law, not by what the job costs you upfront.

5

Add green-waste or spoil disposal

If you removed spoil, old plants, or green waste, add it as its own line - flat fee or per-load - rather than absorbing it into your labour rate. It is a real cost, not a hidden markup, and the customer should see it.

6

Calculate GST and show it clearly

GST applies to the full invoice, including any hired-in machinery you are passing through. Multiply your subtotal by 0.10 and show subtotal, GST, and total as three separate lines. Use the free Invio GST calculator at /gst-calculator-au if you want a quick check before sending.

7

Add your BSB and bank account details, then send

Include your BSB and account number and ask the customer to use your invoice number as the payment reference. For one-off builds, send it as soon as the job is finished. For maintenance contracts, set the schedule up once and let it repeat automatically.

Australia Is a Federation

Rules That Vary by State - Not Just GST

Landscaping sits across several rules that are set by state, not nationally. Get the mechanism right and check your own regulator for the number.

Licensing varies by state and scope

Soft landscaping - planting, turf, garden beds - generally needs no trade licence. Structural landscaping - retaining walls, paving, decking, fencing, drainage - is regulated per state with different value thresholds: NSW over A$5,000 (Home Building Act 1989, NSW Fair Trading), Queensland over A$3,300 (QBCC), Victoria over A$10,000 for domestic building work (VBA registered building practitioner - planting-only work stays exempt regardless of value). Check your own state or territory regulator before quoting a structural job.

Deposits are capped by law

Landscaping jobs tempt a big deposit because you are paying suppliers and hire companies before the job starts. In NSW it is an offence under the Home Building Act 1989 (s8) to demand or receive more than 10% of the contract price as a deposit for this kind of work. Victoria and Queensland cap deposits at 5-10% depending on the contract. There is no national figure - check your own state before you ask for anything upfront.

Progress claims on bigger jobs

Landscaping counts as construction work under every state's and the NT's Security of Payment legislation, which gives you a formal right to make a progress payment claim on a multi-stage job, separate from your normal invoice terms. The process and timeframes are set per state - there is no single national timeframe, and Western Australia only joined the eastern-states model in August 2022. Check the Act in your own state or territory.

Pools and water restrictions

Working near a pool means minding the fence's non-climbable zone - roughly 900mm under Queensland's pool safety standard - where plants, retaining walls and decking cannot intrude. Ongoing barrier compliance is the pool owner's responsibility once your work is done, not yours, but it pays to plan planting around it. Garden watering and turf-laying can also be restricted by state and local water utility, and change with drought conditions - check your local water authority before a big turf job.

Watch Out For

Common Landscaper Invoice Mistakes

These mistakes slow payment, create disputes, or put you offside with the ATO or your state regulator. Easy to fix once you know them.

No GST charged on hired-in plant

e.g. "Digger hire passed on at cost, no GST added"

If you are GST-registered, charge 10% GST on the full invoice - including any machinery or materials you are passing through. You claim back the GST the hire company charged you separately as an input tax credit; it is not deducted from what you charge the customer.

Taking a deposit above your state's cap

e.g. "$3,000 deposit requested on a $6,500 retaining wall job (46%)"

NSW caps residential building deposits at 10% of the contract price and it is an offence to demand or receive more; Victoria and Queensland cap at 5-10%. Check your state's limit before asking for anything upfront, especially on jobs where plant hire tempts a bigger ask.

No ABN on the invoice

e.g. Invoice with only a business name, no ABN

A tax invoice without an ABN is not legally valid, and clients paying you without a quoted ABN may be required to withhold tax at 47%. Always show your ABN clearly.

Materials and labour lumped together

e.g. "Retaining wall job - $6,515"

List plant hire, materials (soil, pavers, plants), and labour as separate lines. Many customers - and any that need to claim GST credits - will not approve payment until it is properly itemised.

No green-waste or disposal fee shown

e.g. Spoil and old plants removed with no line item for it

Add disposal as its own line - flat fee or per-load. It is a genuine cost and should not be hidden inside your labour rate.

Sending the invoice weeks after a multi-day job

e.g. Invoice sent 3 weeks after a 4-day retaining wall build

Invoice promptly once the job is done, or use a progress claim under your state's Security of Payment Act for longer builds. See our guide on chasing overdue invoices at /chase-overdue-invoices-au if one is already late.

Line Item Guide

Landscaper-Specific Line Items

These are the line items most Australian landscapers use. Rates vary with plant availability, material cost, and region.

Landscaping crew labour

$120 - $160/hr

Ex GST, for a 2-person crew. Solo operators often bill $60 - $85/hr.

Machine/plant hire

$180 - $380/day

Diggers, mulchers, and similar. Usually passed through at cost, sometimes with a small margin.

Plant & material supply

Cost + 20 - 30%

Soil, pavers, retaining wall blocks, plants. List at your sell price - you don't need to show your cost.

Green waste & spoil disposal

$90 - $220/load

Flat fee or per trailer/skip load, depending on volume and transfer station fees.

Design consultation

$80 - $130/hr or flat fee

For jobs where design is quoted separately from the build.

Maintenance visit

$65 - $120/visit

Mowing and garden upkeep - well suited to a recurring invoice schedule.

GST

10% on all items

Applied to the full subtotal, including hired-in plant, if you are GST-registered. Use the free /gst-calculator-au to check.

GST example: Landscaper A bills $145/hr crew labour, plant hire passed through at cost, and materials at cost + 20% margin. For an 8-hour job with $265 in machine hire and $540 in materials: ($1,160 + $265 + $648) = $2,073 subtotal. GST: $207.30. Total: $2,280.30. Use the GST calculator to check your numbers before sending.

Invio vs Templates

Why Invio Beats Word and Excel for Landscapers

Templates are a fine starting point. But most landscapers move to proper software once they are juggling builds and maintenance rounds at the same time.

Invoice from the truck after the job

Fill in plant hire, materials, and crew hours before you pack up the trailer. No paperwork to reconstruct at the end of the week.

GST calculated automatically

Invio does the 10% for you across labour, materials, and any plant hire you're passing through - no spreadsheet formula to accidentally break.

Saved clients and standard rates

Store your repeat customers and standard crew and hire rates. Next job for the Ferris family? Two taps and the invoice is half-filled already.

Recurring invoices for maintenance work

Set a mowing or garden-upkeep client up once and let the invoice go out automatically every visit - no more remembering to bill for a fortnightly round. Invio Pro also sends automatic reminders when one-off invoices go overdue.

ATO-compliant every time

Every Invio invoice has the right fields: ABN, GST breakdown, date, customer identity when required. You can't accidentally send a non-compliant invoice.

PDF ready to email or print

Send the invoice by email directly from Invio, or download a clean PDF if the customer prefers paper.

Ready to invoice your next landscaping job properly?

Start with the free AU invoice template, or sign up to Invio and send your first landscaping invoice in under two minutes - GST calculated, ABN and BSB saved, and the PDF ready to email before you leave the site.

FAQ

Landscaper Invoice FAQs

Common questions from Australian landscapers about invoicing, GST on plant hire, deposits, and getting paid.

Do I need to add GST to my landscaping invoice?
If your landscaping business is GST-registered (required once your turnover passes A$75,000/yr), yes - you must charge 10% GST and show it clearly, either as a separate amount or the statement "Total price includes GST". If you are under the threshold and not registered, do not charge GST, and never use the words "Tax Invoice" - that title is reserved for GST-registered suppliers. Issue a plain invoice instead.
What's the minimum information a landscaper invoice needs in Australia?
For sales of A$82.50 or less, a tax invoice is not required unless the customer asks for one (you then have 28 days to provide it). For sales over A$82.50 up to A$1,000, your tax invoice needs seven details: the words "Tax Invoice", your business name, your ABN, the invoice date, a description of the work, the price, and the GST amount. For A$1,000 or more, you also need the customer's identity or ABN. See the full breakdown at /tax-invoice-requirements-au.
Do I charge GST on hired-in machinery I am passing through to the client?
Yes. If you are GST-registered, you charge 10% GST on the full amount you bill the customer, including any digger, mulcher, or truck hire you are passing through - even though the hire company already charged you GST on their invoice to you. There is no double GST: you claim that hire-company GST back as an input tax credit on your BAS, and separately charge GST on your invoice to the customer.
How much deposit can I ask for before ordering materials or booking machine hire?
Less than you might think, and it is worth checking before you quote. Landscaping jobs tempt a big upfront ask because you are paying suppliers and hire companies before the job starts, but deposits for licensed residential building work are capped by state law. In NSW, the Home Building Act 1989 (s8) caps a deposit at 10% of the contract price for this kind of work, and it is an offence to demand or receive more. Victoria and Queensland cap deposits at 5-10% depending on the contract. There is no national figure - confirm the cap that applies in your own state before you ask for anything upfront.
Do I need a licence for landscaping work in Australia?
It depends on the work and the state. Soft landscaping - planting, turf, garden beds, mulching - generally does not need a trade licence anywhere. Structural landscaping - retaining walls, paving, decking, fencing, drainage - is regulated per state with different value thresholds: in NSW you need a contractor licence for structural landscaping work over A$5,000 in labour and materials (Home Building Act 1989, NSW Fair Trading); in Queensland you need a QBCC licence for structural landscaping work over A$3,300; in Victoria, landscaping features like fences, decks and retaining walls count as domestic building work and need a registered building practitioner once the contract price is over A$10,000, though planting-only work stays exempt regardless of value. Check your own state or territory regulator before quoting a structural job.
Can I make a progress claim on a larger landscaping job?
Landscaping is treated as construction work under every state's and the Northern Territory's Security of Payment legislation, which gives you a formal right to make a progress payment claim on a job separate from your normal invoice terms - useful on a multi-week build where you do not want to carry the full cost until completion. The claim process and timeframes are set per state, not nationally, and Western Australia only moved onto the eastern-states model in August 2022, so do not assume an older source is current. Check the Act that applies in your own state or territory.
What should I know about pools and water restrictions?
If a job puts you working near a pool, mind the pool fence's "non-climbable zone" - under Queensland's pool safety standard it is roughly 900mm on both sides of the barrier, and plants, retaining walls, decking, steps and furniture cannot intrude into it. The rule and the exact distance vary by state, so check your own state's pool safety regulator. Once your work is finished, ongoing barrier compliance is legally the pool owner's responsibility, not yours. Separately, garden watering and turf-laying can be affected by water restrictions, which are set by state and by local water utility and change with drought conditions - check your local water authority before a big turf or planting job.
Should maintenance contracts be invoiced differently from one-off jobs?
Yes - a one-off build (retaining wall, new garden, planting) is usually a single detailed invoice once the job is done. A maintenance contract (weekly or fortnightly mowing and garden upkeep) is better set up as a recurring invoice that goes out automatically each visit, rather than something you have to remember to raise manually. Invio supports recurring invoices for exactly this.
Get Started

Invoice Every Landscaping Job Correctly, From Your Phone

Invio is free for sole traders. Set up your crew rates once, send GST-compliant tax invoices from site with your ABN and BSB saved, and let recurring billing handle your maintenance rounds automatically - free on your first 3 invoices, unlimited on Pro.

Free to start - GST calculated automatically - No credit card required