How to Invoice as a Driving Instructor
A step-by-step guide to driving lesson invoices: what to show for each lesson, how to bill packages, who to send the invoice to, and how to charge for missed lessons.
A driving instructor can bill lessons one at a time or as a package paid in advance. Either way, each invoice line names the lesson, its date and its length, so the student or a parent can check it against the lesson log. For a student under 18, the invoice goes to the parent or guardian who pays. Licensing and lesson requirements for instructors are set where you work, so check your state's rules.
In Billed, save each kind of lesson you sell at its price. On Billed's invoice software page, you can "save the products and services you sell so you can pull them into an invoice instead of retyping them." For a package paid in parts, the scheduled payments article in Billed's help center says: "You can let your clients pay the amount in installments through this option."
Worked example, with sample figures before any tax: a 10-lesson package at 55.00 a lesson is 550.00, with a 10% package discount of 55.00, so the invoice total is 495.00. The parent pays in two scheduled payments of 247.50 each, one before the first lesson and one before the sixth. The road test day, at 120.00, goes on its own invoice.
Step-by-step invoicing guide
- 1
Set your lesson types and prices
Price in-car lessons, classroom time and road test days separately, and save each one so you don't retype it. Billed's help article on creating an invoice says you add a saved item to an invoice this way: "Add them to invoices by writing the item's name and selecting it to autofill the entire section."
- 2
Invoice the person who pays
Ask at enrollment who pays. For a student under 18, address the invoice to the parent or guardian, and name the student in each line.
- 3
Show each lesson's date, length and type
Write one line per lesson, for example lesson 3 of 10, highway driving, 60 minutes, June 4, so the payer can match it to the lesson log.
- 4
Bill packages up front and show the discount
Invoice a package before the first lesson, and show any package saving as a discount. Billed's invoice software page says: "Give a client a discount on an invoice, or create coupons."
- 5
Charge missed lessons by your written policy
If your terms include a late-cancellation fee, put it on the next invoice as a separate line that names the lesson the student missed and its date.
- 6
Bill the road test day separately
A road test day uses your car and time differently from a lesson, so give it its own line or its own invoice.
Tips for driving instructor invoicing
- Send the invoice right after the lesson. Billed's mobile app page says: "Build a professional invoice from your phone the moment a job wraps."
- Write a package's start date and the number of lessons in it on the invoice.
- For a parent paying for two children, put each child's lessons on separate lines with the child's name.
- Put the due date on every invoice. Billed's invoice software page says: "Set a due date on each invoice so your client knows when to pay."
- Keep your cancellation policy short, and print it in the invoice notes.
Common invoicing mistakes to avoid
- Sending the invoice to a student under 18 instead of the parent who pays
- Leaving lesson dates off the invoice, so the payer can't check it
- Selling a package without writing the number of lessons in it
- Charging a missed-lesson fee that isn't in your written terms
- Bundling the road test day into the lesson price
How this works in Billed
Saved lesson types
On Billed's invoice software page, you can "save the products and services you sell so you can pull them into an invoice instead of retyping them."
Package discounts
Billed's invoice software page says: "Give a client a discount on an invoice, or create coupons."
Packages paid in parts
The scheduled payments article in Billed's help center says: "You can let your clients pay the amount in installments through this option."
Invoices from your phone
Billed's mobile app page says: "Build a professional invoice from your phone the moment a job wraps." It also says: "Add line items, your logo, and tax, then send by email or share a link before you leave the site."
Card, PayPal, cash and checks
Billed's invoice software page says: "Connect your Stripe account and every invoice you send gets a pay button, so clients can pay by card." It also says: "When a client pays by check or cash, record it as an offline payment so all your income is in one place."
Frequently asked questions
Start Invoicing With Billed
Set up your account and send your first invoice with Billed.
At a glance
| Situation | What goes on the invoice |
|---|---|
| Single lesson | One line with date, length and type |
| Package | Number of lessons, price and any discount |
| Student under 18 | Parent or guardian as the client, student named in each line |
| Missed lesson | Fee line with the date, if your terms include it |
When this isn't for you
If a driving school employs you and bills the students itself, you won't invoice students; this guide is for instructors who bill their own lessons.