What goes on a towing invoice
Towing is billed in parts the customer rarely expects: the hook-up, the miles, the time of day, and whatever it took to get the vehicle onto the truck. Each one is its own line, or it becomes an argument.
- The hook-up or base fee
- Mileage as miles × rate, with the pickup and drop-off points
- Any after-hours, weekend or holiday surcharge
- Winching or recovery, which is not the same as towing
- Storage per day, if the vehicle is being kept
- The vehicle — make, model and plate — and where it went
Sample line items and example prices
These are the sample lines and example prices this invoice opens with. They are starting points, not a survey of what anybody charges and not a recommendation — adjust every item to match your work, your rates and your customer before you create the PDF.
| Job | Usual quantity | Opens at |
|---|---|---|
| Hook-up fee | 1 | $95.00 |
| Mileage (mi) | 18 | $4.50 |
| After-hours | 1 | $50.00 |
| Winch-out | 1 | $85.00 |
Add, delete or rename any line. The math, the tax and any discount are worked out as you type. Setting the terms? The invoice due date calculator turns Net 15, 30 or 60 into the exact date to put on the invoice.
One towing invoice template: free, editable, printable and yours
Free towing invoice template
Free means the whole thing: no sign-up to start, no watermark on the PDF, no limit on how many towing invoices you make, and no card asked for at any point. An account is optional, and only does one job — keeping your papers in step between a phone and a computer.
Editable towing invoice template
It opens with 4 jobs a towing business usually bills — hook-up fee, mileage (mi), after-hours — already priced, so most of the typing is done. Every line can be renamed, repriced or deleted, new ones added, and the subtotal, tax and any discount recalculate as you type.
Printable towing invoice template
Print it straight from the browser and only the invoice prints — no menus, no buttons — on whatever paper your printer holds. Or save it as a PDF to email, text or keep, and the customer’s copy is the same sheet you saw on screen.
Custom towing invoice template
Your business name, phone and address go at the top, with your logo if you upload one or your initials if you do not. Six looks to choose from, 5 accent colors, and your own payment terms in the footer — a towing invoice that looks like it came from your business, not from a website.
Every towing paper, as it comes out
The same jobs and the same look carry across all six papers, so one towing job can move from estimate to invoice to receipt without retyping.
What you get
A PDF, and a link your customer can open in any browser. Word and Excel versions are not available yet — if a spreadsheet is what you need, this is not yet the tool for it, and saying so is cheaper for both of us than you finding out after typing everything in.
Pick how it looks
Six looks, from a plain classic sheet through a bold top band to a shop ticket, and your initials go on automatically until you upload a logo. See all six.
How to send it
Most customers want the paper on their phone, so the invoice goes out by WhatsApp, text or email, or as a link that needs no app and no account on their side. Or download the PDF to print it or keep it for your own records.
Questions
How do I show mileage on a tow invoice?
Miles × rate, with the pickup and drop-off on the paper. When an insurer or a motor club is paying, that is the line they check first.
Is winching billed separately from the tow?
Almost always, because it is time and risk the tow rate does not cover. Say so on the phone where you can, and give it its own line either way.
Who actually pays — the driver, the club or the insurer?
Whoever called you, and it is worth establishing that before the hook goes on. A motor club or insurer pays off their own rate sheet and wants hook-up, mileage and extras itemized; a driver paying cash wants a receipt on the spot.
How do I bill storage days for a towed car sitting in my yard?
As a per-day line with the dates: "Storage, 3/4 to 3/9, 6 days × rate." State on the paperwork whether a day means a calendar day or each 24 hours from arrival, and whether indoor and outdoor storage differ. Many states and cities regulate storage rates, when they start and what notice the owner is owed, especially on non-consent tows, so check your state and local rules before setting the rate.
What goes on the invoice for a police-ordered or non-consent tow?
The requesting agency, the officer or case number, the reason given and the time of the call, alongside the usual tow, mileage and extras. Rates on these tows are often capped by the city, county or state, or set in your rotation agreement, so bill from that schedule rather than your own. Your state transportation or public safety department, or the local agency running the rotation list, can tell you which rules apply.
What should the release invoice show when an owner picks up an impounded car?
Every charge from hook-up to the day of release, itemized: the tow, mileage, any winching, each storage day and any after-hours gate or release fee where your local rules allow one. Note the ID and proof of ownership you checked and any police release or hold you cleared. Many jurisdictions also set which payment methods an impound lot has to accept, so check before you post a cash-only sign.
How do I bill a motor club dispatch so the claim is not kicked back?
Put the club’s dispatch or purchase order number at the top, then the member’s name, the vehicle and the service the club authorized — tow, jump start, lockout, tire change. Show miles the way the club measures them. Anything beyond the member’s coverage, like extra miles or a second vehicle, goes on a separate line billed to the member and collected on scene, so the club sees only what it approved.
When do I add a dolly, flatbed or wheel-skate charge on top of the hook-up fee?
When the vehicle needed equipment beyond a standard wheel-lift tow: an all-wheel-drive car that has to go on a flatbed, a locked transmission that needs dollies, or a car in a parking garage that has to be moved on wheel skates. Name the equipment on its own line and say why — "AWD, flatbed required" — because insurers and motor clubs pay those extras when the reason is written down.
Can I charge a gone-on-arrival fee when the car is not there?
Many towers do, and motor clubs usually have a GOA rate on their sheet. Bill it as a separate line with the time you arrived, how long you waited, and how you tried to reach the caller, plus a photo of the empty spot if you can. For a private customer, mention the fee when they book the tow; a charge they never heard about is hard to collect.