PestBossPro Blog — Billing & Payments

Invoicing Termite Inspections and Termite Work

Termite work does not look like the rest of a pest control company's billing. A quarterly plan is a small amount, often. A termite treatment can be a large amount, once, followed by a yearly renewal or inspection. The sizes are different, the risks are different, and the invoice needs to reflect that.

Termite Work Bills Differently

The last few articles covered commercial accounts, ending with One Statement, Every Location: Pest Control Billing for Property Managers. Property managers are often the ones who call about termites at a rental, but homeowners call too, and the billing basics are the same for both.

Termite billing usually has three parts: the inspection, the treatment if one is needed, and ongoing protection such as an annual inspection or renewal. Each is its own service with its own line item, and each should be quoted and approved before it is done.

Billing the Inspection

Some companies charge for termite inspections; others offer them free to win the treatment. Either is a reasonable choice. What matters is that the customer knows in advance which one applies.

• If you charge, put “Termite Inspection” on your service list at a set price, and invoice it at completion like any other visit. A card on file or online payment in the customer app gets it paid the same day.
• If it is free, still record it as a no-charge visit on the account. The inspection, its findings and its photos belong on the record whether or not a treatment follows.

Inspections ordered for a real estate transaction are their own category, with a different payer and a different timeline. Those are covered in WDI Inspection Billing: Getting Paid for Real Estate Inspections.

Quoting and Approving the Treatment

A termite treatment is a big number for a homeowner, so the estimate does a lot of work. PestBossPro estimates come from your service list and can price off property measurements, such as the perimeter linear feet measured from the satellite map. A treatment priced by the linear foot gives a number that is consistent from house to house and easy to explain.

Put each part of the treatment on its own line: the treatment itself, any bait station installation, any repairs or extra work. When the customer approves the estimate online, it becomes a scheduled job, and the invoice uses the same lines and prices.

Deposits on Larger Jobs

For larger termite jobs, many companies take a deposit at approval and the balance at completion. A deposit commits the customer and covers your product cost if they back out after you have scheduled the crew. In PestBossPro, a payment taken up front is recorded as a prepayment on the account and applied when the job is invoiced, so the final invoice shows the full price, the deposit applied and the balance due.

Spell out your deposit and balance terms on the estimate: “Deposit due at approval, balance due at completion.” Whether a deposit is refundable if the customer cancels is your policy to decide and write down.

The Records Behind the Invoice

Termite treatments are the kind of work customers and future buyers ask about years later. Every termite treatment completed in PestBossPro that used a tracked product gets a full chemical application record: date and times, address, the products with active ingredient and EPA reg. no. if entered, rate and total amount used, linear feet treated, target pest, site treated, equipment, technician name and license number. Before and after photos stay with the job. Many states require records of termite treatments, and some require specific forms or notices; check your state's lead agency rules and the product label.

Those records are what make the invoice defensible. If a customer asks what they paid for, the answer is on the account.

Annual Renewals and Inspections

Many termite services come with an annual renewal or inspection after the treatment year. Set it up as a recurring service with the right interval, so it comes due on the Waiting List when it is time. Invoice the renewal at completion, or if the customer prefers, take it as an annual prepayment.

Renewals are easy to lose track of on paper. A customer who was treated three years ago and never got a renewal reminder may assume they are still covered. Recurring service that comes due on its own takes that guesswork out.

Big Jobs, Clear Invoices

Termite work earns the most per job, and it deserves the clearest billing: a set price for inspections, an approved estimate for treatment, a deposit for larger jobs, full application records and renewals that come due on their own. For the rest of PestBossPro's billing tools, visit the pest control invoicing software page.