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Create Your First Invoice

Generate an invoice from a completed job and send to customer

Difficulty:Beginner

What this is

Convert a completed job into an invoice with line items (labor + parts), calculate tax, and send to the customer for payment. The invoice shows what work was done, what it cost, and how to pay.

Who this is for

  • Owners & Admins: Generate invoices after job completion
  • Office/Billing Staff: Manage receivables and payment collection

Note: Technicians cannot create invoices—only owners and admins with billing permission.

When you use this

  • Job is completed - Technician marks job as "Done"
  • Customer asks for invoice - Needs documentation for warranty or insurance
  • End of day - Batch invoicing for all completed jobs
  • Payment collection - Customer ready to pay

How it works

Step 1: Navigate to Completed Jobs

  1. Click "Jobs" in the sidebar
  2. Filter by status: "Completed"
  3. Find the job you want to invoice
  4. Click "Create Invoice" button on job card

Shortcut: From job detail page, click "Invoice" tab → "Create Invoice"

Step 2: Review Line Items

The invoice auto-populates from the job:

Labor:

  • Technician time (hours × hourly rate)
  • Service call fee (if applicable)
  • Example: 2.5 hours × $95/hr = $237.50

Parts:

  • Materials used on-site
  • Pulled from job parts list
  • Example: AC Capacitor: $45.00

Subtotal:

  • Sum of all line items
  • Example: $237.50 + $45.00 = $282.50

You can:

  • ✏️ Edit line item descriptions
  • ✏️ Adjust quantities or prices
  • ✏️ Add discount (percentage or fixed amount)
  • ✏️ Add additional charges (trip fee, disposal fee)
  • ❌ Cannot change customer (locked to job)

Step 3: Calculate Tax

Tax is calculated automatically based on your business settings:

Example (8.25% tax rate in Texas):

Subtotal:   $282.50
Tax (8.25%):  $23.31
───────────────────
Total:      $305.81

What the system does:

  • Reads tax rate from Settings → Business Info
  • Multiplies subtotal × tax rate
  • Adds tax to subtotal for final total
  • Shows tax breakdown on invoice

Tax-exempt customers:

  • Mark customer as tax-exempt in profile
  • Invoice shows $0.00 tax automatically

Step 4: Set Payment Terms

Options:

  • Due on receipt (immediate payment expected)
  • Net 15 (due in 15 days)
  • Net 30 (due in 30 days)
  • Custom (enter specific due date)

Example:

  • Invoice created: January 10
  • Payment terms: Net 30
  • Due date: February 9

What appears on invoice:

  • Invoice date
  • Due date
  • Payment instructions (online link, check mailing address)
  • Late payment notice (if applicable)

Step 5: Save Draft or Send

Option 1: Save as Draft

  • Click "Save Draft"
  • Invoice is created but NOT sent to customer
  • You can edit it later before sending
  • Useful for batch approval

Option 2: Send Immediately

  • Click "Send Invoice"
  • System sends email to customer's email address
  • Customer receives PDF attachment + payment link
  • Invoice status changes to "Sent"

What the customer receives:

Subject: Invoice #INV-2026-0042 from [Your Business]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for choosing us! Your invoice is attached.

Service: AC Repair
Total: $305.81
Due: February 9, 2026

[Pay Online] button

Questions? Reply to this email.

Step 6: Track Payment Status

After sending, the invoice shows status:

  • Draft: Created but not sent
  • Sent: Customer received it
  • Paid: Payment received ✅
  • Overdue: Past due date (turns red)

Important rules

  • One invoice per job - Cannot create multiple invoices for the same job (edit existing instead)
  • Cannot delete sent invoices - Only void them (preserves audit trail)
  • Draft invoices can be edited - Sent invoices are locked (void and recreate if needed)
  • Invoice numbers auto-increment - Format: INV-2026-0001, INV-2026-0002, etc.

Common mistakes

Mistake 1: Forgetting to add parts

  • What happens: Invoice shows only labor, missing $200 in parts
  • Fix: Go to job detail → Parts tab → Add parts BEFORE creating invoice

Mistake 2: Wrong tax rate

  • What happens: Customer charged 8.25% when they're in a 6.5% county
  • Fix: Update Settings → Business Info → Tax Rate first, then recreate invoice

Mistake 3: Sending before customer approval

  • What happens: Customer disputes price after receiving invoice
  • Fix: Save as draft first, review with customer over phone, THEN send

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