Document numbering series

Every number on a quote, invoice or contract comes from a series: a name, a number format and the last number used. Each document type has its own series, all set up in the same place. With the series Filmo creates, the Landmark Venues wedding quote could be P260042 and its first invoice F260117.

Where to find it

«Settings» → «Finances» → «Sales invoicing preferences», under «Document format» → «Document numbering». «Add line» creates a series, and clicking a series edits it. You can drag the series to change their order.

Purchase orders and supplier invoices have their own screen: «Settings» → «Finances» → «Purchase invoicing preferences», «Document format» → «Purchase orders» and «Purchase invoices».

Options

Number format tokens

If the number grows past the digits you reserved, it's written in full. The year and month are those of the moment the number is assigned, not of the document's date: an invoice dated December and approved in January carries the new year. The help on screen mentions %, [YY] and [YYYY], but [MM] works too.

The series Filmo creates for you

If you don't have a series for a kind of document, Filmo creates one the first time it's needed:

When a document gets its number

A number is never repeated in the account, and deleting a numbered document doesn't free its number for another one: the series keeps the gap.

Proforma numbering

• A proforma takes its number from a proforma series, chosen in «Numbering» in the editor; the default one is preselected.
• The number is assigned the first time the proforma is saved, even as a draft, and doesn't change when you edit it.
• Two proformas in the same account can't share a number, and the series can start again every year.
• Deleting a proforma leaves a gap: its number isn't used again.
• A proforma carries no tax signature and doesn't go through the invoice's compliance checks.

More about proformas: How proformas work.

Contract numbering

• A contract gets its number when it's issued. Drafts have no number: the list shows them as «Draft», and the order's «Documents» card as “draft”.
• The series Filmo creates for contracts is «Línea CT» (its name is in Spanish in every language), with numbers such as CT260001. In the editor, «Contract details» → «Numbering series» preselects it, and you can pick another.
• If issuing fails, the number isn't used, so contract numbers leave no gaps.
• A voided contract keeps its number; it isn't given to another contract.
• In «Sales invoicing preferences», contract series are under the «Contracts» category.

Invoice numbering

• Saving a draft assigns no number. Approving assigns the next one, in the same step that locks the invoice. If the approval fails, no number is used.
• Deleting a draft doesn't affect the series, since it had no number. Voiding keeps the number: it isn't freed for another invoice.
• The default series for invoices is the F[YY]%%%% one Filmo creates; the screen has no option to choose another. The editor selects it for you, and you can pick any other in «Numbering».
• Two invoices can't share a number. If an approval fails because of a duplicate number, see Fix a duplicate invoice number error.
• Filmo doesn't check that «Invoice date» follows the order of the numbers.

Credit note numbering

Credit notes have their own series, CN[YY]%%%% by default. A credit note gets its number when you approve it, never before, so deleting a draft leaves no gap. The editor's «Numbering» proposes your default credit note series.

• The «Return» field of an invoice series is informational. A credit note always uses the series chosen in its own editor, whatever the series of the invoice it corrects.
• Without an active default series for credit notes, approving fails with a message in Spanish that starts with «No hay una serie de numeración activa por defecto para facturas rectificativas». Choose a series in «Numbering», or activate one.
• Simplified rectifying invoices have a series of their own, SCN[YY]%%%% by default.

Simplified invoice numbering

Simplified invoices and simplified rectifying invoices each have their own series, in the «Simplified invoices» and «Simplified rectifying invoices» categories of «Sales invoicing preferences». A simplified invoice gets its number when you approve it, never before: a draft has no number, and deleting one doesn't affect the series.

• Approving needs an active default series for the document type. Without one, approval fails with “No active default numbering series…”.
• A draft keeps the series it had when you created it. Changing «Numbering» later in the editor isn't saved.
• Numbers are never repeated, but the series can have gaps: if approving an already saved draft fails at the last moment, its number is used up.
• Voiding keeps the number. It's never released.

Every year starts again at 1

Series have an annual reset: the first number assigned in a new year goes back to 1, for example F250042 in December and F260001 in January. You can't turn it off or change the starting number.

Good to know

• When you move to Filmo from another program, set «Last num.» to the last number you issued there. Lowering it later can produce duplicate numbers.
• Deleting a series deactivates it: it's no longer offered, and its documents keep their numbers.
• Two series whose formats give the same result, for example with the same prefix, produce duplicate numbers, and the second approval fails.
• There's no series per country. If you invoice in several countries, create one series for each and choose it on each invoice.
• A billing account has its own series, set up in that account's «Sales invoicing preferences».
• If a document type has no active default series, saving or approving fails with “No active default numbering series…”. Choose the series in «Numbering». If the account has no active invoice series at all, opening «Sales invoicing preferences» creates the default ones again.

Related resources

• Fix a duplicate invoice number error
• Approve an invoice
• Create a quote
• How invoices work