Emailed invoices showing total outstanding

ASJNC · ‎February 04, 2026

When an invoice is being sent by email, the amount shown is the total outstanding, not the just the amount of the invoice. How can I fix this?

Some clients have larger outstanding balances. Sending a new invoice that shows the total outstanding balance as the invoice amount would be disconcerting! Sure... on the detailed invoice, show that!

A bit more information:

I had to create a number of invoices. I did this by creating one, then using duplicate to make copies and adjusting each accordingly (change customer or amounts).
I have not yet sent them. I created them a few days ago. I saved them with the intent of reviewing later (which I am now doing).
When I click preview to send, it shows the total outstanding for that customer for ALL the invoices I am sending. That is, if I go to try to resend an older invoice, it also shows the total outstanding at that date.

I then created a test customer for the purposes of fixing this. When I go through the above process, it DOES NOT show the total outstanding! WTH!

Thank you

RhoiceW

I appreciate you taking the time to look for a solution and informing us about the issue with emailing invoices to your customers, ASJNC. I understand how this situation can be frustrating, and I’m here to help you resolve it and get your business back on track.

The issue may be caused by the Show on invoice feature enabled in your custom form styles. When this feature is active, it includes the total outstanding balance of previous invoices on new ones.

To ensure your emailed invoices display only the amount of the new invoice, I recommend turning off this feature. Here’s how:

Go to the Gear icon, click Custom form styles.
Look for the template that you always use when creating an invoice and click it.
Select the Content tab.
In the middle of the page, click the Pencil icon.
Then turn off the Show on invoice feature.

Additionally, QuickBooks Online allows you to create and manage recurring transactions , such as invoices, expenses, or journal entries, to save time and streamline routine financial processes.

Let us know if you still need assistance. We're here to help.

View solution in original post

RhoiceW

I appreciate you taking the time to look for a solution and informing us about the issue with emailing invoices to your customers, ASJNC. I understand how this situation can be frustrating, and I’m here to help you resolve it and get your business back on track.

The issue may be caused by the Show on invoice feature enabled in your custom form styles. When this feature is active, it includes the total outstanding balance of previous invoices on new ones.

To ensure your emailed invoices display only the amount of the new invoice, I recommend turning off this feature. Here’s how:

Go to the Gear icon, click Custom form styles.
Look for the template that you always use when creating an invoice and click it.
Select the Content tab.
In the middle of the page, click the Pencil icon.
Then turn off the Show on invoice feature.

Additionally, QuickBooks Online allows you to create and manage recurring transactions , such as invoices, expenses, or journal entries, to save time and streamline routine financial processes.

Let us know if you still need assistance. We're here to help.

ASJNC

Thank you. That did indeed fix.

I do find it odd that the invoices I created for the test company did not exhibit the behavior.

It is also unfortunate... Ideally, I would like a user to see the invoice amount. Then, when they click on the email to view the invoice in the cloud, they could see the detail and outstanding information.

Oh well... I guess one cannot have your cake and eat it to! Unless someone has a suggestion for that as well. Heck, I would love to use the scheduling feature. However, as a small non-profit organization, we cannot rationalize the spending for the advanced version of QBO.

Thanks again!

LouiseG

Thank you for returning to this thread, ASJNC.

I'm glad to know that the guidance provided by my colleague fixed your concern about the emailed invoice.

If you have more QuickBooks-related concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to us.

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Emailed invoices showing total outstanding