When you're ready to get paid, a one-time invoice is a quick and easy option that you can create manually. In this lesson, we'll explain how to build a one-time invoice inside a project and then send it to a client.
To create a one-time invoice, open up the client's project and go to the Invoices tab. Click add to open a blank invoice. Click new line item to add your line items, and fill in the item name, description, quantity, price, and taxes or income categories as needed. Once you've filled in all the details for your line item, click add item. You'll notice the total update in the lower right.
Next, set up a payment plan. You can set a single due date if the entire invoice is due at one time, or you can set multiple due dates to help your client pay down the total invoice in a few installments.
Click 'Create Payment Plan' to choose how many installments you want your payment plan to have. We'll choose "2" to begin breaking this payment plan up into two 50% payments.
If you'd like to pre-schedule automated email reminders, you can set those up here as well. We'll cover payment reminder emails in a later lesson. Click the top of the installment to set the date, then click the second installment to add another date for the final 50%, due a few weeks later.
To check out how our invoice looks, click send, open in new window. As long as you've connected a payment processor, your client will see 'pay now' buttons next to each due date and at the bottom of the invoice.
The client will always have the option to pay a specific installment or pay in full. Once a payment is made, the date and amount of payment will be recorded on the invoice and the remaining balance will be updated. This allows the invoice to also act as the client's receipt, so they can save it as a PDF or print it out for their records. Back in Dubsado, when you're ready to send the invoice, click send via email.
Tip #1
You can create templates for invoice line items, aka packages, and for payment plans! Once you've set up these templates, you can access them using drop down menus on an invoice.
Tip #2
You can edit the default send invoice canned email under Templates - Canned Emails - Edit Templates. Be sure to include an invoice link smart field so that your email includes a link to the invoice.
Tip #3
You don't have to send a new copy if changes are made to the invoice. Each Dubsado invoice is a living document with a unique URL. If you change any part of the invoice, those changes will always be live on the client's view of the invoice as long as they have the right link.
Troubleshooting #1
If the total of your invoice is "$0," but you have line items and prices, double check that you've included a quantity. "1" is the minimum quantity required on a line item to ensure the total price is calculated... even if you don't consider your service to have a quantity!
Troubleshooting #2
At this time, Dubsado only supports invoicing in one currency at a time. If you need to invoice in multiple currencies, please contact our chat support team for assistance.
