Level: Beginner | Duration: about 25 mins | 5 tutorials
This series is for anyone who handles invoicing, from a dedicated office team to an owner who does the books. Every tutorial follows Claire at SunComfort Systems and one customer, Dr Sean Spencer, so you can watch them in order or jump to the one you need.
For how invoice types, payments and credit notes fit together, read the Understanding invoicing article.
đ 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 take a completed job all the way to paid.
The tutorials
Bill the job
Raise an invoice from a completed job, choose how the charges are broken down for the customer, and hold it back as a draft if the figures are not settled.
Record the payment
Record what the customer has paid against the invoice, so it closes and the account balance is right, including when they have only paid part of it.
Correct a mistake
Raise a credit note when an invoice was wrong, leaving the original untouched, and refund the customer if they have already paid.
Show the customer what they owe
Send a statement listing everything still outstanding on an account, so the customer can see their position on one page and settle it.
Invoice several jobs at once
Combine several completed jobs for the same customer onto one invoice. Consolidated invoicing depends on your plan: the minimum is Go Paperless in the UK and All-in-one in the US.
Summary
đĄ Key takeaways
Start from the job: the invoice is built from the work done, so the charges match the visit.
Correct beside, not over: a credit note fixes a mistake and leaves the original invoice intact.
Keep the balance true: record payments as they arrive, so you only chase what's actually owed.
You'll know it's working when a customer's balance in Commusoft matches what they actually owe.