Flat-rate labour, parts and the diagnostic charge
An auto repair invoice is really a repair order, and the customer expects to see the vehicle, the parts and the labour laid out clearly. Record the year, make, model, VIN and mileage at the top — it identifies the job and anchors any warranty. Most shops bill labour on flat-rate hours: each operation has a book time, and you charge that time at your door rate regardless of whether the tech beat it or ran over. Show the labour hours and the rate. List each part separately — the pads, the rotors, the caliper, the fluid — with quantity and price. If you ran diagnostics, particularly a scan-tool or electrical trace, bill it as its own line; diagnosis is skilled labour, not a free courtesy.
Shop supplies, hazardous waste and parts markup
Beyond parts and labour, an honest repair invoice carries a few standard extras, and showing them plainly avoids the classic "what is this line?" argument. A shop-supplies fee covers the rags, cleaners, small fasteners and lubricants no one itemises individually — usually a small percentage of labour, capped. A hazardous-waste or disposal fee covers old oil, coolant and filters. Parts markup is normal and legitimate: you carry the cost, sourcing time and the risk of a bad part, so the customer pays more than your cost. Sublet work — machine shop, alignment, glass — goes on its own line at what you were charged plus any handling. Every fee, rate and markup here is editable, so you set your shop's numbers once.
Warranty, estimates, tax and authorisation
State your warranty on the invoice — a common standard is twelve months or twelve thousand miles on parts and labour, with the customer's copy of the invoice as their proof. Note whether the work was authorised against a written estimate, and if the final figure exceeded the estimate, that the customer approved the overage; many regions legally require that authorisation. Show sales tax correctly: parts are usually taxable and labour often is not, so keep them on separate lines and let the tax apply only where it should, with your registration number shown. Give a due date and payment details, and export the finished repair order to PDF so the mileage, VIN and totals are locked, or to Word if you need to edit before printing.