I know this has been hard for you, @mdmason. I can see the inconvenience of putting so much effort into customizing an invoice email template and not being able to utilize it. Your feeling is valid and I truly understand your sentiments. No worries, I'm here to make this up to you by making sure we're able to properly customize an invoice template so it will show on emails.

To start with, I want to make sure that we're on the same page in creating a customized template. I'll be including the steps and some screenshots for your reference:

1. Go to the Gear icon then select Custom form styles.
2. Hit on the New style dropdown then select Invoice.
3. When you click on the Content section and select Footer, the message you'll going to put in that area will reflect on the official invoice form.
   
   
    
4. When you move on to the Emails section, the Message to the customer portion will be displayed on the email received by your customer prior to viewing the actual invoice form.
   
   
   
    
5. When finished,  hit Done.

Now when creating an invoice, be sure to use the created template by clicking on Customize.

However, if the customized email template doesn't carry over when sending it through email, I'd suggest using an incognito mode to see if it's a browser-related issue since the browser stores cached files every time we visit a site which causes the system to behave abnormally. If this works, you can clear your browser's cache and cookies, or use another supported browser if the issue persists.

Lastly, I've included this article that you can use in properly recording invoice payments to balance your account: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.

I'm still all ears if you need further assistance with your invoices in QuickBooks Online. Just add your reply below and I'll circle back to help you. Keep safe.

QuennieC.  It's not the invoice.  The invoice looks fine.  It is the email template that is the issue.  Attached is the bottom of the emails that are being sent.  Everything from "Hope to see you again," and below is not something we've added.  It's not in the template email messages that we created.  This worked before and in the last several days, it started adding this to our emails.  It doesn't matter the computer or the browser that we generate the email from.  We discovered today that if we turn off all of the credit card payment options that the email will look ok.  That's not an acceptable option.  We want our customers to be able to pay by credit card from the emailed invoice. 

Here is the top of the email.  We did not add the Intuit, turbotax, credit karma, quickbooks, mailchimp links in.  Our logo is scrunched and very small.  If we turn off all the payment options, all that I have mentioned goes away and the email looks correct.  Again, it doesn't matter what computer or browser I work from.  The same thing happens.

I understand how crucial and relevant invoice email displays are when a customer receives them, mdmason.

As QuickBooks aims to provide professional-looking invoice email displays, these details added are significant since QuickBooks works with its associated payment channels. The appearance included in this may be a result of improvements being made to the email interface. You can send your valuable feedback directly to our product engineers to allow these displays as turned off or disabled. They may consider your suggestion and will work on its progress to include them in future product updates.

Here's how to send feedback:

1. Go to the Gear icon and select Feedback.
2. Enter your product suggestions or feedback.
3. Then, click Next to submit.

I'm adding this helpful reference to guide you in receiving customer payments: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.

I appreciate your willingness to help us improve our products, mdmason. We've always got your back if you require additional assistance managing your invoice transactions. Feel free to leave them in the comments below. Keep safe!

Hi TRIHanson - I know what you are referring to. I thought initially I could select HTML and the payment link would be in the email. But then I realized that only worked for invoices initially created when "online" was selected for email delivery. If I create the email in "online" setting and then switch to "html" the payment link will be in the email. It will look like the example you provided. But if I create the invoice in HTML there isn't a payment link when I send. There isn't an option to select ACH or credit card payments when I create the invoice either in HTML version. What I may have to do is create invoices in the Online setting, switch to HTML, and then send the emails.

This whole mess is incredibly frustrating. I had to turn off the auto reminders because they were sending out the unprofessional version email. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to prioritize this with QBO?  FYI, my personal account is also on QBO and the invoicing has not changed. So it doesn't appear that it was rolled out to all clients. 

"Improvements to the email interface".  You have a funny definition of improvements.  You broke it.  Now you should fix it.  Your solution is to have me give some feedback and then you "MAY" consider fixing it.

I don't think you understand how crucial and relevant this is!  Your response indicates something else.  

How is the "Receive invoice payments" article relevant to my question? 

I want a product that works.  This product doesn't now.

LauraG.  Thank you.  Your steps are essentially what we have decided to do as a workaround until Quickbooks decides to actually fix this.  We create maybe 10 invoices a day, give or take a few.  Our plan is to create the invoices through out the day in the Online Invoice mode.  At the end of the day, 1 person will go in and change to HTML, email all of the invoices and then reset the setting back to Online Invoices.

We've discovered that the Card payment option and the ACH payment option must be enabled for the View Invoice payment button to appear in the email.  We would prefer to only take ACH payments but if we turn off the Card payment option, the View Invoice payment button does not appear in the email.

Thank you for your observations and comments on this.  It helped me.

Ms. LauraG,

You are so right.  I have invoices that are on recurring every month, I tested one to be sent to me and you are so right, there is no way to pay online. I am not sure what I am going to be able to do for these customers. 

Amen to your comment "This whole mess is incredibly frustrating"  I do not know what to do but to go to a different program if QBO does not correct this. 

Update:  I just created an invoice using the "online" setting and the prior template is there now. I sent an invoice to myself to make sure and it has been corrected. At least for this one particular client. I will keep automatic reminders off for now though. I have completely lost trust in QBO that they won't do sneaky marketing behind my back. It affects my client relationships and even worse, their relationship with their customers.  This debacle has proven to me that they absolutely do not care about their accountant relationships.  

I have 268 customers that have to receive a recurring invoice every month. I am testing it again with the online invoices and send myself a recurring test invoice and see what it does.  I can't see myself creating each one of them an invoice at the first of every month.  That would take so long and a chance missing someone...  I am the only one in the office. :-(.  OR I just strap my boots on and create each and every one....  Lord help

So, it appears that the issue has been fixed for us also.  Hopefully, that means they will be fixing it for everyone.  I have very little trust or faith with this company.  

I HATE that QBO did this to us... the email header and footer are RIDICULOUS with a comma and an ! after the name.

Everything about it sucks. 

AND as much as I wanted the Online/ html switch to work, as a temporary fix, when I switch to html, the credit card and bank transfer buttons are gone, along with all of their stupid logos and verbiage. 

This is so incredibly frustrating and ridiculous!

And the format has changed for non-credit card payment emails. My logo is altered/crunched and there is a whole other section added above the PDF. This is CRAZY!!!!

I want out. 

This has not been fixed for me... please let me know if there is a specific thing you did to get rid of the new format.

Thanks so much.

I understand it can be challenging, especially regarding something as important as the appearance of your invoice emails in QuickBooks Online, Bluechute.

We value your feedback and want to address this issue promptly. Consider sending additional feedback to our developers about the feature's functionality on the changed format of the invoice email. By providing information, they can identify the advantageous option for your business and potentially incorporate it into future product improvements. You can follow the steps provided by my colleague @FateCandylaneT on sending the feedback.

I'm including an article that provides a step-by-step guide on how to send statements to your customers, allowing them to view summaries of their invoices, payments, credits, and balances: Create and send customer statements in QuickBooks Online.

Your ideas for enhancing our products are greatly appreciated. We are here to support you if you need further support with managing your invoice transactions. Please feel free to leave any additional comments below.

Thanks Laura G for the help with the temporary solution of creating invoices in "Online invoice" mode then switching to "HTML" mode before sending the invoice.  I contacted QuickBooks support 3 times and never received any suggestions on how to fix the issue other than being told to submit feedback in hopes that the product engineers may resolve the issue.  What a joke!  I can NOT believe this has been going on since May and there is still no resolution over 3 months later. This is a high priority issue.  These emails look very unprofessional with an exclamation point then a comma.  Will this ever get resolved?  Has anyone figured out a permanent fix to the issue?

Thank you for this.

I noticed the random switch in my client facing emails. It looked wild with all of the logos and my message to the client at the very bottom. But it was the "Hope to see you again" that really got to me. Your fixed saved it! I switched to HTML and sent myself a test. Hated it. Switched back to online...and the client emails now look like the preview again - instead of the evil spammy looking monstrosity. 

THANK YOU!