For plumbers

The paperwork, done between call-outs.

Plumbing doesn't run to a tidy schedule. A no-hot-water call lands at 7am, the basement is wet by ten, and yesterday's water heater quote is still in your head. Quote from the truck, send an arrival window, invoice from the driveway.

Illustration of a water heater with copper pipe runs, a shut-off valve and a pipe wrench

Three jobs, one afternoon

The mix is what makes plumbing awkward to schedule. Emergencies do not book themselves in politely around your installs.

7:40am · emergency

No hot water, tenant on site

Slot it in front of today's work, send an arrival window so the tenant is not waiting all morning, and tap On my way when you leave the yard.

11:15am · quoted work

Water heater replacement

Build the quote on the tailgate with the tank, the expansion tank, disposal and labour as separate lines. Send it before you drive off, while they are still standing next to the old one.

2:30pm · service call

Kitchen drain backing up

Photos of what came out of the line go on the job. The invoice goes out from the van with card and e-Transfer on it, and chases itself if it is not paid.

A quote they can say yes to on the spot

Itemise it the way you would explain it standing in the basement — the tank, the bits, the labour, what it costs to take the old one away. Nothing hidden in a single lump sum, which is what makes people go and get two more quotes.

Sales tax is set from your province, so the HST line is right without you working it out. Send it by text or email and it lands while you are still there.

Riverside Plumbing Oakville, ON

QUOTE #1042
Valid 7 days

For D. Whitfield — 88 Lakeshore Rd E, OakvilleSentViewedAccepted

Emergency call-out, after hours	$149.00
Supply & install 50-gal power-vent water heater	$1,895.00
Expansion tank and thermal loop	$185.00
Haul away & dispose of old tank	$75.00
Labour — 3.5 hrs @ $120/hr	$420.00
Subtotal	$2,724.00
HST (13%)	$354.12
Total	$3,078.12

Pay by cardInterac e-Transfer Both offered on the invoice

An illustration of a TradePilot quote, not a real customer. Ontario HST shown at 13% — TradePilot applies the rate for the province you set.

TradePilot on a phone, sending an on-my-way message with an arrival window to a customer

“Where are you?” — answered before they ask

Nobody sits in more waiting-around resentment than someone whose water is off. An arrival window when you book the job, then an on-my-way message when you actually leave, removes most of the phone calls you would otherwise take with your hands full.

It also does something quieter: it makes a one-van shop look organised. That is often what wins the water heater job against the outfit who said “sometime Thursday”.

Built for how Canadian plumbing shops actually get paid

Plumbing in Ontario is a compulsory trade — you hold a 306A Certificate of Qualification, you renew it annually, and any homeowner can look you up on the Skilled Trades Ontario public register. You have already done the hard part of being legitimate. Your paperwork should not undercut it by going out as a photo of a handwritten docket.

HST applied from your province

Interac e-Transfer on every invoice

Card payments through Stripe

Automatic payment reminders

Before and after photos on the job

Customer history, so repeat calls have context

Your whole crew at one price

Public page for quote requests

Works on the phone in a crawlspace

Questions plumbers ask

Can I charge a different rate for after-hours call-outs?

Yes — a call-out is just another line on the quote or invoice, so you set whatever your after-hours rate is. Nothing forces you into a fixed price book.

Does it work out the HST for me?

Yes. Tell TradePilot your province once and every invoice applies the right sales tax. No spreadsheet, no mental arithmetic in a basement.

Can customers pay by e-Transfer?

Yes, and a lot of them prefer to. Your e-Transfer details sit on the invoice next to a Pay by card button, and you choose which to offer on each one.

I have one apprentice. Does that cost extra?

No. The price is the same whether it is you, you and an apprentice, or a crew of ten. That is the whole idea.

Can I take photos of the work?

Yes — photos attach to the job, which is useful for showing a landlord what came out of the drain, or for the callback three months later where memory is doing the arguing.

I am not very good with computers.

If you can send a text, you can run this. It is built for a phone with one hand, not a desk. Most owners book their first job within minutes, and a real person answers at support@gettradepilot.net if you get stuck.

Try it on tomorrow's call-out.

30 days free. No card, no setup call, no sales pitch.

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