Invoices — User Guide
Module: Core CRM
Audience: Sales staff, billing clerks, accountants, account managers
Version: 1.0.0
Last updated: 2026-07-22
Overview
An invoice is a bill you send to a customer for products or services. You can create drafts, send invoices by email, download PDFs, record payments, apply credit notes, set up recurring billing, and track status from unpaid through paid or cancelled. The invoice list supports filters and a side preview panel for quick review.
Go to Sales → Invoices.
Prerequisites
| Role | Typical permissions |
|---|---|
| View all invoices | Invoices → View |
| View own invoices only | Invoices → View own (invoices you created) |
| View invoices where you are sale agent | System setting Allow staff to view invoices where they are assigned as sale agent (no extra permission) |
| Create invoices | Invoices → Create |
| Edit invoices | Invoices → Edit |
| Delete invoices | Invoices → Delete |
| Record payments | Payments → Create (separate from Invoices) |
Your administrator may also require approval before an invoice can be sent or before a payment is posted.
Invoice statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Not finalized; not counted in numbering sequence |
| Unpaid | Sent or marked sent; awaiting payment |
| Paid | Fully paid |
| Partially paid | Some payment received |
| Overdue | Past due date and not fully paid |
| Cancelled | Voided; limited further editing |
Step-by-step: Find invoices
- Go to Sales → Invoices.
- Use filters for status, year, sale agent, recurring, tags, and more.
- Click an invoice number to open the preview panel on the right (or full page in some views).
- Review totals in the summary bar when available.
View own / sale agent: You may see only invoices you created or where you are the assigned sale agent, depending on your role and settings.
Step-by-step: Create an invoice
- Click New invoice.
- Select the customer (billing and shipping details fill automatically).
- Set invoice date, due date, currency, and sale agent if used.
- Add line items (description, quantity, rate, tax).
- Optionally:
- Add billable tasks or expenses
- Merge other open invoices for the same customer
- Enable recurring billing
- Choose a save action:
- Submit — create as unpaid (or per your workflow)
- Save as draft — keep as draft
- Save and record payment — open payment form after save
- Save and send later — save as draft for sending later
Expected result: Invoice appears in the list. Duplicate invoice numbers for the same year are rejected.
Step-by-step: Edit an invoice
- Open the invoice from the list.
- Click Edit (when your role allows).
- Update header fields or line items.
- Save.
Cancelled invoices have limited editing. Draft invoices use a separate numbering placeholder until finalized.
Step-by-step: Send an invoice to the customer
- Open the invoice preview.
- Click Send to email (or Mark as sent if already delivered offline).
- Confirm recipients, optional PDF attachment, and CC addresses.
- Send.
Approval required: If your organization uses invoice send approval, the email or PDF may be held until an approver signs off. You will see a pending message until approval completes.
Step-by-step: Download or print PDF
- Open the invoice.
- Use PDF or Print from the preview actions.
If send approval is pending, PDF download may be blocked until approved.
Step-by-step: Record a payment
- Open the invoice.
- Click Record payment.
- Enter amount, date, and payment method.
- Submit.
Requires Payments → Create. Some setups route large or exceptional payments through an approval step before they post.
Expected result: Payment appears on the invoice; status updates to paid or partially paid.
Step-by-step: Apply a credit note
When the customer has open credit notes:
- Open an unpaid or partially paid invoice.
- In the credits section, enter amounts to apply.
- Submit.
Confirm you have permission to manage credit notes; ask your administrator if the action is unavailable.
Step-by-step: Copy or cancel an invoice
- Copy — creates a new invoice from an existing one (requires Create).
- Mark as cancelled — voids the invoice (requires Edit or Create).
- Delete — removes the invoice (requires Delete; your organization may allow deletion only on the latest invoice).
Recurring invoices
Go to Sales → Invoices → Recurring (or the recurring filter) to manage invoice templates that generate new invoices on a schedule. Child invoices link back to the parent recurring invoice.
Customer profile shortcut
From Customers → [customer] → Invoices tab, see only that customer's invoices with the same permission rules.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Cannot see invoice list | Request Invoices View, View own, or sale-agent setting |
| Cannot open a specific invoice | You may not be creator or sale agent |
| Send or PDF blocked | Invoice send approval may be pending |
| Payment not posting | Payment approval queue; Payments Create permission |
| Cannot delete | Delete permission; "delete only last invoice" setting |
| Duplicate number warning | Change number or use draft |
| Merge failed | Target invoices must be same customer; cancelled invoices excluded |
Best practices
- Use draft while building large invoices; finalize when ready to send.
- Set sale agent for commission tracking and scoped visibility.
- Pause overdue reminders on disputed invoices until resolved.
- Apply credit notes before recording duplicate payments.
- Confirm tax and currency before sending to the customer.