Mechanic invoice template, with the ATO's tax invoice rules
A copyable tax invoice template, a filled-in logbook service with the GST worked out, and what changes if you're not registered for GST.
By Miqui Campuzano, founder of GoFolio · Updated 6 October 2026
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and depend on your circumstances: check with the ATO and your accountant. Checked against the official sources linked below on 6 October 2026.
If you’re registered for GST, copy the template below and fill in the blanks. It covers every detail the ATO lists for a tax invoice. Under it is the same template filled in for a logbook service with the GST worked out, then the rule behind each field, and a second template for when you’re not registered for GST.
Mechanic tax invoice template
The dashed boxes are what you fill in. Open “Copy tax invoice as plain text” under it for a version that pastes into a Word doc, a Google Doc, an email or your invoicing software. Prices are entered ex GST and GST is added at the bottom, which is how most parts suppliers bill you.
Business name
ABN 11 digits
Phone · Email
Address or service area
Tax invoice
- Invoice no
- 0001
- Date issued
- DD/MM/YYYY
- Due
- on the day
- Bill to
- Customer name or business name · Customer ABN, if a business
- Vehicle
- Year Make Model · Rego ABC123 · Odo km
Job
What was done, one line
| Description | Qty | Unit (ex GST) | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour: task | hrs | $/hr | $ |
| Part name / part number | qty | $ | $ |
| Fluid, litres | L | $/L | $ |
| Workshop consumables | 1 | $ | $ |
- Subtotal (ex GST)
- $
- GST (10%)
- $
- Total (inc GST)
- $
All items are taxable sales.
Parts warranty: manufacturer terms. Workmanship: your terms.
Pay by bank transfer: BSB 000-000, Acc 00000000, ref invoice no. Card: how. Cash: yes/no.
Copy tax invoice as plain text
TAX INVOICE
[Business name]
ABN: [11 digits]
[Phone] · [Email] · [Address or service area]
Invoice no: [0001] Date issued: [DD/MM/YYYY]
Due: [on the day / DD/MM/YYYY]
Bill to: [Customer name or business name]
[Customer ABN, if a business]
Vehicle: [Year Make Model] · Rego [ABC123] · Odo [km]
Job: [What was done, one line]
Description Qty Unit (ex GST) Amount
Labour: [task] [hrs] [$/hr] [$]
[Part name / part number] [qty] [$] [$]
[Fluid, litres] [L] [$/L] [$]
Workshop consumables 1 [$] [$]
Subtotal (ex GST) [$]
GST (10%) [$]
TOTAL (inc GST) [$]
All items are taxable sales.
Parts warranty: [manufacturer terms]. Workmanship: [your terms].
Pay by: Bank transfer, BSB [000-000], Acc [00000000], ref [invoice no]
Card: [how] Cash: [yes/no]Worked example: 100,000 km logbook service on a HiLux
The business, customer and prices are invented so the maths is easy to follow. Use your own labour rate and your supplier’s parts prices.
Ridgeline Mobile Mechanics
ABN 12 345 678 901
0400 000 000 · accounts@example.com.au
Northern Rivers NSW
Tax invoice
- Invoice no
- 0417
- Date issued
- 14/10/2026
- Due
- On the day
- Bill to
- Sam Taylor
- Vehicle
- 2019 Toyota HiLux SR5 · Rego XYZ12A · Odo 100,214 km
Job
100,000 km logbook service to manufacturer schedule, logbook stamped
| Description | Qty | Unit (ex GST) | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour: 100,000 km logbook service | 3.0 | $130.00 | $390.00 |
| Engine oil 5W-30 (litres) | 8 | $14.00 | $112.00 |
| Oil filter | 1 | $28.00 | $28.00 |
| Fuel filter | 1 | $62.00 | $62.00 |
| Air filter | 1 | $48.00 | $48.00 |
| Cabin filter | 1 | $35.00 | $35.00 |
| Brake fluid DOT 4 (litres) | 1 | $24.00 | $24.00 |
| Workshop consumables | 1 | $15.00 | $15.00 |
- Subtotal (ex GST)
- $714.00
- GST (10%)
- $71.40
- Total (inc GST)
- $785.40
All items are taxable sales.
Advisory: front pads 4 mm, front rotor runout 0.1 mm (brake shudder). Quote to follow.
Pay by bank transfer: BSB 000-000, Acc 00000000, ref 0417.
Copy tax invoice as plain text
TAX INVOICE
Ridgeline Mobile Mechanics
ABN: 12 345 678 901
0400 000 000 · accounts@example.com.au · Northern Rivers NSW
Invoice no: 0417 Date issued: 14/10/2026
Due: on the day
Bill to: Sam Taylor
Vehicle: 2019 Toyota HiLux SR5 · Rego XYZ12A · Odo 100,214 km
Job: 100,000 km logbook service to manufacturer schedule, logbook stamped
Description Qty Unit (ex GST) Amount
Labour: 100,000 km logbook service 3.0 $130.00 $390.00
Engine oil 5W-30 (litres) 8 $14.00 $112.00
Oil filter 1 $28.00 $28.00
Fuel filter 1 $62.00 $62.00
Air filter 1 $48.00 $48.00
Cabin filter 1 $35.00 $35.00
Brake fluid DOT 4 (litres) 1 $24.00 $24.00
Workshop consumables 1 $15.00 $15.00
Subtotal (ex GST) $714.00
GST (10%) $71.40
TOTAL (inc GST) $785.40
All items are taxable sales.
Advisory: front pads 4 mm, front rotor runout 0.1 mm (brake
shudder). Quote to follow.
Pay by: Bank transfer, BSB 000-000, Acc 00000000, ref 0417The GST arithmetic, step by step
- Add the ex-GST line amounts: $390 + $112 + $28 + $62 + $48 + $35 + $24 + $15 = $714.00.
- GST is 10% of the ex-GST subtotal: $714.00 × 0.10 = $71.40.
- Total payable: $714.00 + $71.40 = $785.40.
- Check it the other way: GST is 1/11 of a GST-inclusive price. $785.40 ÷ 11 = $71.40.
If you quote GST-inclusive prices instead, divide by 11 to find the GST in each figure. A labour rate of $143 an hour inc GST carries $13.00 of GST ($143 ÷ 11), so $130 ex GST. Don’t take 10% off an inclusive price: 10% of $143 is $14.30, which overstates the GST by $1.30 an hour.
When the division leaves part of a cent, the ATO’s rounding rule is to round to the nearest cent, with half a cent rounding up. With many lines you can total the ex-GST amounts first and round the GST once, which is what the example does.
What the ATO says a tax invoice must show
From the ATO’s tax invoices page (last updated 18 September 2026). For a taxable sale under $1,000, the invoice needs enough information to clearly work out these 7 details:
| ATO requirement | Where it is on the template |
|---|---|
| 1. The document is intended to be a tax invoice | The words TAX INVOICE at the top |
| 2. Seller's identity | Your business name (trading name or legal name) |
| 3. Seller's ABN | ABN line under your name |
| 4. Date the invoice was issued | Date issued |
| 5. Brief description of items, with quantity (if applicable) and price | Each line: description, qty, unit price, amount |
| 6. GST amount payable (if any) | The GST line, or the words 'Total price includes GST' if GST is exactly 1/11 of the total |
| 7. Extent to which each sale is taxable | 'All items are taxable sales', or mark each line |
Jobs of $1,000 or more
The invoice must also show the buyer’s identity or ABN. For a private customer that is their name. For a fleet or business customer, their business name or ABN. The ATO notes an invoice that meets the $1,000-plus requirements is fine for smaller sales too, so the template always has a “Bill to” line.
When you have to hand one over
If a customer asks for a tax invoice, you must give it within 28 days. The exception is a sale of $82.50 or less including GST (ATO). A PDF or emailed invoice is valid as long as it carries all the required information.
Mixed taxable and GST-free lines
Almost everything a mechanic sells is taxable. If a line ever isn’t (it is GST-free or input-taxed), the ATO says the invoice must show which items are taxable, plus each taxable sale, the GST payable and the total. Mark the odd line rather than relying on a blanket statement.
If you’re not registered for GST
You must register for GST once your GST turnover reaches $75,000, measured over the current month and the previous 11 months, or projected over the current month and the next 11. You then have 21 days to register (ATO, Registering for GST). Below that, registration is optional.
Not registered means the invoice changes in two ways. The ATO’s invoice set-up page says your invoices should not include the words “tax invoice”; you issue a standard invoice. And there is no GST line to add, because you aren’t charging GST. Business.gov.au’s invoicing guide describes these as regular invoices that don’t show any tax.
Business name
ABN 11 digits
Phone · Email
Invoice
- Invoice no
- 0001
- Date issued
- DD/MM/YYYY
- Bill to
- Customer name
- Vehicle
- Year Make Model · Rego ABC123 · Odo km
| Description | Qty | Unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour: task | hrs | $/hr | $ |
| Part | qty | $ | $ |
- Total
- $
No GST has been charged. Business name is not registered for GST.
Pay by: BSB / account / ref
Copy invoice as plain text
INVOICE
[Business name]
ABN: [11 digits]
[Phone] · [Email]
Invoice no: [0001] Date issued: [DD/MM/YYYY]
Bill to: [Customer name]
Vehicle: [Year Make Model] · Rego [ABC123] · Odo [km]
Description Qty Unit price Amount
Labour: [task] [hrs] [$/hr] [$]
[Part] [qty] [$] [$]
TOTAL [$]
No GST has been charged. [Business name] is not registered for GST.
Pay by: [BSB / account / ref]The “No GST has been charged” line isn’t an ATO requirement. It heads off the fleet manager who rings asking why there’s no GST to claim back. Keep your ABN on it: your customers can check it on ABN Lookup.
Not being registered doesn’t mean no paperwork. The same business.gov.au guide says you must still give a customer a receipt if the sale is over $75 or they ask for one. On a repair job, the invoice marked paid does that.
How long to keep invoices
Keep most business records for 5 years from when you prepared or obtained them, or from when the transaction completed, whichever is later (ATO record-keeping rules). Copies of invoices you issued count. Digital copies are fine, provided they can’t be quietly altered and you can produce them if the ATO asks. A folder of PDFs named by invoice number, backed up somewhere other than your phone, meets that.
Getting the invoice right on the day
Most invoice errors start on the job card: a part fitted but not written down, or labour guessed at the end of the day. Write parts and their quantities on the job card as you fit them, and the invoice becomes copying lines across. If the job started from a quote, the invoice lines should match the approved quote plus any extra work the customer authorised.
- Invoice before you leave the driveway or hand back the keys. “Paid on the day” is easiest when the invoice is already on their phone.
- Send it as a PDF or a link, not a photo of a handwritten docket. The ATO accepts digital tax invoices only if every required detail is on them.
- Put your bank details and the invoice number as the reference on every invoice, so deposits match without a phone call.
GoFolio creates a draft invoice for each booking, parts you add on the job sync onto it as lines, and GST is set at 10% for Australian businesses. The invoice goes out titled “Tax Invoice” with your ABN, a separate GST line and your bank details, ready for the customer to pay from their phone.
Common questions
Can I write 'Total price includes GST' instead of showing the GST amount?
Yes, but only when the GST is exactly one-eleventh of the total price, which is the case when every line is taxable at 10%. Showing the GST figure works in every case, so most mechanics show it.
Does a cash job still need an invoice?
If you're GST-registered and the customer asks for a tax invoice, you must give one within 28 days unless the sale is $82.50 or less including GST. Either way the sale is income you need a record of, and the ATO expects most records kept for 5 years.
Do I need the customer's address on the invoice?
Not for the ATO. Under $1,000 the buyer doesn't have to be identified at all; at $1,000 or more you need their identity or ABN, and a name meets that. Add an address if the customer wants it for their own records.