Tradie blog
Practical tips and guides for trade business owners: quoting, invoicing, job management, tax, and running a profitable trade business.
AI tools for small business in Australia: how to tell which are worth it
Most AI tools pitched at Australian small businesses fail one question: what data does it read, and do you already have it? If not, walk away before the trial. For the rest, four more decide if it's worth it: does it do the hard part, can you check its work, where does its output go, what does a year cost?
Read articleWhy tradies forget to invoice (and the 2-minute fix)
Tradies forget to invoice because invoicing has no natural trigger: the job ends, the next one starts, and the paperwork has no moment of its own. The fix is attaching invoicing to a trigger that already exists, sending the invoice before you drive away, backed by a five-minute weekly sweep.
Read articleHow to chase a late invoice in Australia: the complete playbook
To chase a late invoice in Australia, run a fixed reminder schedule: a friendly nudge about a week after the due date, a firm follow-up at two weeks with a new pay-by date, a final notice at three to four weeks, then a letter of demand and small claims as a last resort. Scripts, the schedule and the legal steps are below.
Read articleChatGPT for tradies: 10 prompts that actually save time
ChatGPT is genuinely good at one job for a tradie: writing the words you don't want to write. Quote wording, chase-up emails, review replies, job ads. It cannot see your jobs or your prices, so you type those in each time. Here are ten prompts worth copying.
Read articleTradie tax deductions: what to claim and how to prove it
Tradie tax deductions in Australia cover the work-related share of your tools, vehicle, work clothes and protective gear, phone and internet, and home-office admin time. The catch is the private-use split and your records. Get those right and the rest is straightforward. Your accountant confirms what applies to you.
Read articleAI receptionists for tradies: are they worth it?
An AI receptionist for tradies costs roughly $99 to $500 a month in Australia, sometimes with a setup fee. It is worth it if you can name the jobs you have lost to unanswered calls and that figure clears the annual cost. It is not worth it if the bookings it takes land somewhere you never look.
Read articleThe cheapest job management software for tradies (and the hidden costs)
The cheapest job management software in Australia is the one whose true monthly cost fits your crew, not the lowest headline. For one user, two genuine free tiers exist: ServiceM8's free plan and Chippie's. For a crew, per-user pricing turns a $48 headline into $150-plus a month once seats, GST and SMS credits are counted.
Read articleTradify vs Fergus: which per-user app fits your crew in 2026?
Tradify vs Fergus comes down to depth versus simplicity. Both bill per user with no free tier. Tradify, from $48 per user a month ex GST, is the simpler all-rounder with matching iOS and Android apps. Fergus, from $53 per user, goes deeper on job costing but gates key features behind its $77 Professional tier. Neither can quote or invoice offline.
Read articleHow to work out your charge-out rate (with the real maths)
To calculate a tradie charge-out rate: decide the take-home pay you want, add the real costs of running the business (super, insurance, vehicle, tools), divide by your genuine billable hours (1,400 to 1,800 a year, not 1,976), then add profit and GST. Most tradies skip the billable-hours step and undercharge.
Read articleAI quoting software: what it does, and what it can't do
AI quoting software is good at one half of a quote and bad at the other. It can turn a rough description into clear, professional wording in seconds. It cannot know your rates, your supplier prices or what the site is like, so the number still has to be yours.
Read articleServiceM8 vs Tradify vs the alternatives: an honest 2026 comparison
ServiceM8 vs Tradify comes down to how each one charges. ServiceM8 bills per account based on jobs created each month, from $29 AUD including GST, with unlimited users. Tradify bills per user, $48 to $62 ex GST every month. Solo on an iPhone, check the job caps. Running a crew, do the per-seat maths first.
Read articleHow to quote a job: a tradie's step-by-step guide
To quote a job, a tradie works out their charge-out rate, prices the labour and materials, adds a markup, and sends a written, GST-clear quote. A quote is binding once accepted, so price it for profit, not just to win the work.
Read articleAI for tradies: the honest guide (why you need a foundation first)
AI for tradies works on the records you already keep, so it can only be as useful as those records are organised. If your jobs and quotes live in your head and your texts, no AI tool can help much yet. Get everything into one place first, then add one AI tool where you lose the most time.
Read articleYour first BAS: a tradie's plain-English walkthrough
How to do your first BAS in Australia: the ATO sends you a BAS once you register for GST. You report the GST you collected on your invoices, subtract the GST you paid on purchases, and lodge online by the quarterly due date. It is shorter than it looks.
Read articleThe best job management software in Australia for 2026, ranked by who it suits
ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus, Jobber, AroFlo, simPRO, Ascora and Chippie compared for Australian tradies: July 2026 prices, the catches, and who each suits.
Read articleGot your first ABN? The practical tradie setup checklist
Your first ABN tradie checklist: confirm your sole-trader ABN, register a business name if you are not trading under your own name, decide on GST (only required above $75,000 turnover), open a separate bank account, sort public liability insurance, set aside tax, and get ready to quote and invoice.
Read articleWhat to put on an invoice in Australia (ABN, GST and a worked example)
An Australian tax invoice needs seven details: the words 'Tax invoice', your business name, ABN, issue date, a description with quantity and price, the GST amount, and which lines carry GST. Sales of $1,000 or more also need the buyer's name or ABN. Leave your ABN off a business invoice over $75 and they must withhold 47%.
Read articleQuote vs estimate: which one are you legally bound to?
Quote vs estimate in Australia comes down to one thing: a quote is a fixed price that becomes a legally binding contract once your customer accepts it, so you cannot charge more without an agreed variation. An estimate is an educated guess and is not binding, though the final cost should stay close to it.
Read articleDo I need to register for GST as a tradie?
Do I need to register for GST? Yes, once your GST turnover reaches $75,000 in any rolling 12-month period. You then have 21 days to register from the moment you know you will cross the line. Under $75,000 it is optional. Turnover means the total you invoice, not what you keep after costs.
Read articleIntroducing Chippie: job management for tradies, built by a Newcastle family
Chippie is a job management app for tradies that handles quotes, jobs, invoices and payments from your phone. It was built in Newcastle by a father and two sons, two of them carpenters, after they couldn't find software that was simple, mobile-first and affordable at once. It starts free, with 20 jobs a month included.
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