Locksmith invoice template UK (2026): call-out, cylinders, CIS

A locksmith invoice in the UK is not one document. A 2am lock-out for a homeowner, a landlord rekey on a void, and a new-build ironmongery package for a main contractor all use the same trade, and three different bills.

Get the customer type wrong and the rest follows. CIS does not sit on a private householder. Reverse charge does not sit on a customer who is not VAT-registered. Many locksmith jobs sit outside CIS even when a contractor pays you. “Locksmith works” with no door, no address and no cylinder type is how a lock-out dispute starts. Call-out and a euro cylinder in one line is how a contractor deducts 20% of the hardware, if CIS applies at all.

This is the 2026 locksmith invoice template: copy-paste fields, call-out versus labour versus cylinders, lock-out versus rekey versus master-key versus multipoint versus new-build ironmongery, CIS using HMRC CISR14210 and CISR14290, and the VAT tax point when the card goes through on the doorstep. InvoiceAdept does not issue MLA certificates, police-approved lock ratings, or insurance inspections. There is no general statutory licence to operate as a locksmith in the UK. Do not invent an SIA requirement. SIA is a different regime.

Rules from GOV.UK. Figures are worked examples, not a price list. General information only, not tax, legal or insurance advice. InvoiceAdept is from Tech Me Today Ltd, Companies House 15917255, ICO ZB944663. Free: five invoices a month. Pro £7.99. Pro+ £12.99 (CIS). WhatsApp send on Pro. No platform fee on Stripe. We do not file CIS300, VAT returns or MTD updates to HMRC.

Sister templates: builder, painter and decorator, carpenter, electrician, plumber, roofer, plasterer. Walkthrough: how to invoice a UK client as a tradesperson.

The short answer

A UK locksmith invoice must name the address, the door or vehicle, the work and the hardware, then split call-out, labour and materials. Charge VAT only if you are registered, and only register once you pass the £90,000 threshold, not the old £85,000. When a contractor pays you, test the job against CISR14210 before you deduct 20% or 30%.

Who are you billing?

Decide who you are billing. Homeowner: normal invoice, VAT only if registered, no CIS line. Landlord or agent: same rules as whoever is named as the customer. Contractor: test whether the work is even inside CIS before you print a deduction. HMRC CISR14210 puts a lot of lock fitting outside CIS. When CIS does apply: labour/materials split, UTR, 0%, 20% or 30% on labour. Reverse charge needs CIS as well as VAT, so it often will not apply on locksmith work even to a VAT-registered contractor. Name the address, the door, the work (lock-out, rekey, cylinder, multipoint, ironmongery package) and the supply date. Invoice the visit when you take the money, including a doorstep card payment.

First invoice: invoice generator. Free is five a month. A master-key suite with a deposit, a fit stage and a final can burn the cap on one job.

What are the three types of locksmith invoice?

Most “locksmith invoice template UK” pages treat every customer as a name and a total. On the door they are not.

A fourth pattern sits beside those three: vehicle and auto locksmith work (car lock-out, ignition, remote). That is not construction. Do not put CIS on a car job. The customer is usually a motorist or a fleet, not a CIS contractor, and the bill looks more like a call-out plus parts than a building invoice. Name the vehicle (registration if they gave it), the work, and the supply date. Reverse charge for building and construction does not apply to a car lock-out.

A contractor working for a homeowner is still a contractor. No reverse charge on a private customer. That does not make the contractor an end user for the locksmith who bills them. See HMRC’s reverse charge supplier page. Homeowners only: skip CIS and reverse charge, still name the door and invoice the money when it lands.

What must be on a UK locksmith invoice?

GOV.UK is narrower than most blogs. You must give an invoice by law when both you and the customer are VAT-registered. If you are not, keep numbered records of what you charged. That is also how you get paid. What the invoice must include:

• a unique identification number

• your name (or company name), address and contact information

• the customer’s name and address

• a clear description of what you are charging for

• the date the goods or service were provided (supply date)

• the date of the invoice

• the amount being charged

• VAT amount if applicable

• the total amount owed

Sole trader with a trading name: show your own name and a serviceable address. Limited company: registered name, company number, registered office.

VAT-registered: VAT number, rate, net, VAT in sterling. Threshold £90,000. register for VAT if you have gone over, or will. The old £85,000 figure is stale. For a locksmith, “clear description” is the door, the work and the hardware, not a logo and a total.

Weak versus usable descriptions

A photo of the door, a key schedule or the merchant ticket can sit as an attachment. InvoiceAdept does not issue MLA certificates, police-approved lock ratings or insurance inspections. Name a published lock rating on the product line if that is what you fitted. Do not print a certificate the app did not issue.

Checklist you can tick in the van

What fields go on a locksmith invoice?

Delete the lines that do not apply. Do not leave “N/A” hanging on a domestic lock-out.

Invoice number / date / supply date / due date
Your legal name, address (company number + registered office if limited)
VAT number only if registered · UTR only if this invoice is under CIS
Customer legal name and address · site / plot / PO · vehicle registration if a car job
Description a stranger can identify · door or vehicle · work (lock-out, rekey, cylinder, multipoint, ironmongery) · hardware · variation refs (V01…)
Call-out (labour) · labour · materials this job only (cylinders, locks, keys you paid for)
Net · VAT or reverse-charge wording · CIS deduction only if the work is inside CIS · amount payable now
Bank details or card link · insurance claim ref if they asked · keys issued (count)
Paid on the visit: say so, and still raise the numbered invoice

How do I split call-out, labour and hardware?

On a homeowner invoice the split is courtesy, and it stops a “what did I pay for” argument on the doorstep. On a contractor invoice, if CIS applies, it is the CIS calculation.

HMRC’s contractor rules: start with the gross, take off VAT, consumable stores, fuel (not travelling), plant hired for that job, manufacturing or prefabricating materials, and materials you paid for directly. No receipts? They estimate. What is left is the CIS base at 20%, 30% or 0%. Same list from the subbie side: what does not count as CIS pay.

Treat call-out as labour unless you can evidence it as something else. You almost never can. Travel and fuel for the van are not materials, but they are still a real cost. For your own tax records, HMRC’s approved mileage rates are 45p a mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25p a mile after that, instead of keeping every fuel receipt. The cylinder, lock, multipoint gearbox or keys you paid the merchant for are materials, at what you paid, with the ticket on file. A mark-up on a cylinder is not a material. Free-issue ironmongery from the contractor is not yours. Do not list it as materials.

Two habits that cost money when CIS does apply: one lump “locksmith £265” (20% of the cylinder as well), and stuffing mark-up into materials so CIS looks smaller. When CIS does not apply, the split still helps the customer see the hardware versus the visit.

Owned picks, drills, scopes and a key machine in the van are tools, not a materials line and not a made-up hire. Third-party hire of specialist kit for this address can sit as hire when you pass the ticket through.

How do I invoice a lock-out, rekey, master-key, multipoint or new-build job?

Name the work type so the bill matches what you actually did. A lock-out that ends in a new cylinder is not the same job as a planned house rekey. A master-key suite is not three extra keys. Fitting free-issue cylinders on a new-build plot is not a repair to an existing door.

Emergency lock-out: name the door, address, date and time, entry method, hardware fitted and keys issued. Most are paid on the doorstep. Invoice the visit when you take the money. Planned rekey: list the doors and how many keys you cut. Master-key suite: deposit before you order the cylinders, then name the suite, the doors and keys issued to whom. Multipoint: name the door, the fault, the parts you paid for, and whether you recut the door or repaired the frame. New-build ironmongery: plots, schedule, free-issue versus your supply. If a door had to be altered to take the lock, say so. That sentence is what CISR14210 cares about on a contractor job.

When should I issue a stage invoice or deposit?

Most lock-outs are paid on the doorstep. Raise the numbered invoice when the card goes through or the transfer lands. Do not wait until Monday “to do the paperwork” if you are VAT-registered and the money already sat in the account on Saturday night.

Stages belong where you order hardware before the fit, or you attend more than once:

• master-key suite (deposit before cylinders, then fit, then keys issued)

• full-house rekey across several visits

• site ironmongery package billed by plot or by week

A voice-note “40% when you order the cylinders” is not a tax point you can defend if you are VAT-registered and the money already landed. Raise the numbered deposit invoice when you take it. Walkthrough: deposit invoice template UK.

Free (5/month) burns on deposit plus fit plus final. Pro removes the cap. Do not call a doorstep lock-out a “deposit”. You finished the job.

Should I invoice as a sole trader or a limited company?

The invoice has to show the legal person who is charging.

Sole trader. Your own name, plus a trading name if you use one, and an address where documents can be delivered. CIS, if it applies, is in your name and UTR. GOV.UK on sole traders.

Limited company. Registered company name, company number, registered office. A trading style (“Oak Lane Locksmiths”) is not enough on its own. CIS for a company is the company’s UTR, not the director’s personal one. GOV.UK on limited companies. InvoiceAdept does not file confirmation statements or accounts.

Do not mix them mid-job. If the quote was in the company name, the invoices are in the company name. A card machine in a personal name on a company job is how accounts bounce the bill.

Is locksmith work inside CIS?

Lock fitting is not “always CIS” and it is not “never CIS”. HMRC wrote a specific locksmith note.

HMRC CISR14210 (construction operations: locks):

• Installing locks in isolation on new buildings, or on buildings where construction operations have been carried out, is outside CIS.

• Installing security doors and grilles where no alteration or repair to the building is required is outside CIS.

• New-for-old lock replacement is outside CIS.

• The work is inside CIS only when replacement results in the need for repair or other modification to the door, doorframe, or surrounding surfaces.

• Computerised locking systems are excluded. See CISR14290.

HMRC CISR14290 (security systems, FA04/S74(3)(i)): burglar alarms, CCTV for security, PA systems, door entry that is only an electronic lock plus voice, and computerised locking systems are excluded. Not excluded, so usually inside CIS when a contractor pays you: CCTV for traffic management, door access that includes a special door or other structural features, gates, barriers, bollards, security fencing, safes built into the structure, and preparatory land works for CCTV. The table below is the same list, side by side.

Vehicle and auto locksmith work is not construction. Do not put CIS on a car lock-out.

Homeowner jobs you sold yourself: no CIS line even if the same physical work would be CIS under a contractor. CIS starts because a contractor pays you for construction operations, not because you call yourself a locksmith.

InvoiceAdept does not decide CIS status. The table below is HMRC’s wording, not a determination for your job. If you are unsure, ask the person who files, or HMRC, before you print a deduction.

When CIS does apply: you invoice the contractor the gross. They withhold from labour as an advance on your tax and NI. Subcontractor rates: 20% verified; 30% unverified or wrong name; 0% gross payment status. Use the legal name and UTR you registered with.

CIS is on labour only. Call-out is labour. Evidenced materials (cylinders, locks, keys you paid for) come out. Travel and fuel for the van are not materials. Show UTR, labour, materials, rate, deduction, net payable. That printout is not a CIS300. The contractor files. InvoiceAdept does not file CIS300.

CIS lines are on Pro+ £12.99 only. Feature: CIS invoices. Grid: best CIS invoice software UK 2026. Billing as a subbie: invoicing subcontractors CIS UK. Contractor-side: how to pay CIS subcontractors UK.

When does VAT and reverse charge apply?

VAT Notice 708 is the buildings and construction note. Do not guess reduced-rate:

• Most work to an existing dwelling (lock-out, rekey, cylinder swap, multipoint on a lived-in house): standard-rated 20% if you are VAT-registered.

• New qualifying dwellings: can be zero-rated when Notice 708 conditions are met (for example ironmongery in the course of constructing a new house). Check the Notice. Do not assume a plot cylinder is zero-rated because the site is new.

• Some conversions / empty-home renovations: reduced-rated 5% when Notice conditions are met. Check. Do not guess on an ordinary lock-out.

Not registered? Do not charge VAT. Threshold £90,000, not £85,000.

Domestic reverse charge when all of these hold: both VAT-registered; the work is reported within CIS; the supply is standard- or reduced-rated; you are not an employment business supplying staff; no written end-user notice. Then show VAT, do not add it to payable. Use the words reverse charge (for example “Reverse charge: VAT Act 1994 Section 55A applies”).

That CIS test is the locksmith catch. Many contractor lock jobs are outside CIS under CISR14210 (new-for-old cylinder, locks in isolation on a new building, no frame repair). If the work is not reported within CIS, reverse charge does not apply. You charge VAT in the ordinary way. Do not reverse-charge a VAT-registered contractor just because they are a contractor.

Never reverse-charge a private householder. Walkthrough: domestic reverse charge invoice UK.

When reverse charge does apply, it usually sits on the full net supply-and-apply value. CIS still ignores materials. Keep lines split.

The VAT tax point on doorstep payments and deposits

If you are VAT-registered, the tax point is when the supply is treated as taking place for VAT. It is not always the day you type the invoice. In outline, check GOV.UK’s VAT time-of-supply rules, or the person who files, before you rely on a date:

• A payment you actually receive (doorstep card, Apple Pay, transfer, deposit) is usually a tax point for that amount on the day it lands, even if you raise the PDF on Monday.

• An invoice you issue can create a tax point for the amount invoiced.

• The basic tax point for services is often when the work is completed; for goods, when they are delivered or made available.

If you take a master-key deposit in August and fit in September, August’s VAT period needs that deposit. If you take a lock-out card payment at 23:10 on 28 August, that is usually a tax point that night. InvoiceAdept will date the invoice you raise. It will not decide the tax point and it will not put the figure on your VAT return.

Can I charge interest on a late invoice?

Put a due date on every invoice. “Payment due on receipt” is vague. “Due 28 August 2026” is a date. On a doorstep lock-out, “paid 28 August 2026, card ending 1234” is clearer still.

Domestic homeowners are consumers. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts rules are a business-to-business regime. GOV.UK on late commercial payments. Do not print “statutory interest at 8% over base” on a private lock-out invoice as if it automatically applies to a householder.

Contractor invoices are different. If both sides are acting in the course of a business, statutory interest can apply when a qualifying debt is late, unless the contract has a different substantial remedy. 14 or 30 days is common on accounts.

A reminder is not a new invoice. Do not raise a second live number for the same door because they have not paid. InvoiceAdept Pro can send reminders. That is a chase, not a filing to HMRC.

Worked examples

A sole-trader locksmith attends 14 Oak Lane. Call-out £120. Labour £80. Euro cylinder the locksmith bought for this job (merchant ticket on file) £65. Gross before VAT: £265. Worked example only. Not a price list. Your quote will differ. Round figures so the arithmetic is readable.

A. Homeowner lock-out, you are not VAT-registered (no CIS, no reverse charge)

No VAT line. No UTR. No CIS. Due on the visit. Sort code or pay link. If they already paid by card on the doorstep, mark it paid and still keep the numbered invoice.

B. Homeowner lock-out, you are VAT-registered, standard-rated existing dwelling

Same job. Lived-in house. Most work to an existing dwelling is standard-rated. Never reverse-charge the householder.

You account for £53 output tax. Still no CIS. The card payment is usually a tax point for £318 on the day it lands.

C. VAT-registered contractor, lock swap with no frame modification (outside CIS)

Same labour and cylinder, billed to a main contractor. Front door euro, new-for-old, no repair or modification to the door, doorframe or surrounding surfaces. CISR14210 puts this outside CIS. Reverse charge needs CIS, so it does not apply. Charge VAT in the ordinary way. InvoiceAdept does not decide CIS status.

No UTR line required for CIS. Do not print “reverse charge” here. A one-line “locksmith £265 plus reverse charge” on this job is the wrong document.

D. VAT-registered contractor, lock swap that required door and frame repair (inside CIS at 20%, reverse charge applies)

Same address. The failed lock had torn the door edge and the keep in the frame. Replacement needed repair and modification to the door and doorframe. CISR14210 puts that inside CIS. Both sides VAT-registered. No written end-user notice. Payment reported under CIS. Verified 20%.

Call-out £120 (labour). Labour including door-edge and frame repair £160. Cylinder £65. Timber packer and filler the locksmith paid for £20. Illustrative only.

Wording: Reverse charge: VAT Act 1994 Section 55A applies. Customer to pay the VAT to HMRC. CIS labour is call-out £120 plus labour £160 = £280. Materials £85 come out. Contractor pays you £309 and remits £56 CIS. You do not receive the £73 VAT. A one-line £365 bill is how they deduct 20% of the cylinder as well.

How do I invoice variations and extras?

Confirm extras in writing. WhatsApp is enough for domestic. Price labour and materials separately. Code them V01, V02. Put each on the same invoice as own lines, or raise a variation invoice the same day. Never bury an extra door, a second cylinder, or broken-key extraction inside an inflated call-out. If a variation changes a deposit already taken on a master-key suite, show original package, extra, new total, already paid. More: variation orders and extras.

What a locksmith invoice does not do

The invoice is the bill. Membership cards, lock ratings and insurance reports are separate PDFs.

• No general statutory locksmith licence. The UK does not run a single licence to operate as a locksmith. Do not invent an SIA licence requirement on the invoice. SIA is a different regime.

• Master Locksmiths Association. Membership exists. If you are a member and the customer asked, a membership number can sit as a description. InvoiceAdept does not issue MLA status and does not inspect your work.

• Police-approved or published lock ratings. If you fitted a lock that carries a published rating, name the product on the materials line. That is a product description, not a certificate from this app.

• Insurance work. If the customer asked you to put the claim or policy ref on the bill, put it. Do not invent insurer wording or claim the invoice is an insurance inspection.

InvoiceAdept does not issue MLA certificates, police-approved lock ratings, or insurance inspections.

Is InvoiceAdept Making Tax Digital compliant?

If your qualifying income is over £50,000 for 2024-25, Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from 6 April 2026. The line drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. GOV.UK on when you need MTD.

InvoiceAdept keeps digital invoice records you can export for an accountant or HMRC-recognised filing software. It does not submit quarterly Income Tax updates, the Self Assessment return, your VAT return, or CIS300. Records are not filing. MTD for UK trades.

Set up for free at register, see the invoicing features, or compare CIS invoices and pricing.

How do I send a locksmith invoice?

Domestic lock-outs sold in WhatsApp or over the phone: put the invoice in that thread, or hand them the PDF on site. Native WhatsApp send is Pro; Free users attach the PDF. WhatsApp invoicing UK. Contractors: email accounts with the PO.

Bank details on every invoice. No InvoiceAdept platform fee on Stripe. Published Stripe UK cards 1.5% + 20p (2.5% + 20p international) on /pricing/. InvoiceFree adds 1% on its payment links plus Stripe. Honest difference, not a sneer. InvoiceFree: unlimited free + CIS on free. InvoiceAdept: five free invoices/month; CIS on Pro+. Prices last checked 29 August 2026. Vs InvoiceFree.

Try Free, WhatsApp on Pro, CIS on Pro+, card without the extra 1%. InvoiceFree if you want unlimited free + CIS and mostly take bank transfer. Pricing.

What mistakes delay a locksmith invoice?

• “Locksmith works” with no door, no address and no cylinder type.

• Lumping call-out and cylinder so, when CIS applies, 20% comes off the hardware.

• Putting CIS on a car lock-out, or on a new-for-old cylinder with no frame work that CISR14210 puts outside CIS.

• Reverse-charging a private householder, or reverse-charging a contractor when the job is not within CIS.

• Never invoicing a doorstep card payment, then missing the VAT tax point.

• Inventing an SIA licence requirement, or printing MLA / police-approved wording as if InvoiceAdept issued it.

• No UTR on a job that is actually inside CIS, or a trading name that does not match CIS registration.

• Listing free-issue ironmongery or van fuel as materials.

• Treating call-out as materials. Treat call-out as labour.

• Omitting the insurance claim ref when the customer asked for it.

• Using the old £85,000 VAT threshold. It is £90,000.

• Assuming the invoicing app files CIS300, the VAT return, or MTD. Neither InvoiceAdept nor InvoiceFree does.

• Guessing reduced-rate VAT on an ordinary domestic lock-out.

• Pasting “8% over base” statutory interest onto a consumer lock-out.

FAQs

What should a UK locksmith invoice include?

Legal names and addresses, unique number, dates, a description that names the address, the door or vehicle, the work and the hardware, quantities and rates, due date, and a way to pay. Split call-out, labour and materials. VAT only if registered and reverse charge does not apply. UTR and CIS only when a contractor pays you for work that is inside CIS. GOV.UK invoice list.

Is locksmith work inside CIS?

Only sometimes, and only when a contractor pays you. CISR14210 puts locks in isolation, security doors with no building work, and new-for-old replacement outside CIS. Inside CIS when replacement needs repair or modification to the door, doorframe or surrounding surfaces. Computerised locking is excluded under CISR14290. InvoiceAdept does not decide CIS status.

Do I put CIS on a homeowner lock-out?

No. An ordinary householder is not a CIS contractor. Homeowner jobs you sold yourself: no CIS line even if the same work would be CIS under a contractor.

Do I put CIS on a car lock-out?

No. Vehicle and auto locksmith work is not construction. Do not print CIS or construction reverse charge on a car job.

How do CIS deductions work on cylinders and labour?

When CIS applies, it is on labour only. Call-out is labour. Cylinders, locks and keys you paid for come off the gross if the contractor is satisfied you paid for them. A mark-up is not a material. Free-issue ironmongery is not yours. Van fuel is not a material.

Do I charge VAT on a domestic locksmith invoice?

If VAT-registered and the customer is a private householder, yes, at the rate from VAT Notice 708. Most work to an existing dwelling is standard-rated 20%. Do not guess reduced-rate. Never reverse-charge a householder. Not registered? Do not charge VAT. Threshold £90,000.

When does domestic reverse charge apply to a locksmith?

Both VAT-registered, work reported under CIS, standard- or reduced-rated, no written end-user notice: show VAT, do not add it to payable. Many locksmith jobs are outside CIS under CISR14210, so reverse charge often will not apply even to a VAT-registered contractor. Never on a private householder. Domestic reverse charge invoice UK.

When is the VAT tax point on a lock-out paid on the doorstep?

If you are VAT-registered and you receive the card payment, that amount is usually a tax point on the day it lands. Raise a numbered invoice for the visit. Do not wait until Monday if Saturday night already took the money.

Can I charge statutory late-payment interest on a homeowner lock-out?

The statutory regime on GOV.UK is for commercial (business-to-business) debts. Do not paste “8% over base plus compensation” onto a consumer invoice. Contractor invoices: late commercial payments can apply.

Do I need an SIA licence to invoice as a locksmith?

There is no general statutory licence to operate as a locksmith. Do not invent an SIA requirement on the invoice. SIA is a different regime. The Master Locksmiths Association exists; InvoiceAdept does not issue MLA status.

Should I invoice a card payment taken on the doorstep?

Yes. The money landing is usually the VAT tax point if you are registered, and it is the record you need even if you are not. Mark it paid. Do not skip the numbered invoice because they already paid.

Does InvoiceAdept file CIS, VAT or Making Tax Digital to HMRC?

No. It raises the invoice, stores the record, and on Pro+ prints CIS. It does not file CIS300, VAT returns, MTD quarterly updates or Self Assessment. MTD for UK trades.

About this guide

InvoiceAdept is invoicing software for UK trades (Tech Me Today Ltd, Companies House 15917255, ICO ZB944663). CIS on Pro+. We do not file CIS300, VAT returns, MTD updates or Self Assessment, and we do not issue MLA certificates, police-approved lock ratings or insurance inspections.

Last reviewed: 30 August 2026. Check the GOV.UK and HMRC manual pages linked above before you rely on a rate or on whether a job is inside CIS. General information for UK locksmiths, not tax, legal or insurance advice.