Create Invoices is where you bill a customer. You choose the customer, add the items and services they bought, check the tax, discount and terms, and save. An invoice saved On Account is money the customer owes you: it goes into Accounts Receivable, ages by its due date, and is settled later in Receive Payments. An invoice saved with a payment method (cash, cheque, debit, credit, e-Transfer) is recorded as paid at the same time.
The same form, in other modes, writes estimates, sales orders and pending invoices; see Create Estimates, Create Sales Orders and Pending Invoices.
Opening Create Invoices
- Customers ▸ Create Invoices
- Home ▸ Create Invoices (the highlighted icon in the Customers band)
- Ctrl+I from anywhere
- New (Ctrl+N or F2) while you are in the Invoices list
New Invoice is always a blank form. Opening a saved invoice — from the Invoices list, a report, a customer's ledger — opens it in Edit Invoice instead, in a window of its own. See Edit, copy, void or delete an invoice. If the Create Invoices window is already open with an invoice you have not saved, opening Create Invoices again brings that window to the front with your invoice in it.
Step by step: write an invoice
- Open Create Invoices.
- In CUSTOMER, start typing the customer's name, company, phone or email and pick them. Their balance appears under the name, and their addresses fill in.
- Check the DATE (today unless you change it).
- In the item bar, scan a barcode or type an item name or SKU and press Enter to add the line. Repeat for each item.
- Set the quantity (press Tab from the item bar to jump to the last line's quantity), and change the price, discount or tax on a line if needed. See Invoice lines.
- On the right, under Document, set TERMS (for example Net 30), and a DISCOUNT, SHIPPING, NOTE, JOB or CLASS if they apply.
- Under Settlement, leave On Account selected for an invoice the customer will pay later, or choose how they are paying now.
- Under When this is saved, tick Invoice to print it, Email to email it, or Print Later / Email Later to send it in a batch.
- Click Save & Close (it reads Save & Close — $… paid when a payment method is chosen), or press F9. Use Save & New to save and start the next invoice straight away.
SeroBooks confirms the save — for example On account — $1,130.00 due from Patel Homes. Now in Receivables. — gives the invoice its number, and returns you to the Invoices list (or, with Save & New, to a fresh form).
The form at a glance
The form has three parts:
- The header: customer, credit position, invoice number, billing and shipping addresses, date and status.
- The item bar and lines grid: what the customer is buying.
- The right-hand panel: totals, document settings (discount, shipping, terms, note, job, class, time and costs), settlement, what happens when the invoice is saved, and the save buttons.
On a wide window the header sits on one row. On a narrower window it wraps onto two or three rows, and when the window is too short for both the header and a usable grid, the whole form scrolls and the lines grid keeps a working height of its own — so you can always see several item rows, even on a small screen or tablet.
The header
| Field | What to enter / what it means |
|---|---|
| CUSTOMER | Search by name, company, phone or email and pick the customer. New customer… in the list adds one without leaving the invoice. Once a customer is chosen, Edit customer (or double-clicking the customer) opens their form over the invoice; when you save it, the invoice re-applies their price level and tax province. |
| Balance chip | Under the customer: what they owe you now. Dr (red) means they owe you; Cr (green) means they have a credit with you. See What Dr and Cr mean. |
| Customer details | Their other name, phone and email, and pills for their price level and, when group pricing is in force, the rule (for example Wholesale · −10%). |
| ACCOUNT / CREDIT | The customer's credit position. With no limit set it shows what they owe (or Nothing owing) and No credit limit set. With a limit it shows Limit, Used and Available (or Over by), and — when the invoice is on account — After this invoice · $… left or This invoice puts them $… over. Click it to edit the customer and set a limit. |
| INVOICE # | On saving on a new invoice: the number is given when you save, from your document numbering. On a saved invoice it shows the number. The arrows below open the Previous invoice (older) and Next invoice (newer). |
| BILLING | The customer's billing address. Tax is charged for this address — the province here decides the tax. Shows No address on file if the customer has none. Point at it to see it in full. |
| SHIPPING | The ship-to address, or Same as billing. Different from billing when it differs. Printed on the invoice; it does not change the tax. |
| DATE | The invoice date. Today by default; type or pick another date to enter an invoice for an earlier day. If your role may not change invoice dates, the field is locked and says Your role cannot change the invoice date. |
| Status pill | Draft on a new invoice; on a saved invoice Unpaid, Partly paid or Paid. |
The item bar
The bar above the lines reads Scan barcode or type item name / SKU — Enter adds the line. As you type, matching items appear below with their SKU and stock: the quantity at this location, or here/all when you also hold stock elsewhere (amber when there is none here).
- ↓ / ↑ move through the matches; Enter adds the highlighted item; clicking an item adds it.
- Tab jumps to the last line's quantity.
- Esc clears the search.
- F3 or Ctrl+F puts the cursor back in the item bar from anywhere on the form.
- The grid icon at the end (Grid entry (size / colour run)) adds a run of sizes or colours of one item at once.
- If nothing matches, Nothing in the catalogue matches "…" appears with New product, which creates the item and adds it.
The lines themselves — location, item, serial, quantity, U/M, price, discount, tax and net amount — are explained in Invoice lines.
Totals
The top of the right-hand panel adds the invoice up:
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subtotal · n units | The lines before any invoice discount. |
| Discount 1 / Discount 2 | Invoice-level discounts, if set (green). |
| Shipping | The shipping charge, if any. |
| Taxable amount | What tax is worked out on. |
| Tax lines | Each tax separately — for example GST 5% and PST 7%, or HST 13% — with the total tax. |
| Round off | Shown only if rounding applies. |
| GRAND TOTAL | What the invoice is for. |
For a customer billed in another currency, a currency row lets you enter the exchange rate, and the total in the customer's currency is shown. On a saved invoice the panel also shows Payments and BALANCE DUE (see Payments on this invoice).
Document settings
Under Document, each tile shows its current value; click it to change it.
| Tile | What it does |
|---|---|
| DISCOUNT | Opens Bill Discounts: Discount 1 as a Percent or an Amount, and Discount 2 (%) — applied after Discount 1. The dialog shows the effect, for example "−$50.00 off $500.00". Shows None when there is no discount. |
| SHIPPING | Opens Shipping: the Shipping amount (Adds to the invoice; empty or 0 removes it), Tax on shipping, and the shipment — Status (Not shipped, Ordered — not picked yet, Packed — ready to go, Shipped, Delivered, Cancelled), Carrier, Carrier code (SCAC), Tracking / PRO number, Bill of lading, Delivered to (who signed) and Promised delivery date. |
| TERMS | Opens Payment terms — Sets the due date for an on-account invoice. Choose a term from your TERMS LIST, one of the quick choices (Net 7, Net 15, Net 30, Net 45, Net 60, Net 90), or type a Term in Days or Months (Empty or 0 = due on receipt). The dialog shows the resulting due date. The tile reads On receipt when no term is set. A term from the Terms list also carries its early-payment discount. |
| NOTE | Opens Invoice note — Printed on the document the customer receives: delivery instructions, a PO reference, terms. |
| JOB | Which job is this for? — the customer's jobs, or No job — general trading. The sale, its tax and its cost of goods all post against the job. Shown once you have jobs. See Jobs. |
| CLASS | The class for the whole invoice (a department, fund or product line). Shown once you have classes. See Classes. |
| TIME & COSTS | Add… lists the billable time and costs waiting for this customer and adds the ones you pick as lines. See Add Time/Costs to an invoice. |
Settlement: paid now, or on account
The Settlement card decides whether the invoice is paid when you save it.
| Choice | What happens |
|---|---|
| On Account | Selected by default in SeroBooks. The invoice posts as due for the customer and appears in Customer Balances and the aging reports; you receive the payment later. Invoice posts as DUE for (customer) and appears in Receivables. A customer must be chosen: Select a customer — walk-ins cannot buy on account. |
| Cash, Debit, Credit, e-Transfer, Cheque (and any other methods your location uses) | The invoice is saved and a payment for the full amount is recorded at the same time. |
With a payment method chosen, more fields can appear:
| Field | What to enter / what it means |
|---|---|
| Cheque number | For a cheque — From the cheque itself. |
| e-Transfer reference | The confirmation number from the bank. |
| Authorization code | For debit or credit — From the terminal slip, if not integrated. |
| Reference | For a custom payment method — a confirmation or reference number. |
| Deposit To | The bank or cash account the money went into. SeroBooks remembers the last one you used. Hidden when the company preference to use Undeposited Funds is on — the payment then waits in Undeposited Funds for Make Deposits. See Undeposited Funds and the Deposit To account. |
| CARD SURCHARGE | For debit or credit: a surcharge percentage to add, or Custom…. It is added to the total as Card surcharge. When the customer pays later by credit card, the surcharge is added in Receive Payments instead, as an invoice of its own with one Credit card surcharge line describing it — for example Credit card surcharge (2%) on payment of $3,000.00 paid by credit card against Invoice #1281, #1300 — see Card surcharge on a later payment. |
The reference you enter is stored on the payment and shown on the invoice, the receipt, the ledger and the customer's statement.
To take part of the money now and leave the rest owing, or to take two or more payment methods, use Split — see Taking a split payment.
When this is saved
Tick what should happen as soon as the invoice is saved:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Invoice | Prints the invoice (and remembers the choice for the next one). |
| Package slip | Prints a packing slip. |
| Print pack | Prints the set of documents chosen in the print pack settings. |
| Emails the invoice with the PDF attached to the customer's email address. | |
| Sends the invoice by WhatsApp. | |
| Print Later | Marks the invoice to print later, in a batch, from Print Forms. |
| Email Later | Marks it to email later, in a batch, from Send Forms. |
Ctrl+P on a new invoice ticks Invoice, so it prints as soon as you save.
Saving
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Save & Close | Saves the invoice as owing (On Account selected) and returns to the Invoices list. F9. |
| Save & Close — $… paid | The same button when a payment method is chosen: saves the invoice with that payment. F9. |
| Save & New | Saves as above and opens a blank invoice instead of going to the list. |
| Split, Estimate, Pending, Order | Split payment; save as an estimate; save as a pending invoice; save as a sales order. See The invoice buttons. |
| Clear | Empties the form after asking Clear this cart? — All items in the cart are removed. |
Ctrl+S, Alt+S and Alt+A also save. The save buttons are unavailable until the invoice has at least one line.
Checks when you save
| Message | What it means / what to do |
|---|---|
| Over credit limit — (customer) owes $… now; this sale takes them to $… — over their $… limit. Proceed anyway? | The invoice would take an on-account customer over their credit limit. Proceed saves anyway; Cancel goes back. |
| Credit check unavailable | The customer's balance could not be fetched. You can still proceed. |
| Selling below cost | A line's price is below the item's cost. The dialog shows the cost, the price and the loss; confirm to sell anyway. |
| (item): … Scan a unit you hold, or remove the line. | A serial number on a line cannot be sold (for example it is not in stock). |
| The warehouse chosen for (item) did not stick — reselect its location and charge again. | Re-choose the line's location. |
| …is dated …, which falls in a period closed on… | The invoice date is on or before your closing date. Date it in the open period, or ask an administrator (anyone with the closing date password can enter it to save). See Set Closing Date and Year-End. |
| The invoice is saved, but its terms were not (…). Open it and choose Terms again. | The invoice saved; reopen it and set TERMS again. |
| CHECK THIS SALE… | Rare: the total recorded by the server differs from the form. Open the invoice from the Invoices list and check it. |
Drafts: what happens if you leave the form
Each invoice window keeps its own draft while the window is open. You can switch to another window — a customer's ledger, a report, another invoice — and come back to find the invoice exactly as you left it, lines, customer and settings included. New Invoice keeps one draft; each saved invoice you open in Edit Invoice keeps its own. Nothing is posted until you save, and Clear discards the draft.
Once you save the invoice, or close its window, the draft is gone: the next Create Invoices opens blank, as in QuickBooks. Closing the window (its ×, Esc or Close all) while it has lines asks first — Discard changes closes it, Keep editing leaves it open. If SeroBooks itself closes while you are writing an invoice, the invoice comes back in its window the next time you start, with a message saying so.
Payments on this invoice
When you open a saved invoice, the panel shows Payments (what has been paid) and BALANCE DUE, and a Payments on this invoice card lists each payment: the method (— refund for a refund), the card or Ref reference, any note, and the amount. Click a payment to open its receipt. See Edit, copy, void or delete an invoice for how changes to a paid invoice are settled, and Print, email, online invoice link and other invoice actions for the Invoice actions card.
What the invoice posts to the books
When an invoice is saved, SeroBooks posts a balanced journal entry dated with the invoice date:
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Receivable | The grand total | |
| Sales revenue (or each item's own income account) | The lines before tax | |
| Discounts given | Any invoice discount | |
| Shipping income | Any shipping charged | |
| GST/HST payable, PST payable (QST payable in Quebec) | The tax on the invoice | |
| Cost of goods sold | The cost of the stock items sold | |
| Inventory asset | The same cost |
A payment taken with the invoice then posts separately: debit the Deposit To account (or Undeposited Funds), credit Accounts Receivable. An invoice on account leaves the grand total in Accounts Receivable until you receive payment. The job and class on the invoice are stamped on the lines, so Profit & Loss by job and by class include it. See How each transaction posts to the books.
Permissions
Creating invoices needs the Create right on Invoices; changing the invoice date needs the date right on New Invoice. Editing a customer from the invoice needs Edit on Customers. See Roles and permissions explained.
Tips
- Press Ctrl+I, type the customer, press Tab, scan or type items with Enter, then F9 — a whole invoice without the mouse.
- Set the customer's terms and price level on their form once, rather than on every invoice.
- Before saving an invoice for an earlier month, check the DATE — the invoice posts on that date.
Common problems
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The save button is grey. | Add at least one line. |
| Select a customer — walk-ins cannot buy on account. | Choose the customer before saving on account. |
| The wrong tax is charged. | Check the customer's billing province (double-click the customer to fix it); check the line's tax. See Tax on invoices, bills and expenses. |
| Prices are not the customer's special prices. | Check the customer's price level. See Price Levels. |
| The invoice I was writing disappeared when I clicked New. | New Invoice and each Edit Invoice window keep separate drafts. Go back to the window you were in (Window menu or the tab) to find it. A New Invoice window you closed is not kept. |
| Create Invoices opens with a customer and lines already on it. | That is an invoice you started and did not save, still open in its window. Save it, or close the window (Discard changes) and open Create Invoices again for a blank one. |
| The invoice date cannot be changed. | Your role cannot change invoice dates. Ask an administrator. |