A painter often works for many different clients, from a family with a bedroom to a company with an office building. Almost always it starts with a quote, and that takes a lot of time: what does preparation cost, what does interior work cost, how much paint is needed.
Quotes and invoices for painters, without loose spreadsheets
Painters
Your prices sit in a list of your own, the quote is quickly made and once agreed it becomes the invoice. Hours and paint costs simply join in.
Start free, no credit card.
SmartWerk is strongest here when the quote is central. You put your regular work in a list once, build the quote from those lines and use the same lines again on the invoice. If you have few long projects, you do not need contracts or projects.
Where it goes wrong in practice
Calculating every quote from scratch
You work out the same things again and again: preparation, primer, finishing coats. Without a fixed list you spend every evening on it.
Private clients and companies
One client is a family, another an office. Both must get a neat quote and invoice with the right details.
Paint and materials vanish in the van
Hardware-store receipts wander around your van. At year end you no longer know what you spent where.
Quote and invoice do not match
If you retype the quote into an invoice, lines or amounts may differ.
How a job moves through SmartWerk
Every step is an existing SmartWerk feature; click through for the details.
Create the client
A private person or a company; for a company add the company and VAT number.
Work from your list
Preparation, interior painting, exterior work: recorded once with price and VAT.
Make the quote
Pick lines from your list, optionally give a discount and set a validity date.
Note hours
Optional: record hours if you work by the hour or want to show extra work.
Track paint costs
Paint, tape and tools with VAT and receipt.
Send the invoice
Turn the accepted quote into an invoice; the lines come along.
The tools that matter most here
Why this fits SmartWerk
01
Your price list works for you
Work recorded once makes a quote a matter of picking lines instead of calculating everything. The lines simply come back on the invoice.
02
Quote first, the rest only if you need it
A painter with short jobs needs no project or contract. Those features are there for bigger work, but you can simply ignore them.
03
Private and business
A client can be a private person or a company, with matching fields.
Frequently asked questions
Can I email a quote?
Yes. You can email the quote or download it as a PDF.
Can I save my regular work?
Yes. With Products & services you record work with price and VAT once and use it on quotes and invoices.
Do I need a contract per job?
No. Contracts are optional. For short jobs a quote is enough.
Can I pass on material costs?
Yes, you can put an expense on an invoice.
SmartWerk is invoicing and administration software for self-employed people, not a full accounting package and not a replacement for your bookkeeper or adviser.
Try it with your own clients
Create a free account and start with one client. Upgrading can wait until you really need a feature.