Tool and Plant Hire Cost Tracker

Who this is for

What you hired, for how long and what it came to. Each line takes the item, the hire company, the day it went out and the day it came back, and works out the days on hire and the cost at the rate you were quoted, plus delivery, fuel or damage.

Builders, groundworkers and small contractors hiring plant and tools by the day, and anyone recharging hire to a job who needs the figure to be right.

What this helps you track

• Every item on hire, and who it is hired from
• The day it went out and the day it came back
• How many days that is, counted for you
• The hire cost at your own rate, plus transport, fuel and damage charges
• What hire has cost on a job or over a period, and what has been recharged

How to use it

1. Write your business, the job or site and the currency at the top.
2. Add a line per item as it goes on hire, with the hire company and their contract or docket number in the notes.
3. Enter the date out. Leave the date back blank until it is actually returned — an open line is the point of the sheet.
4. Put the daily rate you were quoted in the rate column. Every rate on this sheet is one you were given, not one we supply.
5. Add delivery, collection, fuel or damage charges in the extras column.
6. The days on hire and the cost are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, count the days, multiply and add the extras. Tick recharged once it has gone onto a customer invoice.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How are the days counted?

From the date out to the date back, as a straight count of days. Hire companies charge by their own rules — part days, weekend rates, minimum periods — so check the figure against the invoice and note any difference.

What if something is still on hire?

Leave the date back blank. The days and the cost for that line stay empty until you fill it in, which makes the open lines easy to spot when you are wondering what is still out.

Where do damage and cleaning charges go?

In the extras column, with a word in the notes. They are part of what the hire cost and belong on the same line as the item.

Can I use it to recharge hire to a customer?

Yes. The cost column is what the hire came to; what you charge the customer for it is your decision and belongs on the invoice. Tick recharged so nothing is billed twice or forgotten.

Does it cover tools I own?

No — this is for items hired in. An asset or tool inventory is the place for what you own, and a hire fleet inventory for what you hire out to others.