Invoices

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Introduction

Invoices are the cornerstone of your business’s financial operations in Blinksale. They represent billable services or products provided to your clients and serve as the primary method for requesting and tracking payments. This guide explores everything you need to know about creating and managing invoices effectively.

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Invoice Lifecycle

Blinksale invoices follow a comprehensive lifecycle that helps you track their status from creation to payment:

1. Draft - Initial creation and editing phase
2. Sent - Invoice has been delivered to the client
3. Viewed - Client has viewed the invoice
4. Partial - Invoice has received partial payment
5. Paid - Invoice has been paid in full
6. Overdue - Invoice payment deadline has passed
7. Canceled - Invoice has been canceled
8. Refunded - Payment has been refunded to the client

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Invoice Dashboard

The invoice dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of all your invoices and their current status. From this central hub, you can:

• View all invoices in a sortable, searchable list
• Filter invoices by status (Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue, etc.)
• Filter invoices by client
• Access invoice details
• Create new invoices

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Creating a New Invoice

To create a new invoice for a client:

1. Navigate to the Invoices section from the main sidebar
2. Click the “New Invoice” button in the top right corner
3. Complete the invoice form with the necessary information

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Essential Invoice Information

When creating an invoice, you’ll need to provide:

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Client Information

• Client - Select the client from your existing clients
• Currency - Choose the currency for this invoice (defaults to the client’s preferred currency if set)
• Issue Date - The date the invoice is issued (defaults to the current date)
• Due Date - The date by which payment is due (calculated based on payment terms)

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Line Items

Each invoice requires at least one line item. For each line item, you’ll specify:

• Name - The name or title of the product or service
• Description - Additional details about the item (optional)
• Quantity - The number of units
• Price - The unit price
• Unit of Measurement - The unit type (e.g., hours, items, pieces) if applicable
• Tax - Item-specific tax information (if using per-item taxation)
• Discount - Item-specific discount (if using per-item discounts)

You can add as many line items as needed using the “Add Item” button. You can also add saved items from your item library using the “Add Saved Item” button.

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Invoice Settings

The settings panel allows you to configure:

• Tax Settings
  • Tax distribution (no tax, per item, or per document)
  • Tax selection (when applicable)
• Discount Settings
  • Discount distribution (no discount, per item, or per document)
  • Discount type (percentage or fixed amount)
  • Discount value
• Payment Terms
  • Net terms (immediately, net 15, net 30, net 45, net 60, or custom)
• Late Fee Settings
  • Enable/disable late fees
  • Late fee type (percentage or fixed amount)
  • Late fee value
  • Late fee interval (one-time, daily, weekly, or monthly)
• Additional Settings
  • Shipping costs (if applicable)
  • Notes to display on the invoice (optional)
  • PDF attachment preference
  • Payment method options

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Viewing Invoice Details

To access detailed information about an invoice, click on its number in the invoice list. The invoice detail page provides:

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Invoice Overview

The top section displays key invoice information:

• Invoice number and status
• Client details
• Created date, issue date, and due date
• Financial summary (subtotal, discount, tax, total, amount paid, and balance due)
• Available actions based on the current status

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Line Items Section

This section lists all products or services included in the invoice, displaying:

• Item name and description
• Quantity and unit of measurement
• Unit price
• Tax information (when applicable)
• Line item total

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Financial Summary

The financial summary section provides a breakdown of:

• Subtotal (sum of all line items)
• Discount amount (if applicable)
• Tax amount (if applicable)
• Shipping costs (if applicable)
• Late fees (if applicable and accrued)
• Total amount
• Amount paid (if any)
• Balance due (for unpaid or partially paid invoices)

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Notes and Payment Information

This section includes:

• Any notes added to the invoice
• Payment method options (if enabled)
• Payment history (for invoices with payments)

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Invoice Actions

Depending on the current status of an invoice, you can perform various actions:

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Send Invoice

When you’re ready to share an invoice with your client:

1. Navigate to the invoice’s detail page
2. Click the “Send” button
3. Specify the recipient contacts from the client’s contacts list
4. Customize the email subject and message if desired
5. Choose whether to attach the invoice as a PDF
6. Click “Send Invoice”

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Download PDF

To generate and download a PDF version of the invoice:

1. Navigate to the invoice’s detail page
2. Click the “Download PDF” button
3. The PDF will be generated and downloaded to your device

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Apply Payment

To record a payment for an invoice:

1. Navigate to the invoice’s detail page
2. Click the “Apply Payment” button
3. Enter the payment amount (can be full or partial)
4. Select the payment method (cash, bank transfer)
5. Add an optional reference note
6. Click “Apply Payment”

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Update Status

You can manually update an invoice’s status to reflect various situations:

• Mark as Canceled - When an invoice should no longer be considered active
• Mark as Refunded - When payment has been returned to the client

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Editing Invoices

To modify an existing invoice:

1. Navigate to the invoice’s detail page
2. Click the “Edit” button
3. Make your desired changes
4. Click “Save Invoice” to apply your updates

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Deleting Invoices

If you need to remove an invoice:

1. Navigate to the invoice’s detail page
2. Click the “Delete” button
3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog that appears

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Converting from Estimates

You can easily convert approved estimates into invoices:

1. Navigate to the estimate’s detail page
2. Click the “Convert to Invoice” button
3. Specify payment terms and any additional invoice-specific settings
4. Review the information
5. Click “Create Invoice”

When an estimate is converted:

• All line items, pricing, and client information are carried over
• The estimate is marked as “Converted”
• A new invoice is created with a link back to the source estimate

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Late Fees

Blinksale can automatically apply late fees to overdue invoices based on your configuration:

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Late Fee Types

• Percentage-based - Calculated as a percentage of the invoice total
• Fixed amount - A specific amount added regardless of invoice total

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Late Fee Intervals

• One-time - Applied once when the invoice becomes overdue
• Daily - Applied daily until the invoice is paid
• Weekly - Applied weekly until the invoice is paid
• Monthly - Applied monthly until the invoice is paid

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Invoice Settings and Customization

Blinksale offers several ways to customize your invoices:

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Default Values

Client-specific defaults can be set for new invoices, including:

• Currency
• Tax settings
• Discount settings
• Payment terms
• Late fee configuration
• Payment methods

These defaults are applied automatically when you select a client while creating a new invoice.

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Document Appearance

The appearance of invoice PDFs is controlled through your branding settings, where you can customize:

• Company logo and colors
• Typography and fonts
• Email templates
• PDF layout and styling

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Best Practices

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Invoice Creation

• Use clear, detailed descriptions for each line item
• Include specific payment terms and due dates
• Add notes with additional payment instructions or terms if needed
• Review all calculations for accuracy before sending
• Consider grouping related services into logical line items

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Payment Management

• Apply payments promptly when received
• Keep detailed payment references for easy reconciliation
• Send payment receipts or thank-you emails when payments are received
• Follow up with reminder emails for approaching due dates

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Overdue Invoices

• Establish a clear follow-up process for overdue invoices
• Send gentle reminders before implementing late fees
• Consider offering payment plans for clients struggling with large invoices
• Document all communications regarding overdue payments

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

Cannot create an invoice:

• Verify that you have at least one active client in your account
• Check if you have the necessary permissions to create invoices

Client cannot view the invoice:

• Verify the email address is correct
• Check if the invoice PDF was successfully generated
• Ensure your domain has proper email authentication set up

Payment applied to wrong invoice:

• Contact support to help adjust the payment allocation
• In the future, always include invoice numbers in payment references

Late fees not calculating correctly:

• Verify the late fee configuration in the invoice
• Check that the due date is correctly set
• Ensure the invoice is marked with the correct status

By effectively managing your invoices in Blinksale, you’ll streamline your billing process, improve cash flow, and maintain accurate financial records for your business.