As a tow truck driver, an accurate and professional vehicle towing receipt will be one of the most important business forms you use on a regular basis. This form helps you keep track of which customers have paid you for your services so that you know who still needs to pay. Customers also appreciate the receipts so they can keep track of their own expenses.
It is important to note that the receipt is separate from the towing invoice. The towing invoice template walks you through creating a form that clearly articulates how much someone owes you for your services. However, it does not indicate that the customer paid or how they paid. That is the role of the receipt.
We will explore the most important elements of the receipt so you are ready to create your own.
What Is a Vehicle Towing Receipt?
A towing receipt is a document that you give to customers once they have completed their payment. As a truck operator, you will often find yourself working with several different customers throughout the day. This can make it challenging to keep accurate track of which customers have paid and which ones have not. A receipt template can help you quickly and easily generate the receipts you need so that you and the customer can track payments. As you improve your ability to collect necessary payments efficiently and without oversight, you will make sure your business gets the money owed. You will therefore have the resources to help the organization grow.
What Elements Should You Have on the Receipt?
As you create receipt forms, you will find that while there are a number of elements in common with an invoice form, your receipt will have a few differences. Therefore, as you create your receipt template, it can be helpful to develop a printable version so that you can take the receipts wherever you go. You can even print out a few and keep them in a receipt book so that when customers pay you for services immediately, you can issue them the appropriate receipt and record the payment without an issue.
We will walk you through the important elements to include in your receipt.
The Name of Your Towing Service and Logo
Start by giving the name of your towing company. You want your customers to remember the business that served them well when their vehicle had a problem, so make sure your name is clearly displayed at the top of the paper. Many businesses also like to accompany their name with their business logo to further cement their brand for customers looking at the receipt.
In addition to your name, make sure you give your company information that includes your address, phone number, and email. If the customer has any questions or finds themselves needing a tow in the future, you want them to call you automatically. So make it easy for them to find your information when they need your services.
Details About the Service Provided
You also want to include details about the actual services required. Start by recording information about the car, including the make, model, and VIN, if possible.
You can then record what the customer needs you to do. For example, if they called for some roadside assistance because their car would not start and you needed to tow them to the auto repair shop, you need to record this. Note the address of the starting point, the ending point, and the total mileage. If your services include any other type of help or road service, record that as well.
As you can tell, this part of the receipt will also be highly customized. Not only does this help your record keeping, but it can also help the customer remember precisely what you did to help them and what necessitated the call. This level of careful record keeping can also help you and your business appear more professional.
As you record this helpful information about your services rendered, also write down the work order number. This will help you keep your receipts straight in your accounting books.
Your Rate
Your receipt also needs to contain information about your rates. This part of the receipt will have considerable overlap with your tow truck invoice. Many tow truck companies have a rate they charge per mile, so record that on the receipt. If you have to perform any other special services to assist the customer, that will also need to be clearly marked on the receipt so everyone knows how you arrived at your total.
The Total Cost (Including Any Fees and Taxes)
In the next section, you will want to start tallying up the total cost. Start with the subtotal for your services. Tally up all the different lines you have recorded with the cost of the different services performed and record this on the subtotal line.
As a tow company, you will also want to let the customer know what they will owe when it comes to any special fees and taxes. Anything that applies to this particular customer should then be recorded on the receipt. For example, if they paid their bill late and consequently were charged a late payment fee, that should be reflected on the receipt.
Finally, add the subtotal with all of the rest of the taxes and fees you calculated. The final amount you come up with should express the amount that the customer owed and the amount you collected during the transaction.
How Payment Was Made
This section is where you will record how customers made their payments. Depending upon what your business can accept, you might note cash, credit card, or PayPal payments, for example. The information can help you remember where to check for the payment and where in your revenue notes it should appear.
Any Special Notes About the Towing Job or Payment
Finally, you also want to record any special notes that apply to this particular job. Suppose there was something out of the ordinary that happened while picking up this particular vehicle, and you thought it should be noted in your accounting or for the customer's records - this is the place where you want to make that note.
Where to Find Easy-to-Use Towing Receipts
As you create your tow truck receipts, you will often want to have similar access to other common tow truck forms, such as a towing invoice form or a service invoice template. Together, all these forms can help you manage your accounting and track your payments. While technically, some people can create a template using programs such as Microsoft Excel, finding a free download often works best. Small businesses find that these types of blank templates can help them quickly fill in the necessary information, make sure that they do not forget any important sections, and get the receipt back to their customers as quickly as possible.
How Skynova Can Help
When it comes to creating tow truck receipts and managing your small business accounting, Skynova is here for you with a towing invoice template and towing service receipt template. In addition, if you have a customer call ahead of time to see if you can help them with a particular project and learn what it would cost, you can also create estimates and quotes for these prospects. With all of these different business forms available to you, getting paid has never been easier.
Notice to the Reader
The content within this article is meant to be used as general guidelines for building a receipt and may not apply to your specific situation. Always consult with a professional accountant to ensure you're meeting accounting standards.