Built for locksmiths billing a midnight lockout, a rekey after a move, and a car key programmed to a VIN — the call-out, the after-hours fee, the labor and the hardware each on their own line, and the person you verified written down.
Start a Locksmith Invoice →Opens with the locksmith lines already listed. Free, no sign-up, PDF download.
Locksmith invoices get questioned more than most, and the reason is the trade's own reputation. Customers are often locked out, tired and in a hurry when they call, and many have heard a story about a low phone quote that grew at the door. So the first thing a customer does with your invoice is look for the line that surprised them. If the call-out, the after-hours fee and the labor are blended into one number, that number looks like the surprise even when every part of it was fair.
The trade also has paperwork other service trades don't. You are opening a door, a safe or a car for someone, so a careful locksmith records who asked and why they had the right to ask. Rekeys are counted per cylinder, keys per copy, and hardware by brand, model and grade. Jobs get cancelled after the truck has already left. This template separates each of those onto its own line, so the customer can see what they paid for and you can show what you did.
Most independent locksmiths charge a service call (also called a call-out, trip or dispatch fee) to come to the customer, then price the work separately. That work is commonly a flat price per task: a lockout opened, a lock rekeyed per cylinder, a key cut per copy, a lock installed with the hardware as its own line. Larger or unusual jobs, such as safe work or a commercial master key system, are often billed by the hour. Calls outside normal hours, on holidays or on short notice usually carry an after-hours or emergency surcharge, which is best shown as its own line and quoted before the visit. Automotive work, such as a transponder key or key fob, adds the vehicle details and the programming. Hardware is listed with brand, model and quantity, and often carries a markup. A written estimate is given before work starts on anything beyond a simple lockout, and many locksmiths ask for a deposit on a larger order. Residential jobs are usually paid on completion; property managers and businesses are commonly billed on net 15 or net 30 against a work order.
These are the lines this trade actually bills, the unit each is measured in, and what each one prevents. Every line below is optional — use the ones that match the job.
| Line item | Billed as | Why it belongs there |
|---|---|---|
| Service call — residential lockout, front door; arrived 11:40 pm | flat, per call | Name the job and the arrival time. The call-out covers getting to the customer; it should not be blended into the labor. |
| After-hours surcharge — call received 11:15 pm, outside 8 am–6 pm | flat or percentage | Show the after-hours fee as its own line and say what made it after-hours. A customer who was quoted it on the phone will recognise it; a customer who wasn't will ask. |
| Labor — open door by non-destructive entry, no damage to lock or door | flat per task or per hour | Say how the door was opened. 'No damage' on the invoice answers the most common complaint before it is made. |
| Rekey — 3 deadbolt and knob cylinders to a single key; 4 keys cut | per cylinder + per key | Count the cylinders and the keys. Rekeying is billed per cylinder, and a count makes it easy to check against the doors. |
| Hardware — Schlage B60N deadbolt, Grade 1, satin nickel, qty 1 | per item | List brand, model, grade and finish. It lets the customer compare the price and lets you identify the hardware if there's a warranty question. |
| Key duplication — 5 copies, brass; 1 high-security restricted key | per key | Keys are a per-copy charge. Restricted or high-security keys cost more and often need authorization, so list them apart from standard copies. |
| Automotive — transponder key cut and programmed, 2019 Honda Civic, VIN ending 4821 | per key + programming | Record the year, make, model and the last digits of the VIN. Programming is labor on top of the key blank, and the vehicle is what makes it valid. |
| Customer identity and authority verified — photo ID checked; resident / owner; name recorded | record, $0 | A $0 line that records who asked for the work and how you checked. It is your record if the door turns out not to be the customer's. |
| Deposit received 10/9 for hardware order (enter as negative credit) | credit (negative line) | If you order hardware or a high-security cylinder, take a deposit and show it as a minus line on the final invoice. |
| Cancelled after dispatch — customer reached door before arrival; service call fee per quote | flat, per call | If you charge when a job is cancelled after you've left, say so when you quote it, and write the reason on the invoice. |
Open these lines in the invoice builder →Editable on screen · delete what does not apply · free PDF, no sign-up
Nearly every unpaid or short-paid invoice in this trade comes down to one of these.
A downloadable template means fixing the layout, re-entering the formulas, and reformatting every time. This one fills in on screen, does the maths, and downloads a clean PDF — with the locksmith lines already listed.
Open the Locksmith Template →Go deeper
How to invoice for locksmith work — service calls, after-hours fees, rekeys and customer verification →The full guide — rates, payment terms, deposits, and what to do when the invoice goes unpaid.
Your business name, contact details and license number if your state issues one, the customer's details, an invoice number and the date, and the service address. Then the work as separate lines: the service call, any after-hours fee, labor, hardware with brand and model, keys cut, and a record that you verified the customer's identity and authority. End with taxes, the total, payment terms and any warranty on the hardware or labor.
Yes. The service call covers getting to the customer and the labor covers the work. Showing them apart makes the total easy to read and answers the question customers most often ask, which is what the first charge was for. If you credit the call-out toward a larger job, show the credit as its own minus line.
As its own line, with the reason: 'After-hours surcharge — call received 11:15 pm.' Quote it before you drive out and repeat it at the door. A fee the customer was told about is a price. A fee they first see on the invoice is a dispute.
Per cylinder, with the number of keys cut. For example: 'Rekey 3 cylinders to one key; 4 keys cut.' If you replaced any hardware instead of rekeying it, list that separately with the brand, model and grade, so the customer can see which doors were rekeyed and which were changed.
For anything beyond a simple lockout, it is good practice, and some states require a written estimate or a license for locksmith work. Rules differ by state, so check yours. A written estimate before the work, and an invoice that matches it, is the clearest way to show a customer the price was never going to change.
Service-call trades bill a diagnostic or trip fee, then parts and labor as separate lines — and the dispute is almost always whether the first fee was credited against the repair.
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