ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 tax invoice template, field by field
A ServiceM8 invoice counts as a tax invoice when the Word template prints the seven details the ATO lists (the words tax invoice, your identity and ABN, the issue date, items with quantity and price, GST, and what is taxable), plus the buyer's identity or ABN from $1,000. This template maps each one to a ServiceM8 merge field.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form
Tax invoice form for all trades
A tax invoice PDF from the job that meets the ATO's $1,000 and over requirements, with PO number, due date, bank details and an online pay link.
The form: 23 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATO 1: intended as a tax invoice | Heading reading TAX INVOICE | Static text | Yes | Type it into the template. Only GST registered businesses should use these words. |
| ATO 2: seller identity | Your business name | Merge field vendor.name | Yes | |
| ATO 3: seller ABN | ABN | Static text | Yes | ServiceM8's published invoice field list has no ABN field, so type it once in the header. |
| ATO 4: date issued | Invoice date | Merge field job.invoice_date | Yes | job.invoice_date_extended prints the long form. |
| ATO 5: description, quantity, price | Item name | Merge field in bookmarked row jobMaterial.name | Yes | Row sits between bookmarks blockStart_jobMaterial and blockEnd_jobMaterial. |
| ATO 5: description, quantity, price | Item description | Merge field in bookmarked row jobMaterial.description | ||
| ATO 5: description, quantity, price | Quantity | Merge field in bookmarked row jobMaterial.quantity | Yes | |
| ATO 5: description, quantity, price | Line total | Merge field in bookmarked row jobMaterial.total_price | Yes | Use jobMaterial.total_price_ex_tax if you show prices before GST. |
| ATO 6: GST payable | GST total | Merge field job.total_tax_price | Yes | Or print Total price includes GST when every line is taxable at one eleventh. |
| ATO 7: extent taxable | Tax rate per line | Merge field in bookmarked row jobMaterial.tax_rate | Yes | Needed when one invoice mixes GST free and taxable items. |
| ATO, $1,000 and over: buyer identity | Billing contact name | Merge field job.billing_contact_first / job.billing_contact_last | Yes | |
| ATO, $1,000 and over: buyer identity | Billing address | Merge field job.billing_address | Yes | |
| Totals | Subtotal | Merge field job.subtotal_price | Yes | |
| Totals | Total | Merge field job.total_price | Yes | |
| Totals | Amount paid and balance due | Merge field job.amount_paid / job.balance_due | Shows deposits already taken. | |
| Reference | Invoice number | Merge field job.generated_job_id | Yes | |
| Reference | Customer PO or work order number | Merge field job.purchase_order_number | ||
| Reference | Job site address | Merge field job.job_address | Separate from the billing address. | |
| Reference | Work completed | Merge field job.work_done_description | ||
| Payment | Due date | Merge field job.invoice_due_date | Yes | Calculated from the client's payment terms. |
| Payment | Payment terms wording | Merge field company.customfield_payment_terms | Prints Prepaid or COD instead of a date if you prefer. | |
| Payment | Bank account details | Static text | Needs EFT turned on as a payment method. | |
| Payment | Pay online link | Merge field {document} | Becomes the online invoice link with Pay Now when ServiceM8 Pay or Stripe is active. |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- In the Online Dashboard go to Settings > Document Templates > Invoice, pick the ServiceM8 design closest to what you want, and download it with the click here link.
- Open it in Microsoft Word (click Enable Editing if asked) and save a copy before changing anything.
- Type TAX INVOICE and your ABN into the header as plain text.
- Insert each field above with Insert > Quick Parts > Field (Windows) or Insert > Field (Mac), category Mail Merge, field name MergeField, and paste the field code as the field name.
- Check the line item row still has the blockStart_jobMaterial bookmark before its first field and blockEnd_jobMaterial after its last, spelled exactly.
- Upload it from Settings > Document Templates > Invoice > Upload Custom Invoice Template. Uploading makes it your current template straight away, so keep the old file.
- Produce an invoice on a test job over $1,000 with one GST free line and one taxable line, and check every ATO row prints.
The ATO checklist, and where each item comes from
The ATO says a tax invoice for a taxable sale under $1,000 must let the reader clearly work out seven things: that the document is intended to be a tax invoice, the seller's identity, the seller's ABN, the date it was issued, a brief description of what was sold including quantity and price, the GST payable, and the extent to which each item is taxable. For sales of $1,000 or more it must also show the buyer's identity or ABN. An invoice that meets the $1,000 rules can be used for smaller sales too, which is the simplest setup for a trade business, so the template below always prints the billing contact.
GST can be shown as a separate amount, or, when GST is exactly one eleventh of the total, by the statement Total price includes GST. The table maps every requirement to the ServiceM8 field that fills it. Where ServiceM8's published field list has no field (your ABN is the usual one), the row says to type it as static text in the template, because it never changes.
When a customer asks for a tax invoice
If a customer asks for a tax invoice you must give them one within 28 days, unless the sale was $82.50 including GST or less. It does not have to be on paper: the ATO accepts a PDF sent by email as long as it contains every required detail. That is exactly what ServiceM8 produces, so the job is only to make sure the template carries the details.
PO number, payment details and the pay now link
Commercial customers pay faster when their own purchase order number is on the invoice. ServiceM8 has a field for it, job.purchase_order_number, and if you use the Xero integration with ServiceM8 job numbers as invoice numbers, the PO number also lands in the Xero Reference field.
Bank details print only when EFT is turned on as a payment method in Settings > Preferences > Invoicing. The pay now option is different: it is not printed text but the {document} merge field, which ServiceM8 turns into a unique link to the online invoice. With ServiceM8 Pay or Stripe active, that online invoice shows a Pay Now button for card payment. ServiceM8 notes you must generate the invoice PDF and email it before the online version exists, and that removing {document} from your email, SMS and invoice templates is how you switch online payment off.
Building it in Word
ServiceM8 invoice templates are Word documents with Mail Merge MergeFields. Start from one of ServiceM8's own designs, because line items only repeat when the table row sits between two bookmarks named exactly blockStart_jobMaterial and blockEnd_jobMaterial. Keep images inline with text, lay everything out in tables, and check the result by producing a real PDF from the Dispatch Board, which ServiceM8 says is the only reliable test.
What this form will not do
- This page maps ATO requirements to fields; it is not tax advice. Businesses not registered for GST should not call the document a tax invoice.
- ServiceM8's published field list does not include your ABN, so it is static text and must be edited by hand if it changes.
- The pay now link works only with ServiceM8 Pay or Stripe active, and only after the invoice PDF has been generated and emailed.
- Word features such as floating images and tab stops can break ServiceM8's PDF output. Keep images inline and use tables.
Sources
- Tax invoices for taxable sales under $1,000 must include enough information to clearly determine 7 details: that the document is intended to be a tax invoice, seller's identity, seller's ABN, date issued, brief description of items including quantity and price, GST amount (shown separately or as 'Total price includes GST' when GST is exactly one eleventh of the total), and the extent to which each sale is taxable. Australian Taxation Office, Tax invoices (last updated 18 September 2026), checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Tax invoices for sales of $1,000 or more must also show the buyer's identity or ABN; invoices meeting the $1,000 requirements can be used for smaller sales. Australian Taxation Office, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- If a customer asks for a tax invoice you must provide one within 28 days, unless the sale is $82.50 (including GST) or less; a tax invoice may be issued digitally, for example as an emailed PDF, if it contains all required information. Australian Taxation Office, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 invoice and quote template fields include job.generated_job_id, job.invoice_date, job.invoice_due_date, job.purchase_order_number, job.billing_contact_first, job.billing_address, job.subtotal_price, job.total_tax_price, job.total_price, job.amount_paid, job.balance_due, vendor.name, and per item jobMaterial.name, jobMaterial.quantity, jobMaterial.tax_rate and jobMaterial.total_price. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Material line rows in a custom ServiceM8 template need bookmarks named blockStart_jobMaterial and blockEnd_jobMaterial on either side of the row; bookmark names are case sensitive. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- With ServiceM8 Pay activated, the {document} merge field becomes a unique link to the online invoice with a Pay Now button; the invoice PDF must be generated and emailed before it can be viewed online, and removing {document} from email, SMS and invoice templates disables online payment. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Banking details only appear on ServiceM8 invoices when EFT is enabled as a payment method in Settings > Preferences > Invoicing. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- If the Xero invoice number is the ServiceM8 job number, the Xero Reference field contains the ServiceM8 PO number; if Xero issues the invoice number, the Reference contains the ServiceM8 job number. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8 sets an invoice due date from the client's payment terms (default in Settings > Preferences > Invoicing > Invoicing Terms, or per client in Billing Details), counted from job completion or the first invoice PDF, whichever came first; the terms can be printed instead with the field company.customfield_payment_terms. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.