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Raise and send an invoice

An invoice is a bill you send to a customer. Once you issue it, it takes the next number, its figures are fixed, and the app prepares a PDF you can send.

The invoice register at 1280

  1. Open Invoices, press Customers, then Add a customer. Enter the Name, Address, Email and Payment terms in days, then press Save customer.
  2. Press Raise an invoice, pick the customer and press Create draft. Their name and address are filled in for you.
  3. Press Add a line for each item: Description, Quantity, Unit price and VAT rate. The preview shows net, VAT and gross as you go.
  4. Press Issue…, enter the issue date and confirm with the button that carries the invoice number. If you left the due date blank, the customer's terms set it.
  5. On the invoice, press Download PDF. If it says no PDF has been generated, press Generate now.
  6. Press Send. Check the address, subject and message, then press Send again. The app attaches the PDF, records the date, and copies you in unless you untick Send me a copy.
  7. If you sent it another way, press Mark as sent…, enter who it went to and confirm.

Cases

  • A due date you type always wins over the customer's terms. With zero-day terms the invoice is due on issue.
  • An issued invoice keeps the address it was issued with, even if the customer moves later.
  • An issued invoice cannot be edited. Raise a credit note, or split it into parts.
  • VAT cannot be charged on an invoice dated before your registration date.
  • Without a registered office in Settings, the invoice is still issued and numbered, but no PDF is made.
  • The PDF prints the stored VAT. Three lines of £0.13 show £0.09 in total, never £0.08.
  • A PDF is made only for invoices in pounds.
  • An invoice is sent once. A second attempt tells you when it went, and a failed send records nothing.
  • An unpaid invoice shows as overdue once its due date has passed.
  • Accountants can read invoices but are not offered the send or generate controls.

Good practice

  • Charge VAT on the invoice as normal. The flat rate is applied only in your VAT return.
  • Record the registered office in Settings before you issue your first invoice.
  • Allocate each payment to its invoice. A suggestion is never applied until you press the button.