Invoicing Software for Auto Repair Shops

The Federal Trade Commission's consumer guide to auto repair (US; dated August 2012) tells drivers: "If you decide to get the work done, ask for a written estimate." It says the estimate "should identify the condition to be repaired, the parts needed, and the anticipated labor charge."

For the finished job, the same guide (August 2012) tells drivers to get a completed repair order that "should list each repair, parts supplied, the cost of each part, labor charges, and the vehicle's odometer reading when you brought the vehicle in as well as when the repair order was completed." It also says: "Ask for all replaced parts. State law may require this." Rules on estimates, repair orders and returning replaced parts differ from state to state, so ask your state's consumer protection office or a lawyer which ones apply to your shop.

For context, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (page last modified September 14, 2026) says "Automotive service technicians and mechanics inspect, maintain, and repair cars and light trucks," and its Occupational Outlook Handbook lists 825,800 jobs in that occupation in 2025.

Billed's invoice software page says you can "save the products and services you sell so you can pull them into an invoice instead of retyping them." For a shop, that means saving the parts you sell and your labor charge once, then adding them to each estimate as lines. Billed's estimating page says you can "customize units and quantities for each product," so a labor line can show hours and a parts line can show a count.

The same page says you can "Attach important files and images with your estimates" and "Add comments and important notes in your estimates for your client," which is a place to describe the condition to be repaired. To send the estimate, it says you can "Share your online estimates with your clients via shareable public link."

If an estimate needs to change, Billed's help center describes a duplicate option: "If you want to edit the estimate but keep the original one saved, you can make a duplicate estimate."

Billed's features page says you can "Convert your estimate to invoice with a single click after getting approval from your client." Billed's help center says that after you convert, "You can add and edit any information here." So the invoice can match the work that was done. Billed's invoice software page also says you can "Add files to your invoices and estimates."

For tax, the same page says: "Save your tax rates and settings once, and Billed calculates taxes automatically when you create invoices and estimates." Which charges on a repair bill are taxable, such as parts, labor or shop supplies, depends on your state, so check with your state's tax agency or an accountant.

These are sample figures, not suggested prices or tax rates. A customer's car needs front brake pads and rotors. The estimate has three lines and a note: brake pad set, 1 at 89.00 = 89.00; front rotor, 2 at 64.50 = 129.00; labor, 2.0 hours at 120.00 = 240.00. The note describes the condition, worn pads and scored rotors.

Parts come to 89.00 + 129.00 = 218.00. In this sample, the shop's state taxes parts but not labor, at 7%, so the tax is 218.00 × 7% = 15.26. The estimate total is 218.00 + 240.00 + 15.26 = 473.26.

The customer approves, the shop converts the estimate to an invoice, and the job takes the quoted time, so the invoice total stays 473.26. At pickup the customer can pay the invoice by card through Stripe, or pay cash, which the shop records as an offline payment before sending a payment receipt.

Billed's payments page says "Billed integrates with Stripe to enable online payments on invoices." and "Add your Paypal account to Billed to start accepting payments via Paypal on your invoices." For cash or checks, Billed's invoice software page says: "When a client pays by check or cash, record it as an offline payment so all your income is in one place." It adds: "After a client pays, you can send them a payment receipt."

For fleet or account customers who pay later, the same page says to "Set a due date on each invoice so your client knows when to pay," and "Invoice reports show which invoices are paid, partially paid or past due, and you can see who owes you money and send them a payment reminder." It also says: "Payment reminders can be customized."