Invoices
How invoices are created, numbered, issued and emailed, what each status means, and how to edit, void or write one off.
An invoice is the bill a client pays. Tidemark Billing creates most invoices for you (orders, renewals, plan changes), and you can write your own under Invoices → New invoice.
Where invoices come from#
| Source | When | Due date |
|---|---|---|
| A client orders a product | Straight away, one invoice for the price plus any setup fee | Today |
| Renewal | The daily billing run, 14 days before the service is due by default | The service's next due date |
| Free trial ends | The daily billing run, on the day the trial ends by default | The day the trial ends |
| A quote is accepted | At once, unless you turned that off | Issue date plus your payment terms |
| Immediate plan change | At once, if there is an amount to pay | Today |
| A metered service ends | At once, for usage not yet billed | Today |
| You create one | When you click Save and issue | The date you enter, or your payment terms |
Renewals are grouped: a client gets one invoice per currency per due date, covering every service renewing that day. See Recurring billing.
Create an invoice by hand#
- Go to Invoices → New invoice.
- Choose the Client and Currency. Add a Reference or PO number if the client needs one on the invoice.
- Leave Issue date and Due date blank to use today and your default payment terms, or pick dates.
- Add line items: Description, Qty, Unit price and whether the line is Taxable. Add from catalogue fills a line from a product price.
- Add Notes to the client and Terms if you want them. Terms start with your default from Settings → Billing.
- Click Save draft to keep working, or Save and issue to send it.
Tax is worked out from the client's country and region using your tax rates, and the rate is fixed on the invoice when you create it. Lines you leave unticked under Taxable are not taxed. See Taxes and currencies.
Statuses#
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Not sent, no number yet. Only drafts can be edited or deleted. |
| Open | Issued and waiting for payment. |
| Paid | The payments received cover the total. |
| Void | Cancelled. It can no longer be paid. |
| Uncollectible | Written off. Payments are still accepted if the client pays later. |
An open invoice past its due date is shown as Overdue. That is a label on open invoices, not a separate status.
Issuing#
Issuing a draft gives it a number, sets the issue and due dates, and emails the client a "New invoice" message with a View and pay invoice button. The number is the prefix from Settings → Billing → Invoice number prefix (default INV-) followed by a five-digit counter, for example INV-00012. Numbers come from one counter and have no gaps.
If Attach the PDF to invoice emails is on (the default), the email includes the invoice as a PDF. An invoice with a total of zero is marked paid as soon as it is issued, and no "new invoice" email is sent.
Change an invoice after it is issued#
Issued invoices cannot be edited. From the invoice page:
- Resend email sends the new-invoice email again (open invoices only).
- Copy public link under More copies the link the client can open without signing in. Drafts have no public link.
- Mark uncollectible writes the invoice off. You can still record a payment later.
- Void invoice cancels it. It is only offered when no payment has been recorded. If money was received, refund it first. See Payments and refunds.
- Delete draft removes a draft for good.
To correct a mistake on an open invoice, void it and issue a new one.
What clients see#
Clients see their invoices under Billing in the client area, with tabs for All, Unpaid, Paid and Void. Each invoice shows the amount due, a Pay button for each enabled payment method, Pay with saved method when they have one, and a PDF download. Paid invoices become receipts. The same page is reachable from the email link without signing in.