A guide for UK sweep businesses

Free Chimney Sweep Invoice Template for UK Sweeps

An invoice tells the customer what they owe, what for and when to pay, and it's part of the records you have to keep. Below: what a UK invoice must include, an annotated sample from a chimney sweep, a template you can copy into Word, Google Docs or an email, and the extra rules if you're VAT registered.

In short: a chimney sweep invoice needs a unique invoice number, your name or business name, address and contact details, the customer's name and address, the invoice date and the date of the sweep, a clear description of the work with the amount for each line, the total owed, and when and how to pay. VAT-registered sweeps add their VAT number, the VAT rate and the VAT amount.

See the annotated sample ↓Copy the template ↓

What a chimney sweep invoice must include

GOV.UK sets out what an invoice must include, and it's the same for a chimney sweep as for any business. By law, you have to give a customer an invoice if you're both registered for VAT. For homeowners it's still the clearest way to get paid, and it belongs in your records either way. These nine things cover it.

  1. 1

    A unique invoice number

    GOV.UK asks for a unique identification number on every invoice. Number them in order (INV-0041, INV-0042…): a VAT invoice has to carry a sequential number, and an unbroken run makes a missing invoice easy to spot.

  2. 2

    Your business details

    Your name and any business name you trade under, your address and how to contact you. A sole trader using a business name also needs an address where legal documents can be delivered. A limited company uses its full name as it appears on its certificate of incorporation, and if you list any directors, you must list them all.

  3. 3

    The customer's name and address

    Who you're invoicing. If you swept a different property from the billing address (a landlord's rental, say, or a holiday let), name the property too, so the invoice can't be mistaken for another job.

  4. 4

    The invoice date

    The date you issue the invoice.

  5. 5

    The date of the sweep

    GOV.UK calls it the supply date: the date the service was provided. It's usually the day of the job, which may not be the day you send the invoice.

  6. 6

    A clear description of the work

    What you're charging for, one line each: the sweep (with the appliance and which flue, if there's more than one), then any extras such as a bird nest removal, a CCTV survey or a cowl. Show the quantity and the price of each.

  7. 7

    The amounts and the total owed

    The amount for each line and the total the customer owes, plus the VAT if you charge it.

  8. 8

    When and how to pay

    GOV.UK's guide says the invoice must include when the customer must pay you. Give a date or a number of days, and the details they need: your bank details with the invoice number as the reference, or a payment link.

  9. 9

    Your VAT details, if you're VAT registered

    Your VAT registration number, the rate and amount of VAT, and the totals before and after VAT. More on VAT invoices below.

An annotated sample invoice

A two-flue job with a bird nest removed, from a sweep who isn't VAT registered. The numbers match the list above. The dashed box at the bottom shows how the totals change if you are VAT registered.

INVOICE

Your logo

Invoice number:INV-00421

Invoice date:15 October 20264

Date of service:14 October 20265

From: 2

Example Chimney Services

Unit 1, Sample Yard, Anytown AB1 2CD

01632 960123 | office@example.com

To: 3

Alex Sample

12 Sample Road, Anytown AB1 2CE

Description 67 Amount
Chimney sweep — wood burner, lounge (flue 1 of 2)1 × £72.00£72.00
Chimney sweep — open fire, dining room (flue 2 of 2)1 × £40.00£40.00
Bird nest removal — flue 21 × £35.00£35.00

Total due£147.00

Payment 8

Payment due within 14 days of the invoice date, by 29 October 2026.

Bank transfer to Example Chimney Services. Sort code 00-00-00, account number 00000000. Please use INV-0042 as the reference.

If you're VAT registered, the totals look like this: 9

VAT registration numberGB 000 0000 00

Total before VAT£122.50

VAT at 20%£24.50

Total including VAT£147.00

Thank you for your business.

Sample only: the business, customer, prices and bank details are made up. For a VAT invoice, see the rules below.

A template you can copy

Copy this into Word, Google Docs or an email and fill in the brackets. Keep the numbering going from one invoice to the next.

INVOICE

Invoice number: INV-[0001]
Invoice date: [date]
Date of service: [date of the sweep]

From
[Your name, and any business name]
[Your address]
[Phone] | [Email]

To
[Customer's name]
[Customer's address]
Property swept: [address, if different]

Work done
- Chimney sweep, [appliance and flue]: £[amount]
- [Any extra work, e.g. bird nest removal]: £[amount]

Total due: £[amount]

Payment due: [date, or "within 14 days of the invoice date"]
Pay by bank transfer to [account name]
Sort code: [00-00-00]  Account number: [00000000]
Reference: INV-[0001]

[If you're VAT registered, add your VAT registration number, the VAT rate and VAT amount, the total before VAT, the VAT and the total including VAT.]

If you're VAT registered

You have to register for VAT once your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a 12-month period. After that, HMRC's VAT record-keeping rules apply to your invoices:

  • When you need one: a customer who's VAT registered too, such as a letting agent or another business, must get a VAT invoice, normally within 30 days. HMRC doesn't require one for retail customers who aren't VAT registered unless they ask.
  • What it shows: a sequential invoice number, the time of supply and the date of issue, your name, address and VAT registration number, the customer's name and address, a description of the work with the quantity and unit price, the VAT rate and the amount before VAT for each line, any cash discount you offer, and the totals before VAT and of VAT.
  • Smaller jobs: if the total is £250 or less, you can give a simplified VAT invoice instead.

Payment terms and keeping records

You can set your own payment terms. If you don't agree a date, GOV.UK says the customer must pay within 30 days of getting your invoice or the service, so put the date you expect payment on every invoice.

Keep copies of your invoices. A sole trader keeps business records for at least 5 years after the 31 January Self Assessment deadline for the tax year they relate to, and a limited company for 6 years from the end of the financial year they relate to. If Making Tax Digital applies to you, those records have to be digital: see our Making Tax Digital guide for chimney sweeps.

Invoicing done for you, in your own books

If you use We Sweep, most of this happens without you:

  • When the job is done, the customer is emailed what's due and how to pay: your bank details, or a link to pay by card.
  • Anything not paid on the day is chased automatically at 3, 7 and 14 days, and the customer gets a receipt when they pay.
  • Each paid job posts itself into Xero, QuickBooks or Sage as an itemised, VAT-correct invoice, at no cost to you, so a customer who needs a formal invoice, such as a letting agent, can be sent one from your own package.

You pay We Sweep nothing; your customers pay a £1.95 online booking fee, which you can subsidise, and standard card processing of 1.5% + 20p applies to card payments. See how accounting sync and payments work, or apply to join We Sweep. For the record of the sweep itself, see our chimney sweep certificate template.

GET STARTED

Frequently asked questions

What should a chimney sweep invoice include?

A unique invoice number, your name or business name, address and contact details, the customer's name and address, the invoice date and the date of the sweep, a description of the work with the amount for each line, the total owed, and when and how to pay. If you're VAT registered, add your VAT number, the VAT rate and the VAT amount.

Do I have to give my customers an invoice?

GOV.UK says you have to give an invoice by law if both you and the customer are registered for VAT. For homeowners, it's still the clearest way to tell a customer what they owe and when, and it's part of the records you have to keep.

Do I need to charge VAT on a chimney sweep invoice?

Only if you're VAT registered, which is compulsory once your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in a 12-month period. If you are, a customer who's VAT registered too, such as a letting agent or another business, needs a full VAT invoice. HMRC doesn't require one for retail customers who aren't VAT registered, unless they ask for it.

When does a customer have to pay an invoice?

When your payment terms say. You can set your own terms, and GOV.UK says that unless you agree a payment date, the customer must pay within 30 days of getting your invoice or the service. Put the date on the invoice so there's no doubt.

How long should I keep my invoices?

As a sole trader, for at least 5 years after the 31 January Self Assessment deadline for the tax year they relate to. A limited company keeps its records for 6 years from the end of the financial year they relate to, or longer in some cases.

Does the £1.95 online booking fee go on my invoice?

No. When a customer books through We Sweep, the £1.95 online booking fee is payable to We Sweep, not to your business, and it's never part of your price. If the customer pays you in cash or by bank transfer, you collect it on We Sweep's behalf. We Sweep's accounting sync posts your invoices at your own price, without the fee.

Sources

Checked 20 October 2026. This page is general guidance for sweep businesses, not tax or legal advice.