Accounting and invoicing for plumbing and heating firms
Bathroom refurbishment, heating replacement, burst pipes and maintenance contracts: plumbing and heating firms have big jobs with a high material share and many small call-outs. Saldiqo handles stage invoices for large jobs, creates maintenance invoices on schedule and bundles wholesaler receipts per site.
What comes up for plumbing and heating firms
Big jobs with a lot of material
A bathroom or heating system costs five figures, a large part of it material. Stage invoices secure the pre-financing.
Emergencies and small jobs
Burst pipe, blockage, dripping tap: many small call-outs with hours and material, often paid on the day.
Servicing and heating checks
Fixed yearly dates for boiler servicing make firms predictable, provided they are billed on time.
How Saldiqo helps
- Stage invoices for big jobsQuote, stage invoice on ordering material, final invoice after acceptance.
- Call-out with time and materialRecord time, add items and write the invoice on site.
- Maintenance contracts as recurring invoicesSaldiqo creates yearly servicing on a fixed date.
- Cost centre per siteAssign material and time to a site and see the result per job.
Typical invoice lines
Examples that often appear on invoices in this industry. You set the prices yourself.
- Complete bathroom refurbishment, stage 2 of 3
- Heating replacement including commissioning
- Emergency call-out, weekend surcharge
- Boiler servicing, yearly
- Material as per delivery note
- Disposal of the old system
Tax and invoicing in Germany
What applies to invoices in Germany, in short. As of October 2026.
- VAT
- Standard rate 19 %, reduced rate 7 %. Which rate applies to which supply depends on the case. Saldiqo calculates each invoice line with the rate you pick.
- Small business scheme
- Under section 19 of the VAT Act (UStG) you charge no VAT as long as your turnover was at most €25,000 last year and is at most €100,000 this year. Saldiqo shows how much room is left and adds the note to your invoice.
- Mandatory details
- Under section 14 UStG every invoice shows a tax number or VAT ID, a consecutive invoice number, the date of supply and the recipient. Saldiqo checks this before you finalise an invoice. Small invoices up to €250 gross need fewer details.
- E-invoicing
- All businesses have had to be able to receive e-invoices since 1 January 2025. Issuing becomes mandatory from 2027 if last year’s turnover was above €800,000, and from 2028 for domestic business-to-business sales in all cases. Small businesses under section 19 are exempt. Saldiqo creates XRechnung and ZUGFeRD.
- VAT return
- The advance VAT return goes to the tax office through ELSTER, by the 10th after the end of the period. You file monthly if last year’s VAT was above €9,000 and quarterly above €2,000. Saldiqo provides the figures; you file in ELSTER or through your tax adviser.
- Record keeping
- Keep invoices and accounting vouchers for 8 years, books for 10 years and business letters for 6 years. The period starts at the end of the calendar year.
- Late payment
- In the second half of 2026 the default interest rate is 10.52 % between businesses and 6.52 % towards consumers, plus a €40 flat fee that applies to businesses only. Saldiqo has reminder levels with deadlines and fees.
- Getting paid
- Every invoice carries a GiroCode (EPC QR) that customers scan with their banking app. You match payments by uploading the bank statement as CSV or CAMT.
- Tax adviser
- Cash-basis profit calculation (EÜR), a DATEV export and a separate login for your tax adviser are built in.
Frequently asked questions
How do I bill a heating replacement with material?
With a quote, stage invoices on ordering and delivery and a final invoice that deducts the stages.
Can I bill maintenance contracts automatically?
Yes. A recurring invoice creates the invoice on a fixed date, yearly or monthly.
Do plumbing and heating firms in Germany have to charge VAT?
Yes, unless they qualify as small businesses under section 19 UStG. That applies when turnover was at most €25,000 last year and is at most €100,000 this year. The limit is hard: VAT is due on the sale that takes you over it.
Do plumbing and heating firms in Germany need e-invoicing?
Every business must be able to receive e-invoices since 2025. Issuing is mandatory from 2027 if last year’s turnover was above €800,000, and from 2028 for domestic business-to-business sales in general. Small businesses, invoices up to €250 and tickets are exempt. Private customers still get a normal invoice.
How long do plumbing and heating firms have to keep invoices?
Invoices and vouchers for 8 years, books for 10 years and business letters for 6 years, counted from the end of the calendar year. You can store receipts digitally in Saldiqo. The legal duty to keep records and to document your procedures stays with you.
Try Saldiqo for free
Write invoices, match payments, collect receipts and send reminders: free and without a trial period.
Start for freeThis page for other countries
Related niches
- Trades and construction
- Painters and decorators
- Metalwork and fabrication
- Photovoltaics and solar engineering
- Interior furnishers and upholsterers
- Shutters, awnings and sun protection
- Joiners, carpenters and furniture makers
- Drywall and interior fit-out
- Heat pumps and heating engineering
- Carpenters and timber construction
- Building contractors and shell construction
- Floor fitters and parquet
More industries
As of October 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice, without guarantee. For your case ask your tax adviser.