Managing Invoices

Invoices help you get paid and keep track of your money. This guide shows you how to create, send, and track invoices.

What You Can Do

The Invoices page lets you:

• Create and manage invoices from start to finish
• Generate professional PDFs and send them by email
• Track payments, including partial payments
• Apply discounts and calculate taxes
• See the status of each invoice (Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue)
• Handle refunds and credit notes

Creating an Invoice

The Basics

1. Go to Invoices in the sidebar
2. Click Create Invoice
3. Fill in the details:
   • Client (required) - Pick from your client list
   • Invoice Number (we'll create one for you, or you can use your own)
   • Issue Date (today's date, or change it if you need to)
   • Due Date (when you want to be paid)
   • Status (starts as Draft)
4. Add what you're billing for:
   • Click Add Line Item
   • Enter a Description of what you're charging for
   • Enter the Quantity
   • Enter the Rate (price per item)
   • The total for that line calculates automatically
5. Set the totals:
   • Subtotal (adds up all your line items)
   • Discount (optional - a fixed amount or percentage off)
   • Tax Rate (what percentage to charge)
   • Tax Amount (calculated for you)
   • Total (the final amount, calculated automatically)
6. Add anything else:
   • Notes (these show up on the invoice)
   • Terms (your payment terms and conditions)
7. Click Save

Invoice Numbering

Invoice numbers are auto-generated by default:

• Format: INV-00001, INV-00002, etc.
• Sequential and unique per tenant
• Can be customized if needed

Line Items

Each invoice can have multiple line items:

• Description: What you're billing for
• Quantity: Number of units
• Rate: Price per unit
• Line Total: Quantity × Rate

Line items can represent:

• Products from your catalog
• Services (hourly or fixed)
• Custom items

Invoice Statuses

Draft

• You're still working on it
• Haven't sent it yet
• You can change anything
• Shows "DRAFT" on the PDF

Sent

• You've sent it to the client
• Waiting for payment
• You can still edit it if you need to
• Automatically becomes "Overdue" after the due date passes

Paid

• You've received full payment
• All done!
• You can still create credit notes if needed

Overdue

• The due date has passed
• You can send reminders
• Shows up as an alert on your Dashboard

Sending Invoices

Sending by Email

1. Open the invoice
2. Click Send Invoice
3. Enter the email address (we'll use the client's email if you have it)
4. Change the subject and message if you want
5. The PDF attaches automatically
6. Click Send

The invoice status changes to "Sent" automatically.

Downloading a PDF

1. Open any invoice
2. Click Download PDF
3. You'll get a professional PDF with:
   • Your company branding
   • Client information
   • A table of everything you're charging for
   • Totals and tax breakdown
   • Your notes and terms
   • A "DRAFT" watermark if it's still a draft

Recording Payments

Full Payment

1. Open the invoice
2. Click Mark as Paid
3. Enter when you received the payment
4. Confirm

Partial Payments

Sometimes clients pay in installments. Here's how to record that:

1. Open the invoice
2. Click Record Partial Payment
3. Enter:
   • Amount they paid
   • Payment Method (optional - like "Credit Card" or "Check")
   • Notes (optional - any notes about the payment)
4. Click Record Payment

The invoice stays as "Sent" until it's fully paid. Once all the payments add up to the total, it automatically changes to "Paid".

Viewing Payment History

1. Open an invoice
2. View the Payments section
3. See all partial payments with dates and amounts
4. View remaining balance

Discounts

Applying Discounts

1. Open an invoice (Draft or Sent)
2. Click Apply Discount
3. Choose discount type:
   • Fixed Amount: Deduct a specific dollar amount
   • Percentage: Deduct a percentage of subtotal
4. Enter discount value
5. Save

Discounts are applied before tax calculation.

Credit Notes & Refunds

Creating Credit Notes

Credit notes are used for:

• Customer overpayments
• Service cancellations
• Adjustments and corrections

1. Open the invoice
2. Click Create Credit Note
3. Enter:
   • Amount (cannot exceed invoice total)
   • Reason (optional)
4. Click Create

Credit notes have their own numbering (CN-00001, etc.).

Recording Refunds

1. Open a credit note
2. Click Record Refund
3. Enter:
   • Amount to refund
   • Refund Method (Bank Transfer, Credit Card, etc.)
4. Click Record

Invoice Reminders

Automated Reminders

The system can send automated payment reminders for each invoice. You configure reminders individually for each invoice:

• Set days before due date (e.g., 7, 3, 1 days before)
• Set days after due date (e.g., 1, 7, 14, 30 days after)

To configure reminders:

1. Open the invoice
2. Scroll to the Payment Reminders section
3. Click Configure to set up automatic reminders
4. Set the days before and after due date when reminders should be sent
5. Save the schedule

Note: Global default reminder settings are not yet available. Each invoice must be configured individually.

Manual Reminders

1. Open an invoice
2. Scroll to the Payment Reminders section
3. Click Send Now to send an immediate reminder
4. The reminder is sent to the client's email address

Invoice Reports

View invoice analytics in Reports → Revenue Analytics:

• Revenue by month
• Revenue by client
• Revenue by product
• Outstanding invoices
• Payment trends

Bulk Actions

Select multiple invoices to:

• Export to CSV
• Send in bulk
• Update status
• Apply tags

Tips for Success

• Send them quickly - Send invoices right after you finish the work
• Be clear - Use detailed descriptions so clients know what they're paying for
• Set reasonable due dates - Give clients enough time to pay
• Stay on top of it - Check for overdue invoices and send reminders
• Record everything - Track all payments, even partial ones
• Use notes - Write down any special arrangements or agreements

Invoice Templates

Right now, all invoices use a professional template that includes:

• Clean, professional formatting
• Your company and client information
• A clear list of everything you're charging for
• Easy-to-read totals and tax breakdown
• Your payment terms and any notes

Next Steps

• Generate Quotes for potential clients
• Track Payments and manage cash flow
• View Reports for financial insights
• Set Up Integrations for automated workflows