TradeLinkers
The estimate, the deposit, the week-long fit and the final bill, in one place
TradeLinkers helps kitchen and bathroom fitters send detailed estimates with a deposit percentage, book the strip-out and fit across several days, put the plumber and electrician on the same calendar, and turn the accepted estimate into a VAT invoice. Later payments are recorded against it, with the balance showing on the PDF.
14 days free, no card. Then £9.99 a month. iPhone users can use the web app.
Typical kitchen and bathroom fitter jobs, all in one list
Any job works. These are the ones a kitchen and bathroom fitter books in most weeks.
What changes when a kitchen and bathroom fitter runs the paperwork on TradeLinkers
Detailed estimates, accepted online
Break the job into strip-out, fitting, plumbing, electrics and tiling so the customer sees where the money goes. They accept online by typing their name, and you get an email with the answer.
Deposit first, then the balance
Request a deposit percentage on the estimate. It carries onto the invoice, and every payment after that is recorded with its method, so the PDF shows what's still owed.
The week-long fit, day by day
Book strip-out, first fix, fitting and tiling as separate days with their own start times. When the worktops are delayed, move the remaining days and email the customer the new dates.
Trades on the team calendar
Invite the plumber, electrician or tiler you use by email and assign them their days. Each sees their own My jobs list and the team calendar, and their day rates sit in the contractors directory.
Paperwork the customer keeps
Attach the electrical certificate, appliance manuals and warranty documents to the job. The customer gets an email and can download them from their portal long after you've gone.
VAT invoices without the sums
Mark the business VAT registered, add your VAT number and choose the rate, and it's worked out and printed on every invoice. If you're not registered, no VAT lines appear.
What a kitchen and bathroom fitter's invoice looks like
Each stage of the fit on its own line, the electrician's work shown separately, and VAT added because this fitter is VAT registered. The deposit taken on the estimate carries over, and later payments are recorded against the balance.
Example figures to show the layout, not a price guide. Your own prices, business details, bank details and VAT setting go on the real thing.
| Description | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Strip out existing kitchen and remove waste | 1 | £380.00 |
| Fit base and wall units, worktops, sink and appliances | 1 | £2,400.00 |
| Plumbing alterations: sink, dishwasher and washing machine | 1 | £320.00 |
| Wall tiling (per square metre) | 6 | £330.00 |
| Electrical alterations by registered electrician, certificate supplied | 1 | £480.00 |
Straight answers
Can a customer cancel a kitchen they agreed to at home?
Usually yes, within 14 days. A contract agreed in the customer's home is an off-premises contract, and the Consumer Contracts Regulations give them 14 days to cancel. You shouldn't start work in that time unless they ask you to in writing, for example by email. If they then cancel, they pay a proportionate amount for what you've done; if you didn't give them the cancellation information, they may owe nothing for it.
Save their written request as a PDF and attach it to the job.
Can a kitchen fitter do the electrics and gas?
Only the parts you're qualified for. Any gas work, such as moving or connecting a gas hob, has to be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. In England, a new circuit, a replacement consumer unit and work near a bath or shower are notifiable under Part P and need a registered competent person or building control. Adding to an existing circuit in a kitchen isn't notifiable, but it should still be tested and certificated to BS 7671.
Keep the trades you bring in in the contractors directory and put their certificates on the job.
How do I invoice a kitchen the customer bought themselves?
As fitting and sundries only, and say so on the estimate: units supplied by the customer, installation by you. List what you're not responsible for, such as missing or damaged parts, so a short delivery doesn't become your problem.
Itemise the fitting, plumbing, electrics and tiling as separate lines in TradeLinkers. The customer sees the same breakdown on the estimate they accept and the invoice they pay.
How do I take stage payments on a bathroom refit?
Agree the stages in writing on the estimate, such as a deposit on acceptance, a payment after first fix and the balance on completion. Tie each stage to something the customer can see finished.
In TradeLinkers the deposit is requested from the estimate and carries onto the invoice. Record each later payment against the invoice with its method, and the PDF shows the balance still owed. See taking a deposit.
What TradeLinkers does not do yet
- No CIS deductions, if you work as a subcontractor.
- Kitchens and bathrooms go under Plumbing or Other in the fixed job categories, and your booking form shows the same choices.
- Discounts can only be added from the web portal, not the Android app.
- No card payments built in. Your own pay link can print on the invoice as a QR code.
Tell us what would help: get in touch. The person who reads it builds the app.
Tools and guides
Free quote template
A clean quote or estimate PDF in two minutes.
Job price calculator
Labour, materials, markup and VAT in one sum.
VAT calculator
Add or take off VAT at 20%, 5% or 0%.
Should you take a deposit, and how much?
When to take a deposit, how much to ask for, the 14-day cancellation rules for work agreed in a customer's home, and what to put on the quote.
Quote or estimate: what's the difference?
A quote is a fixed price once accepted, an estimate is your best guess. What to put on each, how long a quote stays valid, and how to handle extra work.
Do tradespeople have to charge VAT?
When UK trades must register for VAT: the £90,000 threshold, voluntary registration, the 20%, 5% and 0% rates, and the construction reverse charge.
Run your kitchen and bathroom fitter paperwork from the van.
14 days free, no card needed. After that it's £9.99 a month for everything, and you can cancel any time.
Android app on Google Play. On an iPhone or a computer, use the web app with the same account.