Create an invoice from an order
From the order's «Documents» card, «Add» → «Invoice» fills in the client, lines and dates. Save it as a draft, with no number, until it's right.
People with the «Sales» permission in edit mode. With view mode you can open, download and send invoices, but not create or change them.
To invoice from an order, the order needs a client.
The Landmark Venues wedding is confirmed and it's time to bill it. Instead of typing the client, the dates and the tents again, you create the invoice from the order, and Filmo fills it in with what's on it.
You'll save it as a draft first, with no number, so you can check it calmly before it becomes official.
Before you start
Save the order and make sure it has a client. Without one, Filmo won't create the invoice and shows «Customer required» instead.
Create the invoice
- Open the order In «Orders», open the Landmark Venues wedding.
- Add the invoice In the «Documents» card, click «Add» and choose «Invoice».
- Choose how the lines look In , «Detailed» shows one line per item and «Grouped by type» groups them.
- Choose how much to invoice In «», leave «Complete» to invoice the whole order.
- Apply payments already taken If the order has payments that aren't on any document yet, tick them in «».
- Create it Click «Create». The editor opens with the order's client, lines and dates.
- Check the details Review «Invoice date», «Due date» and «Numbering».
- Save it Click «Save as draft».
The invoice is saved as a draft, without a number. A few things happened along the way:
- The invoice appears in the order's «Documents» card.
- The invoice has its own copy of the lines and of the client. Changing the order or the contact later doesn't change it.
- If you assigned payments, they now count as collected on the invoice.
- The indicator in the editor's header tells you what's still missing to approve, and what's recommended, such as the client's email, tax ID and address.
Tip: The Landmark Venues wedding is billed half before and half after the event. To invoice only a percentage or a period, choose it in «Document type»: see Invoice part of an order.
What you fill in the editor
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Invoice date | Today by default. You can change it freely; Filmo doesn't compare it with other invoices of the series |
| Due date | Calculated from the client's payment terms when you pick the client. Change it with the 7, 14 and 30-day shortcuts, a number of days or the calendar. It can't be earlier than the invoice date |
| Numbering | The series that will number the invoice when you approve it. The default one is already selected |
| Rental period | The dates the invoice covers. On a partial invoice, also the period or percentage |
| Payment method, currency, language | Taken from the client when they have them. They decide the PDF and how the invoice is collected |
| Template, header and footer text, custom fields | How the PDF looks and what extra information it carries |
If the client has no payment terms, the starts empty: set it yourself, or the invoice will never show as . If the client has payment days, the editor also shows the estimated payment date.
What happens next
- When the draft is right, approve it to give it its number: see Approve an invoice.
- A draft can't be sent to the client. Approve it first.
- Until you approve it, you can change it or delete it with no consequences.
Other ways to do it
Create an invoice from scratch
In «Sales» → «Invoices», click «New Invoice». The editor opens blank: choose the client and add the lines. It doesn't go through the «Document type» window, so it's always complete.
Convert a quote or a proforma into an invoice
On the quote or proforma page, click «Convert to» → «Invoice». The it had collected move to the invoice when you save it. See Convert a quote to an invoice or proforma; the Proformas topic explains the same for proformas.
To bring several quotes or proformas into one invoice, select them in their list and choose «Bulk actions» → «Convert to» → «Invoice».
Invoice several orders of a project
In the project's finances, select its orders and create the invoice: you get a single invoice with the lines of all of them. For a project without an order, use the «Create invoice for this project» quick action, which opens a blank invoice linked to the project.
Invoice repair tickets
In the list of , select them and choose «Bulk actions» → «Convert to» → «Invoice». Each ticket becomes a free-text line, with its client.
Turn a simplified invoice into an invoice
On a , click «Convert to» → «Invoice», for example when the client later asks for an invoice with their tax details. Filmo doesn't void the simplified invoice: both stay valid and both count as revenue, so void or correct the simplified one separately if it has to go.
Duplicate an invoice
In the «⋮» menu of the invoice or the row, click «Duplicate». You get a new draft with the same client, lines, , source order and due date, dated today. It doesn't copy the payments or the number, and it works in any status, even on a voided invoice.
Ask NEO
can prepare an invoice: it proposes the data and opens the editor, where you review it and save it. It doesn't approve it for you.
Edit a draft invoice
On the draft's page, click «⋮» → «Edit». The same editor opens; make your changes and click «Save as draft», or «Approve» if it's ready. Only drafts can be edited: a validated or voided invoice doesn't show «Edit».
If someone else saved the same draft while you were editing it, your save is rejected so their changes aren't overwritten. Reload the invoice and make your change again.
Advance payments move when you save
When you create an invoice from a quote or a proforma, its advance payments move to the invoice as soon as you save it, even as a draft. If you then delete that draft, they don't go back to the quote or proforma. Check the invoice before saving it.
If you see an error
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Customer required | The order has no client. Add one, save the order and try again. |
| You must select a contact | Choose the client in the editor. |
| You must add at least one line | Add at least one line. |
| Error saving draft | The save failed, for example because someone else changed the draft. Reload the invoice and repeat the change. |
| Error approving invoice | Something required for approval is missing. The approval errors article below lists each message and its fix. |
Frequently asked questions
No. The invoice keeps its own lines. If it's still a draft, edit it, or delete it and create it again from the order.
Yes. Filmo doesn't keep track of what you've already invoiced, so check the order's «Documents» card before you invoice it again. To bill it in parts, see Invoice part of an order.