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dawnjohnson
Level 4

Progress invoicing help!

We use progress invoicing for our civil engineering firm. I generate an estimate and typically bill a % every month. Although QBO provides an Estimate Summary at the bottom of invoices, many of our clients need the detail by service line item in order to keep track of their projects. Certainly, there is a way to do this by now! Could this be accomplished by importing my own template somehow? This information is clearly available in QBO as it is reflected when opening an estimate (I can see line-by-line service items, the total estimate amount and the totally that has already been invoiced.). Thanks for your thoughts!
13 Comments 13
LieraMarie_A
QuickBooks Team

Progress invoicing help!

Thanks for coming in the Community, @dawnjohnson. I'll help you get that details attached to your invoice.

 

When using progress invoicing, we highly recommend using the Airy New Template. It's the only template that is optimized to display key progress invoice information such as the Estimate Summary and the Due column. This level of detail is not available on imported invoices. 

 

The best possible way to provide the estimate's details on how much is remaining and has already been invoiced is by adding an attachment. I'd suggest taking a screenshot of your estimate and attaching it to the invoice.

 

Here's how:

  1. On the Invoice page, click Attachments.
    Capture.PNG
  2. Browse the file you want to add, then click Open to add.
  3. You can also check the Attach to email box. This will send the attachment to the customer along with the invoice details.
  4. Click Save and send.

 

You can add more than one attachment as long as it doesn't exceed 20MB. You can check this article to learn more about attachments in QBO: Attachments in QuickBooks Online.

 

Should you have any further questions concerning progress invoicing in QBO, I'm always here to help you. Have a wonderful day.

dawnjohnson
Level 4

Progress invoicing help!

Taking a screenshot within QBO doesn't seem like a solution to me.  I'm looking for something that looks more like this (see attached) that I am having to create for each invoice outside of QBO and attach.  All of this information is in QBO.  This is a true "progress invoice" with the contract amount, % complete, prior billed, total billed and current billed so that a client can see where they have started, what has been done and what is left to be done.  

 

Otherwise, I really find QBO very easy to use and love the integrations with my other platforms (TSheets, Gusto, etc.).  This may be a deal breaker for me, though, because most of my clients require this breakdown.  Even if I could not achieve this detail on the invoice itself, if there was a QBO report I could easily generate to attach that would work.  The only report that comes close is the Estimates & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer report.  Again, this report is does not provide the service/activity line by line; only a total for the estimate as a whole.  

 

So, I'm still frustrated.  

 
KlentB
Moderator

Progress invoicing help!

Hi there, dawnjohnson.

 

I understand that you need to send a detailed invoice to your customers. Let me share some tips on how you can add that information.

 

You can customize your current invoice template to show the progress per line item, total estimate/contract amount, the amount of the previous and current invoices, and the total invoiced amount. This way, your client will be able to closely monitor the progress. Here's how:

 

  1. Click the Gear icon, then select Custom form styles.
  2. Find your invoice template, then click Edit from the Action column.
  3. Head to the Content tab, click the activity table area (between the header and footer are) of the form.
  4. Select Show more activity options, then tick the Show progress on line items checkbox.
  5. Click the footer area of the form, then the Discount, Deposit, and Estimate summary checkbox under the Display section.
  6. Hit Done to save the changes.

With regard to the completion percentage, this option is currently unavailable in the invoices and reports of QuickBooks Online. At times, we roll out updates based on the requests that we received from our customers. That said, I encourage sending feedback to our Product Development Team. We'd like to have this opportunity to improve your experience in QuickBooks. Here's how:
 

  1. Log in to your QBO account.
  2. Click the Gear icon at the top, then select Feedback.
  3. Enter your comments or product suggestions.
  4. Select Next to submit feedback.

I'm also adding this article to help track all the open and progress invoices that are due on a particular date range: Report of invoices that are due on a specific day.

 

Please don't hesitate to leave a comment below if you have additional questions about the Progress Invoicing feature. I'll be around to help.

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Level 15

Progress invoicing help!

@dawnjohnson 

Consider having another additional app to meet your requirement of the progress invoicing.

dawnjohnson
Level 4

Progress invoicing help!

What app would you suggest?

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Level 15

Progress invoicing help!

 

...

 

dawnjohnson
Level 4

Progress invoicing help!

Klent,

 

I am currently using the New Airy Template and had ticked the boxes for "Show Progress on Line Items" as well as the "Estimate Summary".  I am still not generating an invoice that shows my prior or total bill amounts by line item, however.  I have the Estimate Summary but that is just a list of the invoices sent.  Nothing by line item for prior or total billed.  Am I missing something?  I have attached a screenshot of part of my invoice.

 

 

Giovann_G
Moderator

Progress invoicing help!

Hi, dawnjohnson.

 

Allow me to join on this thread.

 

The options to show the line item for prior or total billed is unavailable. As a workaround, you can create a statement for your customer to see the list of billed transactions.

 

Here's how:

 

1. Go to Sales.

2. Click the Customers tab.

3. Select the tick boxes for the customers you wish to send statements.

4. Under the Batch Actions dropdown, choose Create Statement. Make sure that the email addresses for the customers are correct.

5. To print or preview, click Print or Preview.

6. To email, click Save and Send.

 

Check out the guides here to know reports included in your QBO.

 

Add a comment if you have further questions or concerns. We're always here to help.

 

 

 

 

dawnjohnson
Level 4

Progress invoicing help!

I have left feedback and am hoping something might be done soon.  Fingers crossed!  Unfortunately, I will have to keep doing my Excel spreadsheet detail for the time being.  

HyJohn
Level 4

Progress invoicing help!

I use the desktop version of QBooks, and it does progress invoicing like what you are looking for.  I've never used the online version, so I cannot help you there.  I've been able to progress bill in the desktop version for years, and it works quite well.

kitchremod1
Level 1

Progress invoicing help!

Has anyone been able to add the total value of the contract at the bottom of each progress invoice?  My clients are complaining that they see the project progress but they cant see the total project value as well as total amount paid to date.

ChristieAnn
QuickBooks Team

Progress invoicing help!

Hi there, kitchremod1.

 

Thank you for visiting the QuickBooks Community. I'll be sharing details on how invoice details work in QuickBooks. Then, ensure you'll be able to perform an alternative way to achieve your goal.

 

In the meantime, there's no direct option to add the total value of the contract at the bottom of each progress invoice. Meanwhile, you can use the Add Footer text field and add the Total Value as an option with the specific amount and you'll have to perform this manually. 

 

Here's how:

 

  1. Go to Gear icon ⚙ and select Custom form styles.
  2. Click the New Style button and choose Invoice to create a new invoice template. Or, to update one of your existing templates, find the template and select Edit.
  3. Go to the Content Tab.
  4. Enter the Total Value and the amount or number in the Add footer text box.

 

Additionally, QuickBooks can integrate with hundreds of apps. With this, I reccomend going to the Apps center inside QuickBooks. Then look for compatible software that can help you in adding the total value of the contract at the bottom of each progress invoice. Please follow the steps below.

 

  1. Click Apps in the left navigation menu.
  2. Click the Browse Category drop-down menu, select Sync Data.
  3. Select the app you want to integrate.
  4. Click Get App Now and complete the following on-screen instructions.

 

On the other hand, you'll have the option to add an Account summary to your customer's invoice. This way, your customers will be able to see the total amount paid to date, balance forward, new charges, and total amount due. You can open this article to see further details and how on how to perform the process: Add an account summary to an invoice in QuickBooks Online.

 

 

 

Lastly, you may open this article to see various details on how the Sales page gives you a great at-a-glance view of the status of sales transactions like open invoices and paid invoices: View sales transactions.

 

If there's anything else I can help with about invoice details, feel free to post down below. Thanks for your time and have a nice day!

Fiat Lux - ASIA
Level 15

Progress invoicing help!

@kitchremod1 

Consider having an additional app to do so.

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