Tutorials / Basics
Basics . 5 min read
Create and send an invoice
Invoices live with the contact, so what somebody owes sits next to what they said and what you promised. You can send one by email, by text, or both, and they can pay from the link.
Create it
- Go to Payments.
- Open Invoices & Estimates, then All Invoices.
- Click + New, then New Invoice.
- Choose the customer, and check the dates and your business details.
- In Add Products, click Add Product and pick an item. If it does not exist yet, choose + Create Product and add it as you go. Adjust price or quantity on the line.
- Apply anything else it needs: discount, tax, or a payment schedule that splits it into instalments with due dates.
The preview trap, read this before you send anything. The preview panel on the right of the editor is a layout reference only. It can show placeholder sample data that is not your customer's information. It is not what they receive. To see the real thing: click Save, then the three dots next to Save, then Preview, which opens the actual customer-facing invoice in a new tab. Check that one, every time, before sending.
Send it
- Back in the editor, click Send.
- Check the invoice name, which the customer sees.
- Choose delivery: Email & Text, Email, or Text.
- Check the recipient and the message that goes with it.
- If a test or live mode option is shown, make sure it says live before you confirm.
- Send.
Email and text together gets paid fastest. The email carries the detail your customer needs for their records, the text is what actually gets opened. Sending one without the other is the main reason an invoice sits for a fortnight.
Options worth knowing about
- Payment schedule: split into instalments by percentage or fixed amount, each with its own due date. Useful for deposit, progress, completion.
- Terms and conditions: added to the invoice itself, so what they agreed is attached to what they are paying.
- Late fees and processing fees: available, but they usually need switching on in the payment settings before they can be used. Ask us rather than hunting.
- Attachments: put the photos or the scope of work on the invoice email and you will answer fewer questions.
Recurring work
For anything billed repeatedly, such as a maintenance plan, set it up as a recurring invoice rather than remembering to raise one each month. It is a different option in the same + New menu.