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Towing Receipt Template

A towing receipt records a completed tow: the vehicle, where it was picked up and dropped, the mileage, the hook-up fee and per mile rate, plus any winching, storage or after-hours charge. Vehicle owners need it because most motor policies reimburse towing, and the insurer will not pay from a total alone. You can make one free below.

Towing is billed in parts, and each part is a separate decision someone can question. That is why an itemised receipt settles claims faster than any amount of explaining afterwards.

What goes on a towing receipt

  • Towing company name, address, phone and licence or motor carrier number
  • Driver or operator name, and truck number
  • Customer name, and the insurer or motor club if they are paying
  • Vehicle year, make, model, colour, plate and VIN
  • Date and time of the call, arrival time and completion time
  • Pickup location and drop-off location, written as addresses
  • Loaded mileage between the two
  • Hook-up or base fee
  • Per mile rate and the mileage charge
  • Extras on their own lines: winching, dollies, flatbed, second operator, after-hours or holiday rate, waiting time
  • Storage, with the daily rate and the number of days
  • Gate or release fee if the vehicle was held
  • Tax, total, payment method, and who paid
  • Vehicle condition noted at pickup, and the release signature

A night call out

Call received 23:40, arrived 00:12. 2016 Ford Focus, plate MRD 4471, recovered from the eastbound shoulder of Route 9 to Halden Auto, 14.2 loaded miles. Hook-up $95.00. Mileage 14.2 at $4.25, $60.35. Winch out of the ditch, 20 minutes, $85.00. After-hours surcharge $45.00. Subtotal $285.35, tax at 6 percent $17.12, total $302.47. Billed to the motor club, claim reference RC-882104.

Of every line on a towing bill, the split between winching and the tow itself causes the most trouble. Many policies cover a straight tow but treat recovery as separate, and a lumped total gets the whole claim held.

Receipt or invoice for a tow

If the driver pays at the roadside, you hand over a receipt. If the bill goes to an insurer, a motor club or a property owner, you raise a towing invoice first and issue the receipt when it settles. Storage complicates this, because the charge keeps running until the vehicle is collected, so the receipt should state the exact days charged and the date the vehicle was released rather than a rolling figure.

Bill out a tow

Hook up, mileage, winching and storage each get their own line in the receipt generator. Download the PDF and send it to whoever is paying.

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Frequently asked questions

What should a towing receipt include for an insurance claim?

The vehicle with its VIN and plate, both locations, loaded mileage, the hook-up fee and per mile rate shown separately, and any winching or after-hours charge on its own line. Insurers routinely treat recovery and towing as different things.

Is winching charged separately from towing?

Usually yes. Winching or recovery is the work of getting a vehicle to a point where it can be towed, and it is normally billed by time or as a flat recovery fee on top of the tow.

How should storage be shown on the receipt?

State the daily rate, the number of days charged, and the date the vehicle was released. A single storage total with no dates behind it is the most commonly disputed line on a towing bill.