By Jeff Burt, founder of Invoice Goat.
Not in California? The permit line and the model and serial in the notes still belong on your invoice. The Texas license notice and EPA's refrigerant rules are in our HVAC invoice software guide.
Start-Up Day: What You Can Bill
Don't hold the invoice for the rater. Send today's bill before you pull out of the driveway: as of September 2026, 31% of Invoice Goat invoices are paid in under 24 hours.
The permit you already paid for goes on today's bill too. The California Energy Commission (CEC) says installing a space-conditioning appliance “requires a building permit,” and the example passes the $212 fee through at cost.
The maker above shows the finished invoice. Delete the rater line and you have the start-up day version: $7,525.50 total, less the $700 deposit, $6,825.50 due. That $700 sits under California's down payment cap of $1,000 or 10% of the contract, whichever is less. The contractor guide shows how to credit a deposit on the invoice.
California lists air conditioning units as fixtures and taxes the unit at the price your contract states (or at your cost, if it states none). So only the system line carries the 7.25% here: $333.50, plus any district tax where the job is. The line set and fittings are materials, taxed when you bought them, and the install labor isn't taxed (that's our reading of the rule, not tax advice).
Your CSLB license number, the permit number, and the model and serial of the condenser and coil go in the notes, the way the example has them.
Rater Day: The Job Isn't Done Until the Test Passes
On a permit applied for on or after January 1, 2026, the 2025 Energy Code applies. Testing by a third-party ECC-Rater is “prescriptively required for most HVAC additions and alterations.” The ECC program replaced HERS for that testing. Raters can keep “HERS” in their business names, though, so don't be surprised when the one you call still uses it.
Which tests you need comes down to your climate zone and the compliance certificate for the permit. Copy them from the certificate onto your rater line.
California's home improvement law says you can't ask for more than the work done and materials delivered, and on start-up day the rater hasn't been out yet. Once the test passes, add the $250 line. In Invoice Goat you edit the same invoice and send it again. With the free maker, you make a second PDF.
On a change-out, the CEC lets you register the certificates later, as long as it's before the permit closes, and the completed paperwork stays in the home. Put both in your notes (registered, and copies left with the homeowner), the way the example does.
Some homeowners bring their own rater. The CEC's HERS program page says “a homeowner has the right to find and hire a rater who is independent of the contractor.” If your customer does, the rater line never goes on your invoice.
Keep the Certificates With the Invoice
“Start a Free Invoice in Invoice Goat” carries this invoice into Invoice Goat with its lines, deposit and notes. There you can attach the rater's certificate and a photo of the condenser's data plate, and your customer sees them right on the online invoice.
The quote maker prices the next change-out before you start, and the contractor invoice template shows how a change order looks on an invoice.
Questions
How do I make an HVAC invoice?
Put the equipment on its own line, then the materials, the labor, the permit and any third-party test, each with its price. Mark which lines get sales tax, take off the deposit and show the balance due. Your license number and the new equipment's model and serial go in the notes.
Who arranges the HERS test on an AC replacement?
The California Energy Commission says many contractors have HERS raters they work with, that a homeowner can hire an independent rater instead, and that rater fees vary. Get your rater's price before you quote the change-out.
Can I still install an R-410A system now?
Yes, when every specified component was made or imported before January 1, 2025. EPA's rule allowing it took effect on July 27, 2026, and covers new home AC or heat pump systems on a refrigerant with a GWP of 700 or more. EPA says a tech confirms the age by reading the condensing unit's label, so copy the model and serial from that label into your invoice notes.
Can my customer claim the federal tax credit on a 2026 install?
No. The IRS says the 25C credit “will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025.” A system placed in service in 2025 can still be claimed for 2025.