There are various ways to generate an invoice in Commusoft. Let's take a look at the options.

Create an invoice for a job

Learn how to create an invoice after a job has been completed to request payment from the customer.

Use the global search bar to locate the job you wish to invoice.
Open the job and go to the Invoices tab.
Click Add new invoice.
Select the Invoice Type.
Fill in the necessary invoice details.
To save as a draft:
- Scroll to the bottom of the invoice form.
- Click Advanced options.
- Tick the checkbox for Save invoice as draft.
Scroll to the bottom and click Save Invoice.

One trap worth knowing. Where a job carries interim invoices, or a deposit raised from a proposal, enter the final invoice at the full job value and let Commusoft deduct the earlier invoices. Apply the CIS deductions on the final invoice only, not on each invoice as it goes out.

Convert a draft invoice to an active invoice

Once you're ready to finalise and send the draft, return to the Job Overview page.
Go to the Invoices tab.
Click Draft Invoices.
Select View next to the draft.
Click Convert draft to invoice.
The invoice will now be active and ready for use.

Invoice details

In the Invoice details section, you can:

Add a written description for the invoice manually, or click Copy from job to pull in the job description.
Include engineer feedback from the relevant diary event by clicking Copy from engineer feedback.
Edit the invoice date (it will default to your system date).
Add any additional information you'd like the customer to see.

Invoice breakdowns

Choose how the invoice is structured by selecting the relevant breakdown:

No breakdown: One line item with the total amount.
Breakdown by category: Separates labour and parts.
Full breakdown: Each item listed individually.
Full breakdown by category: Items grouped under labour/parts categories.

Use the breakdown section

In this section, you'll add prices and items to the invoice. Any parts on the job must have the status Installed to appear in the breakdown section.

Click into the fields to enter information manually.
Use your keyboard for quick navigation. Press Enter to move to the next field or create a new line. Use up/down arrows to navigate dropdown menus.
Use preconfigured pricing items from your settings to prefill line items.
To add job-specific parts or labour, click Add line items to invoice and select from the side panel.

It is not currently possible to add line items or pricing items to invoices in the mobile app. This should be completed on the web.

Adding notes to an invoice

Invoice notes are ideal for adding internal context that doesn't belong on the official invoice document. Use them to track communication about payment terms, record a client's verbal confirmation, explain why specific charges were added or adjusted, or log decisions made by another team member.

To add a note

Go to the invoice.
Click View next to the invoice.
Open the Notes & Communications tab.
In the Notes section (top right), click Add new note.
Write your note and check any relevant boxes.
Click Save.
Your note will appear in the Communication timeline.
To edit or delete a note, click the relevant option next to the saved entry.

Common questions

Why aren't my parts showing in the invoice breakdown?

Parts must have the status Installed on the job to appear in the breakdown section. Check the parts status on the job before generating the invoice.

Can I add line items to an invoice on the mobile app?

No. Adding line items and pricing items to invoices is not currently possible in the mobile app. This must be done on the web app.

What do I enter on a final invoice when the job already has a deposit or interim invoices?

Enter the full job value on the final invoice, not just the remaining balance. Commusoft deducts the deposit and interim invoices automatically. For more on how the total is worked out, see Understanding invoicing.

How do I show a discount on an invoice?

To show a discount on an invoice, add a line item with a negative value at the same VAT rate as the items you're discounting. This reduces both the net amount and the VAT, so your customer pays VAT on the discounted price.

If the invoice has items at different VAT rates, add a separate discount line for each rate. If you sync invoices to Xero, negative line items are accepted as long as the invoice total isn't negative.

Important: A discount line must use the same VAT rate as the items it reduces, so VAT is charged on the discounted price. Let your bookkeeper or accountant know you're using discount lines, so your records and VAT returns stay correct.

Tutorial

The invoice is the financial record of every job. It is what turns a finished visit into money owed, and the choices made on the form decide what the customer sees and how the finance team reconciles it later.

📋 Before you start, you need:

A completed job to invoice
Active business units
Nominal codes and VAT rates set up

By the end you will be able to raise an invoice from a job, pick the type and breakdown that suit the work, and hold it back as a draft when the figures are not settled.

Watch a video

▶️ How to create an invoice

Practise this

On a test customer, open Add new invoice on a completed job and switch between the four breakdown styles to see what each one changes. Then open Advanced options, tick Save as draft invoice and save. A draft has no invoice number and doesn't go to your accounting package, so it stays out of your records.

Check what you know

Claire has built an invoice but the figures are not final yet. What does she do, and what does it change?

She uses the Draft invoice option in advanced options rather than saving the invoice outright. The difference is the invoice number: a draft is stored against the job without one, so it stays outside the financial record while the figures are settled. Once a number is generated the invoice becomes a permanent part of that record and a paper trail that cannot easily be erased, which is why anything still being agreed is better held as a draft than issued and unpicked afterwards.

Dr Spencer queries his bill because he cannot tell what he has been charged for. Which breakdown styles would have shown him, and what does that choice actually settle?

Full breakdown lists every individual item, and full breakdown by category does the same with the items grouped by type — either would have shown him line by line where the money went. Breakdown by category is the middle ground: it separates labour from parts without itemising each one. No breakdown gives a single total, which is the style that produces this kind of query. The choice settles what the customer reads on the page, so it is worth deciding once as a business standard rather than invoice by invoice.

Summary

Claire raised the invoice for Dr Spencer’s heat pump installation straight from the job record. She chose the invoice type, completed the details, set the breakdown style, and added the line items before saving.

💡 Key takeaways

Invoice type: decides how the invoice counts toward the job. A final invoice closes the job; an additional invoice doesn't count toward the final one.
Breakdown style: decides what the customer reads on their invoice.
Draft: has no invoice number and isn't counted in the job's invoiced total until you convert it.

You'll know it's right when someone who wasn't on the job can open the invoice and tell what each part of the total is for.