Invoicing for tradespeople: electricians, plumbers, painters and builders

The real problems of invoicing on site

For a tradesperson, invoicing always comes after the real work, and that is where time—and sometimes money—is lost. The reasons are almost always the same, whether you are an electrician, plumber, painter or building contractor.

The incorrect QR invoice the bank rejects

Since 2022, QR invoices have replaced the old payment slips. Just one misplaced digit in the payment section—a missing QR-IBAN or an amount that does not add up—can cause the client's banking app to reject it. The result: payment slips by weeks and you have to redo the document. Proper software must generate a QR invoice compliant with the SIX standard and validate it before printing the PDF, not afterwards.

Materials, hours and VAT that do not add up

A tradesperson's invoice combines purchased materials and labour hours, sometimes with different VAT rates on the same document. If you calculate everything manually in a spreadsheet, sooner or later a rounding error appears and the client notices. You need the correct AFC rates—currently 8.1%, 2.6% and 3.8%—calculated by the software, not by you at the end of the day.

Working offline where there is no signal

In a basement, on a mountain building site or in a building under construction, a connection is often unavailable. A subscription cloud service stops working as soon as the network drops. For people who often work away from the office, preparing and printing an invoice without Internet is not a minor detail: it is the difference between finishing the job and putting it off.

The monthly fee that never ends

Many business applications for tradespeople charge every month, even in months when you issue only three invoices. For a sole trader or small team, that fee adds up over the years to more than the software itself. And when you stop paying, you often lose access to your documents too.

What Vidima does for tradespeople

Vidima is a Swiss suite that runs on your computer: create invoices, manage VAT and, if you wish, keep the accounts too, all in the same app for Windows and macOS. It is robust and straightforward, built for people who want to finish an invoice in a few minutes and get back to work.

• QR invoice (QR-Bill v2.3) compliant with the SIX SPC 0200 standard and validated before every PDF: the client's bank accepts it first time. You can try it now with the QR invoice generator.
• AFC VAT at multiple rates, using the effective or flat-rate method, calculated correctly when the same document includes materials and labour.
• Credit notes and payment reminders for clients who are late paying, plus bank statement import in camt.053 (ISO 20022) to reconcile payments without ticking them off by hand.
• Double-entry bookkeeping as an option (journal, balance sheet under CO art. 959a and income statement): useful when your accountant asks for organised accounts.
• Verifiable cryptographic seal (ECDSA P-256): each invoice carries a signature that anyone can check at verify.vidima.ch.
• Invoices in 5 languages (IT/DE/FR/ES/EN): useful when working for clients in another language region or for a German-speaking site manager.

Everything works offline by default: no mandatory account and no tracking. Customer and invoice data stays on your device. If you need several devices, sync is optional and end-to-end encrypted (Pro/Studio)—even we cannot read your data. On site or at home, the app works the same way.

The right invoice, made in five minutes and accepted by the bank first time—with your data staying on your computer.

For electricians, plumbers, painters and builders

Every trade has its own particulars, but the basics of invoicing stay the same. Here is how Vidima fits real work.

Electricians and plumbers

Quick jobs, emergency callouts and different materials for every visit. Vidima lets you save recurring items and build invoices combining materials and hours, with a QR invoice ready to hand over even on site. For small repairs, speed matters more than any advanced feature.

Painters and fitters

Work is often invoiced by square metre or at a fixed price, based on a quote agreed in advance. Vidima lets you turn line items into an organised invoice and a professional PDF, with consistent numbering throughout the year.

Building and construction companies

Building sites involve progress billing and advance payments. You can issue several partial invoices, manage credit notes and reconcile payments by importing the bank statement in camt.053. If you have a team or several locations, the Pro and Studio editions activate the licence on 3 or 10 devices.

Pricing and trial

Vidima is purchased once, without a subscription. Choose the edition that suits your team:

Version v1.x updates are included forever, with no recurring fee. You can try Vidima for 30 days free, with no credit card, and issue real invoices for your work. There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee if it is not right for you.

Frequently asked questions