A mechanic invoice app that sends from the job

In GoFolio every booking gets a draft invoice the moment it’s created. Parts you log on the job land on it as lines, you add labour, and the invoice goes out by email and SMS with a pay link before you’ve packed the tools away.

From job card to sent invoice

The draft sits on the booking screen, under the notes, parts and photos. Edit it there: line items, quantities, prices, GST rate and due date. When you hit send you see a preview first, then the customer gets an email and, in Australia, a text with the link. The text looks like this:

The link opens a branded invoice page, and you can download the same thing as a PDF from the web or the iPhone app. It carries your logo and business details, the customer and vehicle, notes, parts, labour and totals. If the job used an inspection checklist, the colour-coded results and photos are folded into the same document. In Australia the document is titled “Tax Invoice”, and it can show your BSB and account number for bank transfers.

Worked example: a front brake job

A made-up job: front pads and rotors on a 2016 Hilux at the customer’s driveway. Prices are entered ex-GST and GoFolio adds 10% GST on the subtotal, rounded to the cent.

If the customer pays part now

Say they transfer $300 on the day and the rest on payday. Record a part payment and the invoice adds a line “Part payment received” with the date. GST stays at $47.70 because the work billed hasn’t changed; only the balance drops: $524.70 − $300.00 = $224.70 still owing.

If they pay by card

Card payments go through your own Stripe account, which you connect in settings. The customer pays $524.70 from the invoice link, and the invoice marks itself paid when Stripe confirms. Stripe takes its fee from your payout and pays you on the schedule set in your Stripe account. Don’t add a card surcharge: since 1 October 2026 eftpos, Mastercard and Visa rules no longer allow one, according to the Reserve Bank . Allow for card fees in your labour rate instead.

What the ATO requires on that invoice

Under $1,000, a tax invoice must show enough to work out 7 things, according to the ATO’s tax invoice page : that it’s a tax invoice, the seller’s identity, the seller’s ABN, the issue date, a brief description with quantity and price, the GST amount (or “Total price includes GST” when GST is exactly one-eleventh), and how much of each sale is taxable. At $1,000 or more it must also show the buyer’s identity or ABN. If a customer asks for a tax invoice you must provide one within 28 days, unless the sale is $82.50 including GST or less.

With your ABN entered in settings, the brake job above covers those with the title, your business name and ABN, the date, itemised lines and a separate GST line. For the full template and the rules for businesses not registered for GST, see our mechanic invoice template.

Reminders and marking paid

The Unpaid list shows each invoice’s age since it was sent. On any sent invoice, tap Send reminder and the customer gets a friendly reminder with the pay link by email and SMS. One tap, sent when you choose, so you can give a regular a few extra days and nudge a new customer on day 7.

Mark an invoice paid from the Unpaid list, the invoice itself or the monthly Review stepper. Note how it was paid, and attach a photo of the transfer screen or receipt. Once it’s paid you can send the customer the paid copy.

Xero

Tell us you use Xero and we switch it on for your account. You then connect your Xero file once in Settings on the web. Each invoice and its contact go to Xero when you send the invoice, and payments you record in Xero come back into GoFolio and mark the invoice paid.