Create and send an invoice in QuickBooks

Step 1: Create and send an invoice

1. Go to Sales, and select Invoices.
2. Select Create invoice.
3. Select Add Customer and choose a customer from the dropdown. Ensure their information is correct, especially their email address.
4. Review and adjust the Invoice date, Due date, and Terms if needed.
   Tip: In the Terms field, "Net" refers to the number of days until the payment is due.
5. To add a product or service, select one from the Product/service dropdown. To add another, select Add product or service.
6. Enter the quantity and rate if needed.
7. To customise the invoice, select ⚙ Manage. Then select the options from the side panel. QuickBooks will remember your choices for future invoices.
8. (Optional) To enable online payments via PayPal:
   • Under Payment options, select Accept Card Payments with PayPal.
   • If you haven't already connected your PayPal account, click Launch PayPal and follow the prompts to connect.
   • Once connected, select the Accept Card Payment Online checkbox.
9. When you’re done, choose from the following options:
   • Review and send: Email the invoice to your customer. Adjust the email if needed, then select Send invoice.
   • Save, or Save and close: Save the invoice for later.
   • Save and new: Save the current invoice and open a new one.
   • Print and download: Print a paper invoice.
   • Share link: Send a link to the invoice via text message.
   • Save & Share (WhatsApp): Send the invoice via WhatsApp.

Step 2: Review unpaid invoices

1. Go to Sales and select Invoices.
2. Check the Status column to see where your invoices are in the sales process.
   • Due in [days]: You haven’t emailed the invoice yet.
   • Due in [days] Sent: You’ve emailed the invoice to the customer.
   • Due in [days] Viewed: Your customer opened the invoice.
   • Deposited: Your customer paid the invoice.
   • Overdue [days]: The invoice is past due and unpaid.
   • Overdue [days] Viewed: Your customer opened but didn’t pay the past due invoice.
   • Delivery issue: Invoice was undelivered. Check the email address and resend.
   • Voided: The invoice was voided in QuickBooks.

Step 3: Receive payments for invoices

• Using GoCardless: Customers can pay their invoices directly by direct debit. QuickBooks processes and handles everything for you.
• Using an external platform: If you use an external platform to process payments, you can keep track of those payments in QuickBooks. Learn more about how to record invoice payments manually.

If you need to send the same invoice to different customers, you can use unscheduled recurring invoices. This is helpful when you charge different customers for the same items or services on different dates. If you have customers you invoice regularly, create a scheduled recurring invoice instead.

Note: If you use QuickBooks Online Simple Start, you can upgrade your plan if you're ready to set up recurring invoices.

Create an invoice template

1. Go to Settings , then select Recurring transactions.
2. Select New.
3. From the Transaction Type ▼ dropdown, select Invoice. Then, select OK.
4. Enter a Template name (e.g., "Standard Service Invoice").
5. From the Type ▼ dropdown, select Unscheduled.
6. In the Customer field, select a placeholder customer or create a new one specifically for this template (e.g., "Sample Customer").
7. Fill out all the other necessary invoice information (items, descriptions, amounts, etc.) as usual.
8. Select Save template.

Send an invoice using the template

1. Go to Settings , then select Recurring transactions.
2. Find your invoice template.
3. In the Action column, select the small arrow ▼ icon and select Use.
4. Change the Customer to the actual customer you're invoicing.
5. Review the invoice details and make any necessary adjustments (e.g., due date).
6. Select Save. If you want to email the invoice, select Save and send.

Note: If you have customers you invoice regularly with the same information, you can create a scheduled recurring invoice instead.

Step 1: Create and send an invoice

1. Select + New.
2. Select Invoice.
3. Select Add customer and choose a customer from the ▼ dropdown. Ensure their information is correct, especially their email address.
4. Review and adjust the Invoice date, Due date, and Terms if needed.
   Tip: In the Terms field, Net refers to the number of days until the payment is due. 
5. To add a product or service, select one from the Product or service ▼ dropdown.
   Note: To add another product or service, select Add product or service.
6. Enter the quantity (Qty) and Rate, if needed.
7. To customise the invoice, select the gear icon ⚙ and choose the desired options. QuickBooks remembers your choices for future invoices.
8. When you’re done, choose from the following options:
   • Review and send: Email the invoice to your customer. Adjust the email if needed, then select Send invoice.
   • Save, or Save and close: Save the invoice for later.
   • Save and new: Save the current invoice and open a new one.
   • Print and download: Print a paper invoice.
   • Share link: Send a link to the invoice via text message.

Step 2: Review unpaid invoices

• Go to Get paid and select Invoices.
• Check the Status column to see where your invoices are in the sales process.
  • Due in [days]: You haven’t emailed the invoice yet.
  • Due in [days] Sent: You’ve emailed the invoice to the customer.
  • Due in [days] Viewed: Your customer opened the invoice.
  • Deposited: Your customer paid the invoice.
  • Overdue [days]: The invoice is past due and unpaid.
  • Overdue [days] Viewed: Your customer opened but didn’t pay the past due invoice.
  • Delivery issue: Invoice was undelivered. Check the email address and resend.
  • Voided: The invoice was voided in QuickBooks.

Step 3: Receive payments for invoices

• Using GoCardless: Customers can pay their invoices directly by direct debit. QuickBooks processes and handles everything for you.
• Using an external platform: If you use an external platform to process payments, you can keep track of those payments in QuickBooks. Learn more about how to record invoice payments manually.

Step 1: Set up invoicing

1. Go to Time, select the Overview tab, then select Go to classic QuickBooks Time.
2. Go to Feature Add-ons and select Manage Add-ons.
3. Go to Invoicing and select Install.
4. In the Invoicing Preferences window, enter the information you want to appear on the printed invoices, and select Save.

Step 2: Set billable rates

1. Go to Time, select the Overview tab, then select Go to classic QuickBooks Time.
2. Go to Jobs.
3. Next to the job, select Edit.
4. Select Billable, enter a per-hour amount, and select Save.

Step 3: Create an invoice

1. Go to Time, select the Overview tab, then select Go to classic QuickBooks Time.
2. Go to Invoice.
3. In the Generate Invoice window, make your selections:
   • Choose a client and a sub-job, if applicable.
   • (Optional) Choose a start and stop date. If dates aren't filled out, the invoice will include all uninvoiced time.
   • Pick an Invoice Type:
     • Detailed: Team member, notes, quantity of hours worked per timesheet.
     • Grouped: Quantity of hours worked grouped together by job.
     • Single Line: All entries merged into a single line item.
   • (Optional) Include already invoiced time.
4. Select Preview Invoice.
5. Select add Invoice To Info if you want to add the billing name and address, then select Save.
6. If the invoice is correct, select Finalise Invoice & Generate PDF. Note: When this is chosen, the timesheets that make up the invoice are locked. To unlock them, go to Time Entries, then Timesheets, and select the lock icon.
7. Select View Invoice PDF to open a new tab with the PDF that you can save or print.

Step 4: Uninstall invoicing

1. Go to Time, select the Overview tab, then select Go to classic QuickBooks Time.
2. Select Feature Add-ons and then Manage Add-ons.
3. Go to Invoicing and select Uninstall.
4. The billable field will no longer be available in the job editor window.
5. If invoicing is installed again, the jobs will retain their previous billable rates.