Step 1: Create and send an invoice
There’s more than one way to create an invoice in QuickBooks. If you send an estimate and the customer approves it, you can convert your estimate to an invoice. You can also create a new invoice from scratch.
- Select + New.
- Select Invoice.
- Select Add customer and select a customer from the ▼ dropdown. Make sure all of their info is correct, especially their email address.
- Review the Invoice date, Due date, and Terms. Enter new dates or terms, if you need to. Tip: In the Terms field, Net refers to the number of days until the payment is due.
- To add a product or service, select one from the Product or service ▼ dropdown.
Note: To add another product or service, select
Add new. - Enter the quantity (Qty) and Rate, if needed.
- To customise the info or design of your invoices, select ⚙ Manage. Then select the options from the side panel. QuickBooks remembers your choices and applies them to all existing and future invoices.
- When you’re done, there are several options for saving or sharing the invoice:
- If you're ready to send the invoice, select Review and send to email the invoice to your customer. Adjust the email if needed, then select Send invoice.
- To send the invoice later, select Save or Save and close.
- To close the current invoice and open a new one, select Save and new.
- To print a paper invoice, select Print and download.
- To send your customer a link to their invoice through text message, select Share link.
Step 2: Review unpaid invoices
QuickBooks puts unpaid invoices into your accounts receivable account. You'll see this account on your Balance Sheet and other financial reports.
Any time you wish to review your invoices, go to Get paid and select Invoices. Check the Status column to see where your invoices are in the sales process.
Here are a few common statuses that you might see:
- 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.
You can also go to Customers and goals and select Customers and open a customer's profile to see their invoices.
Need to notify customers about upcoming invoice due dates? You can send them a reminder message.
Step 3: Receive payments for invoices
If you use GoCardless, customers can pay their invoices directly by direct debit. We process and handle everything for you. When you get paid, QuickBooks puts transactions into the correct accounts.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can make changes to an invoice after you have created it.
Before you make any changes to the invoice (such as the amounts and dates), make sure you understand the impact that this may have. If you're unsure, please reach out to an accountant.