The email carrying an invoice only needs to do four things: identify the job, state the amount and due date, explain what is attached, and tell the customer where to raise a query.
Use the templates below for homeowners, agents and main contractors. Replace the brackets before sending.
Short invoice email template
Subject: Invoice [number] for [job or site]
Hi [name],
Invoice [number] for [job or site] is attached. The amount due is £[amount] on [due date].
Please use [invoice number] as the payment reference. Let me know if anything needs checking.
Thanks,
[your name]
[business name]
This version works for a straightforward completed job. It gives the customer the same amount, date and reference they will see on the invoice.
Main contractor invoice email
Subject: [Site], invoice [number], valuation [reference]
Hi [name],
Please find attached invoice [number] for [work package] at [site], covering [period].
Amount due: £[net amount due]
Due date: [date]
PO: [number]
Valuation/application: [reference]
The invoice shows the gross value, CIS deduction and net amount due. I have also attached [signed valuation/daywork sheets/delivery notes].
Please let me know before the payment run if anything is missing.
Regards,
[your name]
[business name]
For subcontract work, the net amount in the email should match the amount due on the invoice after any CIS deduction. Do not write the gross total in one place and the net payment in another without naming the difference.
Use the subcontractor invoice template to check the PO, valuation and supporting documents first.
Homeowner invoice email
Subject: Invoice [number] for work at [address]
Hi [name],
Thanks for having us in to complete [short description]. Invoice [number] is attached for £[amount], due [on receipt/on date].
You can pay using [method]. Please use [invoice number] as the reference.
I’ve also attached [certificate/warranty/report], as agreed.
Thanks,
[your name]
Keep this plain. The customer should not have to open the invoice to find the due date or wonder whether the certificate is coming separately.
Deposit invoice email
Subject: Deposit invoice [number] for [job]
Hi [name],
Invoice [number] is for the £[amount] deposit to book [job] at [site/address]. It is due on [date].
The deposit is part of the agreed total of £[total]. The remaining £[balance] will be due [in stages/as stated on the accepted quote].
Please use [invoice number] as the payment reference. Work is planned to start [date/once the deposit has cleared], subject to the accepted quotation.
Thanks,
[your name]
State that the deposit is part of the total. Otherwise the customer may read it as an extra charge.
Sendinvo can print the deposit and remaining balance with separate dates using deposits and payment plans.
Stage payment invoice email
Subject: Stage [number] invoice, [job or site]
Hi [name],
Stage [number] of [total stages] for [job] is now due under the agreed payment plan.
Stage: [first fix/second fix/milestone]
Amount: £[amount]
Due date: [date]
Invoice: [number]
The invoice and [supporting document] are attached. After this payment, £[remaining balance] remains under the plan.
Please let me know if you need anything else for approval.
Regards,
[your name]
Name the milestone. “Stage 2” means little to a customer or quantity surveyor who is checking whether the work has reached it.
EICR or certificate invoice email
Subject: [Property], invoice [number] and [EICR/certificate reference]
Hi [name],
Attached are invoice [number] and [report/certificate reference] for the work at [property address] on [date].
Invoice amount: £[amount]
Due date: [date]
Property reference: [agent or landlord reference]
Please use [invoice number] as the payment reference.
Regards,
[your name]
[business name]
This keeps the invoice and compliance document tied to the same property. See the electrician invoice template for the details to put on the bill itself.
Month-end application email
Subject: [Month] application/invoice, [site], [reference]
Hi [name],
Please find attached our [application/invoice] for [site and package], covering work to [date].
Current amount: £[amount]
Reference: [application or invoice number]
PO/subcontract: [number]
Supporting documents attached: [list].
Please confirm receipt and let me know if the valuation needs discussing before [cut-off date].
Regards,
[your name]
An application and an invoice are not interchangeable in every contractor’s process. Use the document their subcontract requires and do not label an application as a tax invoice unless it is one.
Revised invoice email
Subject: Revised invoice [number] for [job or site]
Hi [name],
Please use the attached revised invoice [number] for [job or site]. It replaces the copy sent on [date].
The change is: [short factual explanation]. The amount due is now £[amount] on [date].
Please remove the earlier copy from the payment run and confirm that this version has been received.
Regards,
[your name]
Follow the correct accounting process for changing an issued invoice. Depending on what changed, that may require a credit note and a new invoice rather than editing the issued document.
Invoice email after a phone agreement
Subject: Invoice [number], agreed payment on [date]
Hi [name],
Following our call, invoice [number] for £[amount] remains outstanding. As agreed, payment will be made on [date].
The invoice is attached again for reference. Please use [invoice number] with the payment.
Regards,
[your name]
This confirms the date without turning the email into an argument. Keep the record with the invoice.
Do not use the covering email as the invoice
The email does not replace the invoice. Government guidance says the invoice itself needs a unique number, supplier and customer details, a clear description, supply and invoice dates, amounts, applicable VAT and the total owed. Check the full UK invoice requirements.
The email should repeat the most useful payment details, but the formal invoice remains attached or linked.
Invoice email versus payment reminder
The covering email is sent with the invoice. A reminder is sent later against the due date or outstanding balance.
Do not write the first email as though the customer is already late. Use a separate reminder sequence:
- short note before or on the due date
- factual reminder when payment becomes overdue
- firmer follow-up with the number of days overdue
- final notice where appropriate
Sendinvo stores invoice, quote and credit-note covering emails separately from invoice reminders. That keeps the initial send polite and the later chasing tied to the actual due date.
Subject lines that accounts teams can scan
Use this order:
[Site or customer], invoice [number], £[amount] due [date]
For domestic work, a shorter line is fine:
Invoice [number] for [job/address]
Avoid “Invoice attached” with no number or job. Accounts teams search by reference, site and supplier.
Details to check before sending
- recipient’s name and accounts address
- invoice number
- site or job
- amount due, especially after a CIS deduction
- due date
- payment reference
- purchase order or valuation reference
- promised attachments
- contact for queries
Do not put sensitive bank changes into an unexpected email without following your normal verification process. Customers are rightly cautious about payment-detail changes.
Set the wording once in Sendinvo
Sendinvo’s email templates have a subject, message and sign-off for invoices, quotes and credit notes. Placeholders fill the client name, number, amount and due date when the document is sent.
An individual invoice or quote can override the standard wording when a stage, site or variation needs a specific note. Chasing emails remain in the reminder policy.
Start a free Sendinvo account to save the covering email and fill the invoice number, amount and due date on each send.