Call-out charges, travel time, and parking costs on the work order: here's how to charge them correctly.

Anyone working in construction or installation technology knows that “being on location” rarely revolves solely around the work itself. You drive, you look for a place to park, you sometimes get stuck in traffic, and you pick up materials along the way. If you don't record this properly on the work order, it will cause problems: with your margin, your planning, and later during invoice verification.

The good news: call-out charges, travel time, and parking costs can be charged without any issues, as long as you agree on them in advance and clearly itemize them on the work order.

What belongs on the work order (and why exactly there)?

The work order is more than just a memory aid. It serves as the substantiation for your invoice and, at the same time, an internal control tool. If you keep travel expenses and time only “in your head” or in separate text messages, you build up a record that cannot be verified later.

A neat work order contains at least:

• the assignment or project name
• date and performer(s)
• hours worked (labor)
• used materials
• additional costs (including travel and parking costs), as separate lines

One extra line can make the difference between “correct, we’ll pay” and “why is this suddenly included?”.

Call-out charges: choose one model and stick to it

Travel costs are essentially compensation for the fact that you come to the customer with a vehicle, tools, and time. In practice, they are based on distance, time, or a fixed zone. There is no legally mandated rate, so your choice is primarily a matter of what suits your type of work, region, and customers.

Below you will find the most commonly used models, with indicative rates based on practical experience (excl. VAT).

An important choice: will you charge for distance or time, or both? In many situations, double charging is difficult to justify (kilometers and travel time plus a flat rate for call-out charges). Choose one main method and keep parking or tolls separate if necessary.

A calculation example helps with your communication. Suppose you charge €0,35 per km and drive 28 km one way. If you charge for the return trip, that is 56 km × €0,35 = €19,60 (excl. VAT). Put this on the work order as a single line with the date and route, so it is verifiable for the customer.

Travel time on the work order: record separately, otherwise things will go wrong.

Travel time feels like “not working” to many clients, but for you, it is definitely time you cannot spend elsewhere. That is why it is smart to always record travel time as a separate category, distinct from working hours. This prevents you from having to guess later how much time was spent traveling.

The rate is an agreement. Many companies charge 70% of the standard hourly rate for travel time, while others charge 100% (the argument: an hour is an hour, even when you are behind the wheel). Whatever you choose, make it predictable and repeatable.

Set out the ground rules in your quotation, order confirmation, or fixed price agreements, and let the work order serve as proof.

After a brief explanation, you can work internally with a few standing agreements:

• Starting point: from the workshop, from home, or from the previous job?
• Endpoint: until arrival at the location, or including loading/unloading?
• Wrapping up: every 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes?
• Price: 70% of the hourly rate or 100%, and does that also apply to the return journey?
• Multiple stops: Does fetching materials count as travel time or working time?

If you don't record this, noise arises. For one person, “just popping to the wholesaler” is part of the job, for another it is travel time, and on the invoice it quickly looks arbitrary.

Parking costs: small amount, often a big discussion

Parking costs are usually best passed on based on actual costs, as a separate item on the work order. This is transparent and avoids having to defend a general markup that sometimes turns out too high and sometimes too low.

Keep the proof. The customer does not always need to receive the receipt, but you will want to be able to find it in your records if questions arise or if your accounting department requires it. A photo with the work order is often sufficient.

What do you put on the work order so that it stays clear?

• Parking costs (date and location)
• Parking garage or zone code
• Amount
• Any reference (receipt number or license plate)

Also pay attention to the tone. “Parking costs city center” sounds more businesslike and neutral than “parking hassle”.

VAT and administration: how to keep it tidy and verifiable

In most cases, call-out charges, travel time, and parking costs simply fall under your normal VAT regime for services (often 21%). This means: you charge VAT on these items and list them on the invoice just as you list hours and materials.

Two practical points to consider:

1. Transparency in advanceAdditional costs must be clearly stated. Simply stating “it is stated in the general terms and conditions” is often insufficient in practice if the customer is surprised. It is better to state it explicitly in the quotation or order confirmation, and repeat it on the work order.
2. Unambiguous descriptionsUse fixed terminology. If it is called "call-out charges" one time and "bus travel expenses" the next, comparing becomes difficult, even for yourself.

Business clients often want a breakdown by project or work order. Private individuals primarily want to understand what they are paying. Both groups benefit from the same approach: clear rules, concise descriptions, and no surprises.

Practical setup in a digital work order

Paper works, until it doesn't. Especially with multiple employees, multiple trips per day, or many small service jobs, there is a high risk that mileage, travel time, or receipts get lost along the way.

With a digital work order can you streamline the process: hours separate, travel hours separate, miles per trip and costs as a separate line, preferably with a photo or note. Werkbriefje.app This is an example: you record hours (incl. travel time) per assignment, kilometers using automatic distance calculation via Google Maps, and extra costs as separate items. Everything ends up in a dashboard so you can check before invoicing.

That helps especially with these kinds of “grey posts,” because you shift the discussion from opinion to registration.

A workable layout often looks like this:

1. Make a standard agreement per client or job: flat rate, mileage, or travel time.
2. Focus in your time registration include a separate category for “travel hours”.
3. Have employees record trips per job (start, end, km).
4. Have parking costs entered as an expense line with a photo of the receipt.
5. Check and approve the work order before setting it to “ready for invoicing”.

When you are small, this might feel like extra steps. In practice, however, it actually saves time, because you no longer have to reconstruct afterwards what was driven and why.

Common mistakes that cost money (or cost customers)

Most disagreements do not arise from high costs, but from unclear costs. These are mistakes that recur frequently:

Double counting
Kilometers, travel time, and a fixed call-out charge item on the same work order. If you do this anyway, you must have a reason for an exception that you explain immediately (for example, an urgent trip with heavy equipment); otherwise, it comes across as stacking.

Invisible agreements
You mentioned it at one point, but it isn't stated specifically anywhere. Then the work order is suddenly the first time the customer sees “call-out charges,” and that is late.

No start-stop definitions for travel time
Did the mechanic start at the workshop, at home, or at the previous customer's? Two people can mean the same thing and yet record different hours.

Hiding parking in a general post
A generic “expenses” line without specification triggers questions. One clear “Parking costs” line with date and amount is accepted more quickly.

Curves that cannot be explained
Rounding up is always allowed, as long as you agree on it beforehand and apply it consistently. If one bill is billed in 5-minute increments and the other in 15-minute increments, mistrust arises.

Those who manage this efficiently usually notice something simple: fewer corrections afterwards, faster invoicing, and conversations with clients that focus on the work rather than the drive there. Work orders are then no longer a mandatory piece of paper, but a tool to bring order to your administration.