TREE SERVICE INVOICE TEMPLATE
Free tree service invoice template
A tree service invoice with one line per tree — species, size, removal or pruning and how it was done — stump grinding, the city permit, hauling and chipping, and a note on the wood left behind. Free in Word and PDF, with every line explained.
Word and PDF · Free · No email, no sign-up
The short answer
A tree service invoice lists each tree on its own line — the species, the size, and what you did: removal, pruning, cabling, a crown reduction — with how it was done when the method is why the price is what it is: crane, bucket truck, a climb over the house.
Stump grinding, the permit, debris hauling and chipping go on their own lines, and a note says what was left on site — firewood rounds, chips — because that's the first thing a customer walks out to check.
Around it go your business details, your certifications and insurance, the customer and the property, an invoice number and date, any deposit, tax where it applies and the balance due.
FREE TEMPLATE · WORD AND PDF
The tree service invoice template, filled in
Below is the template filled in for Canopy Tree Care, a fictional tree service business, so you can see every line in use. The downloads are the same invoice with [bracketed] lines to replace — free, no email address, no sign-up.
![Free Tree Service Invoice Template — the blank fill-in invoice as it downloads, with [bracketed] lines to replace](/invoice-templates/tree-service-invoice-template-preview.png)
Example · fictional business
Canopy Tree Care Atlanta, GA (404) 555-0171 · office@canopytreecare.example ISA Certified Arborist on staff · insured, certificate on request | INVOICE |
Bill to Harold and Jean Whitaker 1765 Lenox Rd NE Atlanta, GA | Job Remove one red oak, prune two maples Rear yard · Oct 13–14, 2026 · crew of 4, crane City tree removal permit # TR-26-0000 (example) |
| Description | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tree removal — red oak, about 60 ft, 34-inch trunk Crane-assisted, over the house and pool; cut to rounds | 1 | $2,400.00 | $2,400.00 |
| Stump grinding — red oak Ground 8 inches below grade, chips left in the hole | 1 | $275.00 | $275.00 |
| Pruning — two maples Crown clean and 2-ft clearance from the roof, per tree | 2 | $225.00 | $450.00 |
| Debris hauling and chipping All brush chipped and removed; rounds left on site at your request | 1 | $180.00 | $180.00 |
| City tree removal permit Fee passed on at cost | 1 | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Subtotal | $3,405.00 | ||
| Sales tax (if your state taxes tree work) | $0.00 | ||
| Total | $3,405.00 | ||
| Deposit received | −$500.00 | ||
| Balance due | $2,905.00 | ||
Payment
Due within 7 days. Pay by card, check or bank transfer. Thank you for choosing us.
Left on site
Oak rounds stacked by the rear fence, as you asked. Stump chips left in the hole; they'll settle over the next few months.
Every figure on the example is an example, not a price guide — use your own rates. The Word file is a standard .docx you can edit in Word or any app that opens Word documents; the PDF prints as-is if you'd rather fill it in by hand.
Invoices and a website, one place
Start your tree service website — invoicing is built in
Add your business name and your town, and Zarla builds your tree service website from this one line. The same dashboard sends invoices like this one, with a pay-now button once you're on a paid plan.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.
LINE BY LINE
What goes on a tree service invoice
Every line on the template, in order, and what to write on it.
| The line | What to put there |
|---|---|
| Business name, contact, certification and insurance | Your trading name, phone, email and address, an ISA Certified Arborist line or your state license number if your state has one, and that you're insured — on tree work, insurance is the question every customer should ask and most forget. |
| Invoice number, date, due date and permit number | A number that never repeats, the date, a due date — 7 days or on completion — and the city or county tree permit number where the removal needed one. |
| Bill to and the job | Who pays and the property, then the job in one line, the dates, the crew size and whether a crane or bucket truck was used — the facts behind the price. |
| One line per tree | Species, approximate height and trunk diameter, what you did and how. “Red oak, 60 ft, crane over the house” explains a price that “tree removal” never will. |
| Stump grinding | On its own line, with the depth and whether the chips stayed. Customers assume removal includes the stump unless the invoice says otherwise — and so does the estimate before it. |
| Pruning and other work | Per tree, with the type of pruning and the clearance achieved. Cabling, bracing and storm work on their own lines. |
| Debris, wood and the permit | Hauling and chipping as a line, the permit fee at cost, and the note on what was left on site — rounds, chips, the stump hole. |
| Tax, deposit, total and balance due | Subtotal, sales tax where your state charges it on tree work, the deposit applied, and the balance due in bold. |
| How to pay | How to pay and when, and the line about what was left behind, so the walk-around after you leave matches the invoice. |
STEP BY STEP
How to fill out a tree service invoice
Fill it in from the estimate before the chipper is loaded, with the yard in front of you.
Save your details, certification and insurance once
Business name, contact details, the arborist certification or state license, and the insured line at the top, saved in the file.
Number and date it, add the permit
The next number in your series, today's date, the due date, and the tree permit number if the job needed one.
Describe the job
What you did in one line, the property, the dates, the crew and the equipment — crane, bucket, climb.
List each tree and the stump work
One line per tree with species, size, the work and the method; stump grinding on its own line with the depth.
Add hauling, the permit and total it
Debris and chipping, the permit at cost, tax where your state charges it, the deposit off, and the balance due in bold.
Write what was left on site and send it
Rounds, chips, the stump hole — where they are and that the customer asked for it. Email it before you leave; tree customers pay the crew that cleaned up.
How tree services get paid faster
Take a deposit on crane and big-removal jobs. A crane day is booked and paid for before you earn a cent; a deposit covers it and filters out the customer who calls three companies and books none. Show it on the invoice as “deposit received”.
Say what was left on site, every time. Rounds by the fence, chips in the stump hole, a stump that wasn't ground — the note turns the customer's walk-around into a check against the invoice instead of a complaint call.
Put the method on the line. “Crane-assisted, over the house and pool” is why the oak cost what it cost. A customer comparing you with the cheapest quote is comparing a crane with a chainsaw and a prayer.
Lead with the certification and the insurance. An ISA Certified Arborist line and “insured — certificate on request” are the two lines that get a tree company hired over a lower price, and the two a customer should ask about before anyone climbs.
Permits and licensing. In the US many cities and counties require a permit to remove a tree above a certain trunk size — Atlanta and many others do — and a handful of states license tree services or arborists, with others requiring a contractor or pesticide license for parts of the work. Pass the permit fee on at cost with the number on the invoice, and check your city's tree ordinance and your state's licensing rules before you quote a removal.
Tax depends on the state. In the US some states charge sales tax on landscaping and tree work and many don't, and some treat removal differently from pruning. Check your state's revenue department before you add a tax line.
Outside the US. The invoice itself has rules: in Australia a GST-registered business issues a tax invoice showing its ABN, in New Zealand a GST-registered business shows its GST number, and in the UK and EU a VAT-registered business shows its VAT number and the VAT charged. Confirm the details with your accountant.
Send it from Zarla and get paid online
A Word template is a fine way to start. The catch is everything after you hit send: chasing the payment, remembering who's paid, and typing the same customer and the same line items again next month.
If you build your tree service website with Zarla, the invoice tool is in the same dashboard. Pick the customer, add the job's lines, and send it. On a paid plan, with your Stripe account connected, the invoice carries a pay-now button: your customer pays online by card, and the invoice marks itself paid when the money arrives. Customers you've invoiced are saved, so next time is two taps.
Want to see the website first? Browse tree service website templates or see how Zarla builds tree service websites. Still setting up? Read how to start a tree service business and write your tree service business plan.
The whole paper trail of a job, step by step: how to write a quote, then how to write an invoice, then how to write a receipt — with a free receipt template. For any other trade, start from the free invoice template. Either side of it, two more free templates in Word and PDF: a price list template for the services you sell and a work order template for the crew.
Heading into the holidays? Our free gift certificate template covers the customers who want to give your work as a gift, and the holiday hours sign template covers the door, your website and your Google profile.
Tree service invoices: common questions
Your business name, contact details, arborist certification or license and insurance line; an invoice number, the date, the due date and any permit number; the customer and the property; one line per tree with species, size, the work and the method; stump grinding, pruning, hauling and the permit on their own lines; subtotal, tax where it applies, the deposit and the balance due; how to pay; and what was left on site.
No — its own line, with the depth and whether the chips stayed. Customers assume a removal includes the stump unless the estimate and the invoice both say otherwise, and a separate line is what lets you offer it as an option.
In the US it depends on the city or county: many require a permit above a certain trunk diameter, some protect particular species, and a few require nothing. When a permit was needed, pass the fee on at cost with the permit number on the invoice — it's the customer's proof the removal was legal. Check your city's tree ordinance.
The same invoice with the date and time, the hazard named — a limb on the roof, a tree across the drive — and the after-hours rate shown on its own line. Take photos before and after; the customer's insurer will want them with the invoice.
Yes, in a note: what was left, where, and that the customer asked for it. Leaving rounds is a discount many customers want, and the note is what stops the call asking why they weren't hauled away.
In the US it depends on your state: some tax landscaping and tree services, many don't, and some treat removal differently from pruning or treat work for a business differently from work for a homeowner. Check your state's revenue department, and ask your accountant if you work across a state line.
Yes. The tree service invoice template on this page downloads free as a Word document and a PDF — no email address, no sign-up. Edit it in Word or any app that opens Word documents, or print the PDF and fill it in by hand.
Not from a Word file — your customer still has to pay you some other way. To take the payment on the invoice itself, send it from invoicing software. If your tree service website is on Zarla, the invoice tool is in the same dashboard: on a paid plan, with Stripe connected, each invoice carries a pay-now button and marks itself paid when the customer pays by card.
Send invoices from your own tree service website
Add your town and your business name, and Zarla builds the site from that one line — with invoicing in the same dashboard.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.