Plant nursery trade invoice template
Plant nursery trade invoice template: hedging, potted shrubs and root-balled trees by size and form, pallets charged apart, substitutions noted.
Templates by industry
- Hedging plants, 60–80 cm, per plant
- Shrubs in 3-litre pots, per pot
- Root-balled trees, 2 m
- Delivery by pallet, per pallet
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: reconcile the approval and work record for "Hedging plants, 60–80 cm, per plant" to establish the quantity for this invoice.
Record delivery and acceptance
Check completion for every line, including "Delivery by pallet, per pallet". Deliver dispatch details, delivery or storage records and the quantities confirmed by the customer.
Send the billing record
Send the final charges, delivery reference and due date to the customer, then reconcile payment against the invoice number.
A nursery’s trade invoice usually goes to a landscaper or a garden centre, and it must match a plant list that someone else often wrote: species and variety, height or pot size, bare-root, root-balled or potted. Substitutions happen when a size sells out, and the customer needs to see them. This template lists plants by size and form with delivery by the pallet, and leaves the notes for substitutions, the delivery date and the care the plants need on arrival.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Hedging plants, 60–80 cm, per plant, Shrubs in 3-litre pots, per pot, Root-balled trees, 2 m, Delivery by pallet, per pallet: record the quantities actually supplied and the service period.
- Hedging plants, 60–80 cm, per plant
- Give the variety and height band, and say if plants are bare-root, which are cheaper and usually sold only while dormant.
- Shrubs in 3-litre pots, per pot
- State the pot size, since a 3-litre and a 2-litre pot of the same shrub differ in price and size.
- Root-balled trees, 2 m
- Give height, girth or ball size as the plant list asks, and note any staking or root-ball wrapping.
- Delivery by pallet, per pallet
- Charge per pallet and say whether pallets are returnable and how their deposit works.
- Goods and volume
- Record item codes, counts, weight or volume, packing units and handling conditions.
- Route and period
- Define origin and destination, storage or transport period, loading responsibilities and proof of delivery.
- Scope to agree
- Give each plant’s variety, size and pot or root form, count what was actually loaded, and charge pallets and their return separately.
Before sending
- Does “Hedging plants, 60–80 cm, per plant” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Shrubs in 3-litre pots, per pot” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Is “Root-balled trees, 2 m” finished and accepted, or does it belong on a later invoice?
Show 4 more
- Does “Delivery by pallet, per pallet” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Check extra-charge conditions for waiting, redelivery, returns and special handling.
- Reconcile dispatch, arrival and received quantities and explain discrepancies.
- Match completed work to the order or approval record, and confirm the payment due date and amounts already received.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 4 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hedging plants, 60–80 cm, per plant | 120 × $3.80 | $456.00 |
| Shrubs in 3-litre pots, per pot | 40 × $7.50 | $300.00 |
| Root-balled trees, 2 m | 6 × $85.00 | $510.00 |
| Delivery by pallet, per pallet | 2 × $60.00 | $120.00 |
| Subtotal | $1,386.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $110.88 | |
| Total | $1,496.88 | |
Net amount $1,386.00, sales tax $110.88, total payable $1,496.88.
What the document must show
The details an invoice has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
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
Full requirements: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example
Frequently asked questions
How do I show a substitution on the invoice?
Bill the plant actually supplied under its own name and size, and note what it replaced. If the price differs, the customer should have agreed to the change before the lorry was loaded.
Should the invoice say anything about plant health or guarantees?
State what you guarantee, for example that plants were healthy when loaded, and what the customer should do on arrival, such as watering. Say plainly whether losses after planting are covered by your terms.
How is the sales tax worked out on this invoice?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $110.88 on a net amount of $1,386.00, for a total of $1,496.88. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
How should I number invoices?
Use one unbroken sequence per business, never reuse a number, and issue a credit note rather than deleting an invoice you have already sent.
Can I email it to the customer?
Yes, from your own mail app. With a free account, the editor’s download menu offers Email this document, which opens your mail app with a message about the document already written. QuoteBill sends nothing itself, so save the PDF and attach it before you send.
Read next
Reading for the Plant nursery trade invoice template: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example and Credit note vs invoice (and credit memo): how to issue one. The VAT and GST calculator works out the tax line for you.