Crane hire invoice template
Crane hire invoice template: the crane and operator per day, transport, overtime, riggers and standby on separate lines, with times from the site.
Templates by industry
- Mobile crane 40 t with operator, 8-hour day
- Delivery to site and return of the crane
- Overtime beyond 8 hours, per hour
- Rigger and signaller, per day
- Standby while the site was not ready, per hour
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: reconcile the approval and work record for "Mobile crane 40 t with operator, 8-hour day" to establish the quantity for this invoice.
Record delivery and acceptance
Check completion for every line, including "Standby while the site was not ready, per hour". Confirm actual use, supplied extras and the return or service-completion record.
Send the billing record
Send the final charges, delivery reference and due date to the customer, then reconcile payment against the invoice number.
Crane hire is priced by the day or the hour, but the invoice that goes out rarely matches the quote exactly: the job ran late, the ground was not ready, or a rigger came along unannounced. The client’s site manager will compare every hour with their own site diary. Crane day, transport, overtime, riggers and standby each carry a quantity of their own, so every hour can be traced; the notes hold the start and finish times, the lift description and the signed site record.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Mobile crane 40 t with operator, 8-hour day, Delivery to site and return of the crane, Overtime beyond 8 hours, per hour, Rigger and signaller, per day, Standby while the site was not ready, per hour: record the quantities actually supplied and the service period.
- Mobile crane 40 t with operator, 8-hour day
- Give the crane’s capacity and the radius used, and say whether operator and fuel are in the rate; the same machine is priced differently with and without them.
- Delivery to site and return of the crane
- State the distance or route and whether escorts or permits for the move are in the sum; transport is the line clients expect to be a fixed amount.
- Overtime beyond 8 hours, per hour
- Count overtime from the finish time on the signed site record, not from memory, and name the rate agreed for hours past the day.
- Rigger and signaller, per day
- Say how many riggers came and for how many days; where the client supplied their own, leave the line out rather than showing it at nil.
- Standby while the site was not ready, per hour
- Record when you arrived, when work could start and why it waited; standby billed without a reason is the line most often cut.
- Booking and period
- Identify the venue, equipment or service, quantity, and the start and end of use.
- Included services and extras
- Agree the included use, transport or staff, and units and charges for extra use.
- Scope to agree
- State the crane’s capacity and the hire period, whether the operator is included, the start and finish times from the site record, and the minimum hire and standby terms you quoted.
Before sending
- Does “Mobile crane 40 t with operator, 8-hour day” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Delivery to site and return of the crane” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Is “Overtime beyond 8 hours, per hour” finished and accepted, or does it belong on a later invoice?
Show 5 more
- Does “Rigger and signaller, per day” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Standby while the site was not ready, per hour” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Check booking-change and cancellation terms and amounts already paid.
- Name the person who confirms the return or completion time and condition.
- Match completed work to the order or approval record, and confirm the payment due date and amounts already received.
Worked example: a one-day lift of rooftop air handlers
The figures are an example in dollars, with an example tax rate of 8%. A 40-tonne crane with operator works an eight-hour day, runs two hours over, waits an hour for the roof to be cleared and brings a rigger for the day.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile crane 40 t with operator, 8-hour day | 1 × $1,050.00 | $1,050.00 |
| Delivery to site and return of the crane | 1 × $380.00 | $380.00 |
| Overtime beyond 8 hours, per hour | 2 × $160.00 | $320.00 |
| Rigger and signaller, per day | 1 × $360.00 | $360.00 |
| Standby while the site was not ready, per hour | 1 × $160.00 | $160.00 |
| Subtotal | $2,270.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $181.60 | |
| Total | $2,451.60 | |
The five lines come to $2,270.00; tax at 8% is $181.60, so the invoice totals $2,451.60. The start and finish times, the signed site record and the lift description go in the notes.
Common mistakes on a crane hire invoice
- Billing overtime from memory instead of from the signed site record.
- Charging standby without recording when you arrived and why work could not start.
- Mixing a day rate and an hourly rate on one job without saying which part of the day each covers.
- Leaving out whether operator and fuel were included, so the same machine looks cheaper or dearer than quoted.
- Hiding a cancellation charge inside the crane line.
What the document must show
These details make an invoice easier to approve and to file.
- Your business name, address and registration or tax number
- The customer's name and address
- Issue date and a document number you do not reuse
- Each line item with quantity, unit price and amount
- Tax shown separately from the net amount, and the total payable
- Payment terms: due date, bank details or accepted payment methods
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum hire, and how do I show it?
If your quote sets a minimum, such as a full day for a half-day job, bill the minimum as the quantity on the first line and say so in the notes. The client then sees the rule as agreed rather than as an extra.
Who signs the hours before the invoice goes out?
The client’s site representative should sign the record at the end of each day, with start, finish and breaks, and you attach those figures. A disputed hour is far easier to settle from a signed record.
How do I invoice a crane cancelled at short notice?
Charge the cancellation terms you quoted as a line of their own, with the date notice was given. Do not reuse the crane line, so the client can see that the amount belongs to a job that did not take place.
Where do the lift plan and the operator’s certificates go?
Normally they stay in your job file. Refer to the lift plan number in the notes and give certificate details if the client asks; do not paste certificates into the invoice itself.
Can fuel be a separate line?
Yes, if your rate excludes it: show the litres or a fixed fuel charge and the date of the fill. If a fuel surcharge moves with the market, state the rule you quoted.
How is tax calculated on this template?
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending. The editor keeps the net amount, the tax and the total apart, and recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a unit price or the country setting.
Can I change the layout and colour?
Yes. The editor offers other layouts and a document colour for the printed page. Changing them moves no figure: the lines and totals stay as they are, and the PDF, Word and Excel files follow the layout you pick.
Read next
Reading for the Crane hire invoice template: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example and Invoice numbering: sequences and corrections. The VAT and GST calculator works out the tax line for you.