Storm work, spelled out.
When a tree comes down on a house, the homeowner needs an invoice that says exactly what you did, because it's going in a claim file. From one message, Redline drafts the invoice with the crew hours, the emergency rate, the tarp and the haul-away worked into the total, and an email that spells each one out. The stump grind gets its own invoice when the grinder gets there.
Three kinds of tree invoice
Emergency work, spelled out
Crew size, hours, your emergency rate, crane or bucket time, tarping and haul-away loads. A chat invoice is one amount with a one-line description, so the breakdown goes in an email Redline drafts for you to send from your Gmail. Plain words help the homeowner when their insurer asks what was done.
Planned removals, paid on site
The deposit held the date. When the last load is out, invoice the balance and hand over the card pay link before the chipper pulls away.
Stump grinding, later
Grinding often happens days after the removal. Book it as its own visit and invoice it when it's done, at your per-inch price.
Photos stay on the job
Before, during and after shots are filed to the job, ready if the homeowner or their adjuster asks for them.
Chase the slow ones
Storm invoices are the ones that sit while the homeowner waits on insurance. The overdue alerts at day 3, 7 and 14 tell you who to call. On Solo and up.
The limb on the Garveys' garage
Draft for Dan Garvey: $2,350, "Emergency limb removal from garage roof, tarp, 2 loads hauled, wood left in rounds by the shed", due in 14 days.
That's a 3-person crew, 4 hrs at $450/hr $1,800, tarp $150, 2 loads at $200 $400. Approve?
Pay link's live; copy it from the invoice into the email. The breakdown email is drafted for you to check. Stump grind booked Tuesday 8:00 for the Garveys, ready for you to invoice when it's done.
Invoices are on Solo ($29 a month) and up. Your emergency rate is remembered once you've said it. Example prices only.
What the homeowner needs to see
- Crew and hours for emergency or hourly work, with the rate
- Per-tree price for planned removals and pruning
- Crane or bucket truck by the day or hour
- Stumps by the inch of diameter, or flat
- Haul-away by the load, or wood left at no charge, so nobody argues later
- Temporary protection: tarps, boards, cleanup of the roof
- Deposit paid, taken off the balance you bill on planned work
Writing it so the claim file makes sense
Redline doesn't deal with insurance companies, and you shouldn't promise the homeowner what their policy covers. What you can do is hand them an invoice that reads clearly: what fell, what you removed, how long it took and with how many people, what you did to protect the house. That's the document they'll send in.
The homeowner pays you, by card on the pay link or by check, and sorts out the reimbursement with their insurer. If they pay by check, log the payment on their file. If the invoice sits because they're waiting on the claim, the overdue alerts keep it in front of you.
Straight answers on tree service billing
Redline does
- Spell out emergency work by crew, hours and extras
- Bill balances on site with a card pay link
- Bill stump grinding as its own invoice later
- Keep before and after photos on the job
- Flag unpaid invoices at day 3, 7 and 14
Redline doesn't
- Bill insurance companies or handle claims
- Take checks or bank transfers on the pay link (card only)
- Attach photos to the invoice itself
- Track crew hours (you say how long it took)
- Text the invoice to the homeowner
Questions contractors ask
Can I charge a different rate for emergency work?
Yes. Say your emergency rate once ("storm work is $450 an hour for a 3-man crew") and Redline uses it whenever you say it's emergency work.
How do I give the homeowner the photos?
They're on the job in Redline. Share them the way you usually do. The email from your Gmail carries the breakdown, with the pay link pasted in from the invoice.
Can I charge a minimum on small storm jobs?
Yes. Tell Redline your minimum once ("$350 minimum on any storm call") and it applies it when a job comes in under it.
More for tree services
Bill the next storm job before you pull away.
Start free, then turn on Solo to invoice. It comes with a 7-day trial on the web.
Keep reading
- Tree service softwareQuote removals and stumps from photos, write down what you promised and collect on site.
- Tree service estimate appEach tree its own line, stumps and haul-away spelled out, from your walk photos.
- Tree service dispatch softwareStorm calls reshuffled in one message, crane days protected, job notes on the foreman's phone.
- Invoicing and card paymentsInvoice from the job in two taps or one message. Customers pay by card.