Auto repair invoice template

Last updated: October 28, 2026

A free repair invoice for independent auto shops: labor and parts on separate, itemized lines, whether each part is new, used or rebuilt, sublet and hazardous waste charges on their own lines, sales tax on parts, and a record of who authorized the work and when. Download it as a PDF to fill in by hand, a Word file to type into, or an Excel sheet that does the sums. No sign-up.

Download the template

What’s on the invoice

• Your shop: name, address, phone, email, and space for a state registration number (for example a California BAR number) and an EPA ID number if you charge a hazardous waste fee.
• Invoice and repair order numbers, the date, and when the work was completed.
• Customer and vehicle: year, make and model, VIN, plate and state, and the odometer reading in and out.
• Labor: each service or repair on its own line, with the technician, hours, rate and amount. Diagnosis and warranty work get their own lines too.
• Parts: part number, a plain description, condition (new, used, reconditioned, rebuilt, OEM or non-OEM crash part), quantity, unit price and amount.
• Other itemized charges: sublet work, hazardous waste disposal, towing.
• Totals: labor subtotal, parts subtotal before tax, other charges, sales tax, total, deposit and balance due.
• Authorization record: who approved the estimate, when and how (phone, email, text), and the same for any extra work found during the job.
• Replaced parts, warranty and signature.

The filled-in example

The example invoice is for a fictional shop and customer: a 2017 Honda Accord in for front brake noise. It shows four labor lines (diagnosis, front pads and rotor resurfacing, a brake fluid flush and an oil change) at $135 an hour, five parts all marked “New”, a $4 hazardous waste fee, 8.75% sales tax on the parts only, and a total of $591.01. The authorization section records the original approval by phone and the brake fluid flush the customer added by text later that morning.

What the law asks for: California as an example

Rules for repair invoices are set by each state. California’s are among the most detailed, which makes them a useful checklist even if you’re elsewhere. Under California’s invoice regulation (16 CCR §3356), an invoice must:

• Show the shop’s registration number and its business name and address as registered with the Bureau of Automotive Repair.
• List each service and repair, including diagnosis and warranty work, with its price.
• List each part so the customer can understand what was bought, with its price, and say whether it is new, used, reconditioned, rebuilt, an OEM crash part or a non-OEM aftermarket crash part.
• Show a subtotal for labor, a subtotal for parts (not counting sales tax), the sales tax, and the total.
• Record any additional authorization given by phone or electronically: date, time, the name of the person who approved it, the phone number or email used, and what was added and what it cost.

The same regulation says a part you charge for must be listed as an item, and it prohibits separate charges for generically noted items such as “shop supplies” or “miscellaneous parts”. The Bureau’s Write It Right guide adds that a hazardous waste fee must be itemized separately and shown with the shop’s EPA number, and that invoices, estimates and work orders must be kept for at least three years.

Outside California, check your state’s consumer protection or motor vehicle repair rules; the template has room for whatever extra details yours requires. This page is a practical summary, not legal advice.

What the Excel version does

• Labor amount = hours × rate, and parts amount = quantity × unit price, on every line.
• Labor and parts subtotals, other charges, sales tax and total add up on their own.
• Sales tax is worked out on the parts subtotal at the rate you enter. If your state taxes labor too, change the sales tax formula to include the labor subtotal.
• The condition column has a drop-down list, so every part gets one.
• It prints on one letter-size page.

Where NextCarHub fits

NextCarHub doesn’t make invoices. It’s the appointment calendar for the shop: which technician has which car and when, each customer’s vehicles with VIN and mileage, the price lines you quoted on the job, and the full service history. That’s most of what you copy onto an invoice. You can attach a photo or PDF of the signed invoice to the job (JPG, PNG, HEIC or PDF, up to 20 MB), so it’s there the next time the car comes in. See it in the demo, no sign-up, or start a 14-day trial with no card. It’s $49 a month per shop with unlimited users.

Sources

Read on October 28, 2026: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, §3356, Invoice Requirements, Bureau of Automotive Repair, Write It Right. The example invoice uses a fictional shop, customer and VIN; prices in it are illustrations, not recommendations.