Snow removal invoice template for per visit plowing and seasonal contracts

Per visit, per push or seasonal contract

Snow contractors use three pricing models. Per visit is a fixed price each time you clear the site. Per push charges each pass during a long storm, so a 30 cm snowfall may be two or three pushes. A seasonal contract is one price for the winter, usually split into monthly payments, however much snow falls.

Your invoice has to follow the model in the agreement. Adding per push charges to a seasonal customer whose contract says nothing about overages is the quickest way to a dispute in February.

Trigger depths and a dated visit log

Most agreements set a trigger depth, such as 5 cm, below which you do not plow, and a time by which the lot must be clear, such as 7 am. On a per visit invoice, list every visit with its date, arrival time and snowfall, so a property manager can match it against the weather record.

• Date and arrival time.
• Snow depth on arrival.
• Areas cleared: lot, sidewalks, ramps, loading dock.
• Ice melt or sand applied, and how many applications.

Timestamped photos of the cleared lot back up the log if a visit is ever questioned.

Billing a seasonal contract in installments

A seasonal contract running November to March is often paid in five equal installments. Each invoice names the contract, the installment number and the month, for example ‘Seasonal plowing, December installment, 2 of 5’. If the contract includes a set number of pushes, keep count and bill any extras on a separate line.

Spell out in the contract what happens in a very light or very heavy winter. The recurring installment invoice suits this billing, and our payment terms guide helps you set due dates.

Example lines on a snow removal invoice template

Each line should say what was cleared, when, and by which unit. All figures are sample prices in CAD, pre tax, meant to illustrate each billing unit. Lot size, curbs and islands, equipment and your city set what you actually charge.

GST/HST for snow removal businesses

Snow work is seasonal, so income can bunch into a few months. You are a small supplier, and do not have to register, only while taxable supplies stay at $30,000 or less in any single calendar quarter and across the previous four. A heavy winter can test the quarterly figure first, so watch both.

Alberta charges 5% GST. If you also clear lots in another province, charge that province’s rate, such as 13% HST in Ontario. Commercial clients claiming input tax credits need your GST/HST number and the tax charged on invoices of $100 or more, and at $500 and above the invoice must also name the client, briefly describe the service and state your payment terms. The Canada invoice template covers each field.

Snow removal invoice mistakes

Winter invoices pile up fast, and a property manager approving twenty of them wants each one to match a storm. Most queries come from missing dates or charges the contract never mentioned. These are the ones to watch.

1. Storms with no dates. ‘January plowing, 6 visits’ cannot be checked; six dated lines can.
2. Overage pushes with no clause. Only bill extras the contract allows.
3. ‘Salt’ with no quantity. Show applications or bags.
4. Plow damage left off the record. If you scraped turf or a curb, note it and say when you will repair it in spring.

Open the sample commercial lot

Grab the Word, Excel or PDF file from this page, or try the snow plowing sample in the generator. It loads a Calgary medical building’s December: the seasonal installment, two extra pushes, dated sidewalk visits, ice melt and haul away, with GST at 5%.

Many snow crews mow in summer, and the lawn care and landscaping invoice covers that side. Landlords who hire you for both may also use the property maintenance invoice. Browse all free templates for other work.