Alterations and Tailoring Shop Invoicing App (2026)
Alterations is a high-volume, low-ticket trade: dozens of garments in the shop at once, each with its own price, fitting date, and pickup. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) saves your standard alteration prices as a catalog, builds a ticket per customer with each garment itemized, takes a deposit on bridal and formal work, and bills the balance at pickup.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the solo tailor's real workflow — saved per-alteration pricing, a ticket per garment, deposits on bridal and formal work, and fast balance collection at pickup — not on garment production, pattern making, or retail apparel inventory.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Solo tailors: saved alteration prices, per-garment tickets, bridal deposits, fast pickup billing |
| Square | Free + 2.6% + 10¢ | Counter card payments and quick receipts |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic invoicing |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo | Free invoicing with light bookkeeping |
| Acuity Scheduling | $20/mo+ | Booking fitting appointments online |
Fifty small jobs, not five big ones
Alterations breaks the usual small-business shape. The average ticket is small and the count is enormous, which means the whole trade is really a tracking problem wearing a pricing problem’s clothes.
The shop that knows what’s on every hanger and what it’s owed for gets paid. The one that doesn’t loses a garment on a Friday.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Saved per-operation price list, a ticket per customer with each garment itemized, deposits on bridal and formal, balance taken at pickup.
2. Square — free + processing
Fast at the counter, no garment ticketing.
3. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Basic invoicing, one document at a time.
4. Wave — Free / $16/mo
Free invoices plus light bookkeeping.
5. Acuity Scheduling — $20/mo+
Good for booking fittings; the money side stays thin.
Price the operation, not the garment
- Hem — by garment type and finish
- Taper / take in — sides, waist, sleeves
- Zipper replacement — by length and type
- Sleeve shortening — plain or with buttonholes
- Bridal — bustle, cups, multiple fittings, quoted as a package
A saved price list is also how you raise prices. One update, everything reprices, no per-customer negotiation.
Bridal is a different business inside the same shop
Multiple fittings, weeks of calendar, and an irreplaceable garment. Take 50% up front, schedule the fittings at the order, and quote it as a package — the alteration prices that work for a pair of trousers just don’t describe this job at all.
Frequently asked questions
Should I take a deposit on alterations?
On bridal, formal, and anything over a few hundred dollars, yes — usually 50%. Routine hems can be paid at pickup, but a wedding dress represents weeks of your calendar and a garment you cannot resell.
How should I price alterations?
A saved price list per operation — hem, taper, take in, sleeve shorten, zipper — rather than quoting each garment fresh. A price list is faster at the counter, consistent between customers, and much easier to raise across the board.
How do I keep track of dozens of garments at once?
A ticket per customer with each garment itemized, a ready-by date, and a tag on the garment matching the ticket number. The trade's real risk isn't underpricing, it's a dress that can't be found on the Friday it's needed.
What about garments nobody collects?
Print a pickup-by date and an abandonment policy on the ticket. Every alterations shop accumulates a rack of uncollected work, and terms on the ticket are what let you clear it without a difficult conversation.