# Invoicing

> Create invoices and estimates, manage products, accept online payments, and set up recurring billing.

The Invoicing module lets you create and send invoices, estimates, and recurring invoices. Clients can view invoices online and pay via credit card if you have connected Stripe.

<DocVideo slug="invoicing-and-payments" />

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## Overview

The **Overview** tab is the landing page for the Payments module. It shows a unified financial dashboard combining data from your invoices, subscriptions, and estimates.

**What you'll see:**

- **Revenue Collected** - total payments received in the selected date range
- **Outstanding & Overdue** - unpaid invoice balances and overdue counts
- **Revenue Over Time** - daily revenue trend chart
- **Invoice Status Breakdown** - how many invoices are in each status (draft, sent, paid, overdue, etc.)
- **Recurring Revenue (MRR)** - your monthly recurring revenue from active subscriptions
- **Estimate Pipeline** - total estimate value, accepted amounts, and conversion counts
- **Revenue by Product** - which products or services are generating the most revenue

Use the **date range picker** at the top to adjust the reporting period (presets: 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, year-to-date). Toggle **Compare previous** to see percentage changes compared to the prior period.

Click **Export CSV** to download the invoice data for the selected date range.

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## Invoice List

The invoices page shows all invoices with their number, contact name, amount, status, due date, and issue date. Filter by status, date range, or search by invoice number or contact name.

<DocShot src="/docs-screens/invoices.webp" alt="Invoices, estimates, products, and revenue over time." />

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## Creating an Invoice

1. Click **New Invoice**
2. Select the **Contact** to bill
3. Add **Line Items**:
   - Search your product catalog to add existing products
   - Or add custom line items with a description, quantity, and unit price
   - Adjust quantity and pricing per line
   - Apply discounts if needed
4. Set the **Due Date** (or choose a payment term like Net 15, Net 30, Net 60)
5. Add optional **Notes** (visible to the client) and **Internal Notes** (visible only to your team)
6. Review the totals - subtotal, tax, discounts, and total
7. Click **Save as Draft** or **Send**

### Tax

Configure tax rates in your settings. Tax is calculated automatically based on the rate and applied to the invoice total.

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## Invoice Statuses

| Status | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| **Draft** | Not yet sent - fully editable |
| **Sent** | Delivered to the client via email |
| **Viewed** | The client has opened the invoice |
| **Paid** | Payment received (manual or online) |
| **Partially Paid** | A partial payment has been received against the balance |
| **Overdue** | Past the due date without payment |
| **Void** | Cancelled - no longer valid |

<DocDiagram src="/docs-screens/invoice-lifecycle.svg" alt="An invoice moves from draft to paid, with recurring billing automated." />

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## Sending Invoices

Click **Send** to email the invoice to the client. The email includes:

- Invoice details (number, amount, due date)
- A link to view the invoice online
- A **Pay Now** button (if Stripe is connected) for online payment

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## Online Payments

If you have connected Stripe in **Settings → Integrations**, invoices include a payment link. When the client clicks **Pay Now**:

<DocShot src="/docs-screens/payments-overview.webp" alt="The payments overview: revenue collected, outstanding, and recent transactions." />

1. They are taken to a secure payment page
2. They enter their credit card details
3. Payment is processed through Stripe
4. The invoice is automatically marked as **Paid**

You do not handle card numbers directly - all payment processing is handled securely by Stripe.

### Payments Recorded by Hand

Cash, cheque, and bank transfers are recorded with **Mark as paid**. These land in the payments ledger like any other payment, so they count toward revenue reporting rather than sitting outside it as an invoice that simply changed status.

### Refunds, Chargebacks, and Voids

- **A partial refund** removes only the amount refunded. The rest of the invoice stays on the books and keeps counting toward revenue.
- **A lost chargeback** updates the invoice rather than leaving it reading as paid, so a disputed payment does not quietly stay in your revenue figures.
- **Voiding is final.** A payment arriving against a voided invoice does not bring it back to life.
- **An invoice paid through a Stripe-hosted page** reconciles back automatically and is marked paid on your side.

### Bank Debits

Bank payments (ACH, SEPA, Bacs) are only treated as paid once the money actually settles, not when the customer submits them. Expect a gap of a few days between the customer paying and the invoice reading Paid.

### Pay Links

An invoice's pay link is cleared when its checkout expires or the invoice is partly paid, so a customer following an old link cannot be charged a total that is no longer correct. Editing a sent invoice's amount issues a fresh link.

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## Estimates

Estimates are proposals you send to clients before creating a formal invoice.

<DocShot src="/docs-screens/estimates.webp" alt="Estimates use the same builder as invoices and convert to one in a click." />

### Creating an Estimate

The process is the same as creating an invoice - add line items, set terms, and send. Estimates have their own number sequence.

### Converting to Invoice

Once a client approves an estimate, click **Convert to Invoice** to create an invoice pre-filled with the estimate's line items and details.

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## Recurring Invoices

Set up invoices that are generated and sent automatically on a schedule.

### Creating a Recurring Invoice

1. Go to the **Recurring** tab
2. Click **New Recurring Invoice**
3. Select the contact and add line items (same as a regular invoice)
4. Set the **Frequency** - weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly
5. Set the **Start Date** and optionally an **End Date**
6. Choose whether to auto-send or save as draft for review
7. Click **Save**

### How It Works

At each interval, the system generates a new invoice from the template and either sends it automatically or saves it as a draft for your review, depending on your setting.

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## Products

Products are reusable line items with a name, description, and default price.

<DocShot src="/docs-screens/products.webp" alt="A reusable catalog of products and services with set prices and tax." />

### Managing Products

Go to **Settings → Products** to:

- Create products with a name, description, unit price, and optional tax rate
- Edit or delete existing products
- Organize products for easy lookup

When creating an invoice, search your product catalog to quickly add items without re-entering details each time.

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## Payment Terms

Payment terms define when invoices are due. Common terms include:

- **Due on receipt** - Payment expected immediately
- **Net 15** - Due 15 days after issue
- **Net 30** - Due 30 days after issue
- **Net 60** - Due 60 days after issue

Configure default payment terms in **Settings → Payment Terms**. You can override the default on individual invoices.

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## Summary

| Feature | Detail |
|---------|--------|
| Invoice types | One-time invoices, estimates, and recurring invoices |
| Line items | Products from catalog or custom entries with quantity, price, and discounts |
| Statuses | Draft, Sent, Viewed, Paid, Partially Paid, Overdue, Void |
| Online payments | Stripe integration for credit card payments |
| Estimates | Proposals that convert to invoices with one click |
| Recurring | Auto-generated invoices on a weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly schedule |
| Products | Reusable catalog with default pricing |
| Payment terms | Due on receipt, Net 15, Net 30, Net 60 |

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Source: https://seedlycrm.com/docs/help/invoices