Emergency and Exit Lighting Testing Invoicing App (2026)
Emergency and exit lighting testing is billed per fixture on monthly and annual cycles, with battery, lamp, and fixture replacements billed as separate line items. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) saves per-fixture test and replacement rates, invoices a whole building in one pass, records failed units as billable repairs, and schedules the next cycle before you leave.
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 small life-safety contractor's workflow — per-fixture billing, recurring monthly and annual cycles, replacement parts as line items, and invoicing on site — not on enterprise facility asset databases or building management platforms.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Life-safety techs: per-fixture rates, recurring cycles, replacements as line items |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic mobile invoicing |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo | Free invoicing with light bookkeeping |
| Kickserv Flex | $19/mo | Budget scheduling with invoicing |
| ServiceTrade | Quote only | Large contractors managing commercial portfolios across branches |
Nobody gets rich testing exit signs. They get paid replacing the batteries, lamps, and fixtures that fail the 90-minute test, in buildings that have to stay compliant regardless of what it costs.
The tech who leaves with a signed replacement quote and the tech who emails a list next week are doing pretty different jobs.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Per-fixture test rates in count bands, replacement parts as line items, monthly and annual recurrence, invoice and card on site.
2. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Basic mobile invoicing.
3. Wave — Free / $16/mo
Free invoicing plus light bookkeeping.
4. Kickserv Flex — $19/mo
Budget scheduling with invoicing.
5. ServiceTrade — quote only
Built for large contractors managing commercial portfolios across multiple branches.
The lines an emergency lighting invoice needs
- Monthly functional test — per fixture, banded by count
- Annual 90-minute discharge test — per fixture, higher rate
- Battery replacement — part plus labor
- Lamp / LED head replacement
- Fixture or exit sign replacement
- Ballast or driver replacement
- Lift or high-ceiling access — surcharge
- After-hours testing — occupied buildings
- Site minimum
Count the fixtures once and bill from the count
A building’s fixture count is basically the price. Establish it on the first visit, put it on every invoice, and annual increases stop being a negotiation about what you did.
The 90-minute test sells itself
The annual discharge test is where batteries actually fail, in a way the customer can see for themselves. Test, photograph the failures, quote the replacements on the spot — approval rates on work someone just watched fail tend to be close to universal.
Frequently asked questions
How is emergency lighting testing priced?
Per fixture, in count bands, with the annual 90-minute test priced above the monthly functional test. Add a site minimum so small buildings still cover the visit.
Where does the money actually come from?
Failed batteries and dead fixtures. Testing is a low-margin volume line; the replacements it uncovers are the profitable part — which is why the failure list has to become a quote the same day.
Should the monthly test be a contract?
Yes, priced annually and billed monthly or quarterly. Recurring compliance work belongs on a contract with a stated scope, not on a per-visit call the customer forgets to place.
Do I need a full asset database?
Not for a local route. You need fixture counts by building, an accurate per-fixture rate, and a record of what was replaced — anything more is built for portfolios of hundreds of properties.