Billing a task or project

List the work you will charge for as service lines on each task. When the work is done, Generate invoice turns the unbilled lines into one invoice for the project's customer. You can bill a single task, or several tasks of a project on one invoice.

The Projects module only appears when your subscription plan includes Projects.

Before you start

• The project must have a Customer (bill to). Without one the invoice buttons are greyed out.
• You need permission to create sales invoices as well as the Projects permission. Without it, Generate invoice does not appear on the task.
• The project must be open (not Completed or Cancelled). A task does not need to be open — you can bill a task after it is done.

Steps: add service lines

1. Open the task. In Services & billing, click Add service.
2. Choose the Service or item, for example labour, call-out or installation. The Rate fills in from its selling price. Change it if you agreed a different price.
3. Enter the Quantity (for example hours). The Amount works itself out.
4. Optionally choose who it was Performed by and add a Description.
5. Leave Bill this to the customer ticked for chargeable work. Untick it to record work you will not charge for. It shows greyed out as (not billable).
6. Click Save.

The total of the billable lines is the task's Planned bill.

Steps: generate the invoice for a task

1. On the task, click Generate invoice. The number in brackets is how many lines are still unbilled.
2. Check the Selling department and Invoice date.
3. Leave Bill consumed materials at their bill rate ticked to charge for stock used on the task. Only materials that have been consumed and have a bill rate are included.
4. Untick any service line you do not want on this invoice. It stays unbilled for later.
5. Click Create invoice. The button shows the total before tax.
6. The new invoice opens. Check it and record any payment on it as usual.

Steps: one invoice for the whole project

1. On the project page, click Invoice at the top.
2. The same window lists unbilled lines from every task, with each task's number.
3. Choose what to include and click Create invoice.

How the invoice is made

• It is a credit invoice for the project's customer, so it shows what they owe until it is paid.
• Taxes are worked out from each item's tax setup, just as if you had entered the line by hand.
• Materials are billed at the bill rate set on the allocation. They are not taken out of stock again: the task's stock consumption already did that.
• The invoice is linked to the task (or tasks). Its total shows under Billed, and payments received show under Received.
• Each invoiced line shows its invoice number, for example INV-1042. Click it to open the invoice.

Nothing is billed twice

• Once a service line is on an invoice it is locked. It cannot be edited or deleted, and it is never offered for billing again.
• Materials already billed are not offered again. If more is consumed later, only the extra quantity is offered next time.

Tips

• Add service lines as the work goes on, not only at the end. The task and project then show a realistic planned bill and margin.
• If you charge a fixed price that includes materials, leave the materials' bill rate empty, or untick Bill consumed materials at their bill rate.
• To bill part of the work now and the rest later, untick the lines you are holding back.

Common problems

• Generate invoice or Invoice is greyed out → the project has no customer. Open the project, click Edit and choose a Customer (bill to).
• There is no Generate invoice button on the task → you do not have permission to create sales invoices, or the project is closed.
• "You need permission to create sales invoices." → ask your administrator.
• "Set the project's customer before generating an invoice." → set the customer on the project.
• "Nothing left to bill" or "There is nothing left to bill on the selected tasks." → every billable line is already invoiced. Add service lines, or consume allocated materials that have a bill rate.
• "Choose the selling department for the invoice." → pick a Selling department, or set a department on the project.
• My materials are not listed → they have not been consumed yet, or their allocation has no Bill per base unit. Edit the allocation to add one.
• "This line has been invoiced and is locked." → correct the invoice itself, not the task line.
• The invoice date is refused → the date falls in a closed accounting period. Choose a date in an open period.