Create and send an invoice

An invoice starts as a draft, becomes open when you send it or mark it as sent, and closes when it is paid, written off, or voided. Sending emails the customer a link to a page where they can read it, save the PDF, and pay online.

Three ways to start one

• From a job: Create invoice on the job (later, Create another invoice). It is linked to the job and carries its customer and line items; visits are billed through their job.
• From an accepted estimate: Create invoice on the web, Convert to invoice in the Zaras app.
• From scratch: New Invoice on the web Invoices page, New invoice in the app. On the web, a customer's completed jobs without an invoice are listed under Jobs needing an invoice, each with Create Invoice.

An unlinked invoice shows Not linked to a job in its Job field: use Link to job, pick the job, confirm with Link job. Unlink reverses it.

Dates and payment terms

Under Payment terms choose Upon receipt, Net (a preset or Custom number of days after issue), or On a specific date. The default comes from Settings → Payment Terms.

The Issued date is either Date sent, set automatically when you send, or a Specific date you pick. Until then the dates are planned and become final when the invoice is sent. The invoice number is assigned on creation from the prefix and sequence in Settings → Numbering.

Send it, or mark it as sent

Send invoice opens an email to the customer with the PDF attached; confirm with Send email. Only a draft can be sent, and it needs line items: This invoice has no billable total — add line items before sending. The due date must not precede the issued date.

If you delivered it another way, use Mark as sent. It changes the status from Draft to Open and nothing else: This will not send an email or text message.

While the invoice is open, Send reminder emails the customer again; once paid, Send receipt sends a receipt.

What the customer sees

The emailed link opens a page with the invoice, its status, View PDF and Download PDF. With Settings → Online Payments on, it also shows a Pay button for the balance due and a Payment history.

Statuses

• Draft — not sent; the only status in which the money can still be edited.
• Open — sent; pricing, payment terms and the issue date are now locked.
• Partially paid / Paid — set by recording a payment, never by hand.
• Written off / Voided — closed without full payment.
• Overdue is a condition, not a status: an open or partially paid invoice past its due date with a balance due. It still counts as Open or Partially paid.

Owners, admins and technicians hold the invoices permission by default. If Create invoice or Send invoice is missing for you, ask an owner or admin to grant invoices to your role.