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# Create, send and manage invoices

An invoice bills a customer for work you've agreed, to be paid later. This article covers the Invoices page from end to end: creating an invoice, sending it, and everything you can do with it afterwards. You'll find it under **Sales** in the left sidebar.

## Tour of the Invoices list

![The Invoices list. The numbers match the list below.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/01-invoices-list_8qsn1l.png)

1. **Page actions.** Customize, Receive payment, Import, Export and New invoice.
2. **Totals.** Outstanding, Overdue, Received in the last 30 days, and Drafts.
3. **Status tabs.** All, Draft, Awaiting payment, Partially paid, Overdue and Paid, each with a count.
4. **Search.** Finds invoices by number, customer or amount.
5. **Checkbox.** Select invoices to act on several at once.
6. **Status.** Where the invoice stands.
7. **Row menu.** Every action for one invoice.

Click anywhere on a row to open that invoice.

| Status | Meaning |
| ---- | ---- |
| Draft | Saved but not sent. It isn't counted as outstanding. |
| Sent | With the customer and not yet due. |
| Overdue | Past its due date with a balance. The Due column shows how many days late. |
| Partially paid | Some money has been received. The Balance due column shows what's left. |
| Paid | Settled in full. |

A **Recurring** tag beside the number means the invoice came from a recurring schedule.

## Create an invoice

Click **New invoice**. The invoice opens as a full-screen sheet with the form on the left and a running summary on the right.

![A new invoice. The form scrolls, and the summary stays in view.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/02-new-invoice_1ptjp6h.png)

1. **Invoice details.** Type, number, terms and dates.
2. **Customer.** Who you're billing.
3. **Products & services.** The lines that make up the total.
4. **Invoice summary.** Subtotal, sales tax and amount due, with the save buttons.
5. **Customize and Preview.** Change how your documents look, or see the invoice as the customer will.

Further down the form you'll find Sales tax, Class, Attachments & notes and Online payments.

## Invoice details: number, terms and dates

![Invoice details.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/03-invoice-details_1xzql9h.png)

* **Invoice type.** One-time invoice, or Recurring. See **Recurring invoices**.
* **Invoice number.** Tabby suggests the next number in your sequence. You can change it, but each number can be used only once.
* **Payment terms.** Due on receipt, Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, Net 45, Net 60 or Custom.
* **Invoice date and Due date.** Tabby works out the due date from the terms. If you edit the due date yourself, the terms switch to Custom.
* **Purchase order (PO) number.** Optional. Add it when the customer needs it to approve the invoice.
* **Vendor number.** Optional. Your supplier ID in the customer's system.

## Choose the customer

Click **Bill to** and pick a customer, or type to search. Click **New** in the picker to add a customer without leaving the invoice.

![Pick a customer, search, or add a new one.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/04-choose-customer_1qysq0.png)

Once you've chosen, a card shows the contact, email and billing address, with an **Edit** link. Picking a customer also applies their default payment terms and their sales tax settings.

|| **Note:** To send an invoice, the customer needs an email address. If the card shows "No email", click **Edit** and add one.

## Add products and services

![Each line has an item, quantity, rate, tax setting, category and description.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/05-invoice-lines_18ovbly.png)

For each line:

1. Choose an **Item**. Its description, rate, tax setting and category fill in. Click **New** in the picker to add an item on the spot.
2. Set the **Qty** and check the **Rate**.
3. Leave **Tax** as it is, or switch the line between **Taxable** and **Not taxable**.
4. Check the **Category**. This is the income account the line posts to. You can pick a category and type a description without choosing an item at all.

Click **Add line** for another line, or the trash icon to remove one. An invoice needs at least one line, a quantity above zero, and a rate that isn't negative.

## Sales tax

Tabby suggests a rate from the customer's location. Tax is worked out per line and rounded once per invoice.

![The rate Tabby chose, and why.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/06-invoice-sales-tax_t6v7zx.png)

* **Tax rate.** Change the suggested rate if you need to.
* **Prices.** Choose **Before tax** if your rates exclude tax, or **Include tax** if the rates you typed already contain it.
* **The line under the rate** tells you how the rate was chosen, for example "Default for New York customers".

If the customer is in a state where you aren't registered, Tabby charges no tax and says so. Click **Charge tax anyway** only if you should be collecting there. If the customer has no address, Tabby uses your business default.

Click **See the math** for the full calculation: the taxable amount, each part of the rate, the lines that weren't taxed and the reason for each.

![See the math shows how the tax on this invoice was calculated.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/07-see-the-math_t8m1nd.png)

| **Tip:** Rates and registrations are managed in **Taxes**. The **Tax rates** link in the Sales menu takes you straight there.

## Class, attachments and notes

* **Class.** Click **Add class** to tag the invoice by client, project or location. Classes appear in the Profit & Loss by Class report.
* **Attachments.** Add a PDF, PNG, JPG or DOCX file, up to 10 MB each.
* **Remarks or notes.** Text shown at the bottom of the invoice, such as bank details or a thank-you note. You can format it with bold, italics, underline, lists and links.

## Save, send or keep as a draft

![The summary shows the total and where the invoice will be sent.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/08-invoice-summary_1k77usq.png)

* **Save and send** saves the invoice and emails it to the address shown under the buttons.
* **Save as draft** keeps it without sending. Drafts stay out of your outstanding total until you send them.

If something is missing, Tabby marks the fields and tells you how many to fix. If you close the sheet with unsaved changes, Tabby asks whether to keep editing or discard them.

To send a draft later, open its row menu and choose **Send invoice**. You can edit the recipient, subject and message, and choose whether to attach the PDF.

![Check the email before it goes out.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/09-send-invoice_rzg082.png)

## Recurring invoices

For retainers and other repeat billing, set **Invoice type** to **Recurring**. Tabby then creates and sends a new invoice on the schedule you set.

![The schedule fields appear when you choose Recurring.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/10-recurring-invoice_rbx1gk.png)

* **Repeats.** Every week, every 2 weeks, every month, every 3 months or every year.
* **First invoice on.** The date of the first invoice.
* **Ends.** Never, on a date, or after a number of invoices.

Each invoice the schedule creates uses the tax rate valid on its own date.

If you pick a start date in the past, Tabby asks what you want: **Start from today**, or **Catch up** and create the invoices you missed.

## The invoice row menu

Click the three dots at the end of a row. The menu changes with the invoice's status.

![The menu for an overdue invoice.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/11-invoice-row-menu_ntyg99.png)

| Action | What it does |
| ---- | ---- |
| View details | Opens a preview of the invoice as the customer sees it. |
| Edit invoice | Opens the invoice for changes. |
| Receive payment | Records money received. Shown when there's a balance. |
| Match with bank deposit | Links the invoice to a deposit already in your bank feed. |
| Send payment reminder | Emails a reminder. Shown on overdue invoices. |
| Send invoice or Share invoice | Emails the invoice. Drafts show Send invoice. |
| Copy payment link | Copies the customer's payment link to your clipboard. |
| Download PDF | Saves the invoice as a PDF. |
| Duplicate | Starts a new draft with the same customer and lines, dated today. |
| Activity & payments | Shows the invoice's history. |
| Issue credit note | Credits all or part of a sent invoice. |
| Delete invoice | Removes the invoice after you confirm. |

## Preview and download

**View details** opens the invoice the way your customer sees it. From here you can **Download PDF** or **Receive payment**. To change the layout, logo or colors, use **Customize documents** (in the article "Estimates, sales receipts, customers and products").

![The preview uses your template, brand color and footer.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/12-invoice-preview_1q7v4u8.png)

## Share an invoice and send reminders

**Share invoice** and **Send payment reminder** open the same email dialog, with a message already written. Edit anything you like before sending.

![A reminder includes the payment link and can attach the PDF.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/13-payment-reminder_sgcj1h.png)

* **Copy link** copies the invoice's payment link, so you can paste it into a text or chat.
* **Attach invoice PDF** is ticked by default.

To remind several customers together, tick their invoices and use **Send reminders** in the bar at the bottom of the list.

## Issue a credit note

Use a credit note when you need to reduce a sent invoice, for a return, a cancelled session or a billing mistake. Open the row menu, or the invoice itself, and click **Issue credit note**.

![Choose the lines to credit, the amount and the reason.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/a/f/c/8afcc30bafd4b000/14-credit-note_1280oi0.png)

1. Check the **Credit note date**.
2. Enter a **Reason**. It's required.
3. Tick the lines to credit and adjust each amount if you're crediting part of a line.
4. Click the **Issue** button, which shows the number the credit note will get.

Tax is reversed at the invoice's own rate. The credit is reported in the period of the credit note's date, so a sales tax return you've already filed stays as filed.

## Edit, duplicate or delete an invoice

Open an invoice to change it. A sent invoice shows **Save and resend** and **Save changes** in place of the draft buttons, plus **Mark as paid**.

**Delete invoice** asks you to confirm. Deleting removes the invoice and any payments recorded on it, and it can't be undone. If the invoice was sent and you only need to reduce it, issue a credit note instead.

## Common questions

### Why can't I send an invoice?

The customer probably has no email address. Open the invoice, click **Edit** on the customer card, add an email, then send again. The line under the save buttons tells you where the invoice will go.

### Why is no sales tax being added?

Check the line under **Tax rate** on the invoice. Either the lines are marked Not taxable, the customer is exempt, or the customer is in a state where you aren't registered. **See the math** shows the reason for each line.

### Can I change an invoice after sending it?

Yes. Open it, make the change and click **Save and resend**. If you need to reduce an invoice the customer already has, a credit note keeps a clearer record than editing the original.