Creating an Invoice

Overview

Invoices are how you get paid. When work is complete, you create an invoice that documents what was done and how much is owed. BlueClerk invoices are professional, can accept online payments, integrate with accounting software, and can include photos from your completed work. You can now attach purchase orders to invoices, linking supplier orders to customer billing for complete job cost tracking.

When you create an invoice that doesn't have a linked job or ticket, BlueClerk prompts you to create one - ensuring you maintain complete work records and can schedule follow-up visits if needed.

IMPORTANT: Draft invoices stay DRAFT when saved - When you click "Save" on a DRAFT invoice, it remains as DRAFT and does NOT auto-promote to SENT anymore. This gives you full control over when your invoice becomes visible in accounting software. To mark an invoice as sent, use the "Mark Sent" button in the invoice header after saving.

CRITICAL: Line Item Edits Flush Before Save - When you type a price or quantity into a line item and immediately click Save, BlueClerk now waits for in-flight line item writes to complete before recalculating totals and syncing to QuickBooks. This prevents the "type 300, click Save, it syncs as $0" race condition that caused stale $0 invoices to appear in QuickBooks. The system tracks pending line item mutations using a ref counter and blocks the save operation until all pending writes finish.

NEW: Document Terms on Public Invoice Page - When customers view invoices via the public /invoice/[id] page, they now see your configured document terms displayed at the bottom of the invoice. Terms appear after line items and totals, providing clear payment policies, warranty disclaimers, or legal terms to customers before they pay. Terms are stored in your company settings and automatically included on all invoice views and PDFs.

NEW: Email Failure Protection - When you click "Send" on an invoice or purchase order and the email send fails, BlueClerk no longer marks the document as SENT. The status stays at DRAFT (for new documents) or remains unchanged (for existing documents), preventing invoices from being marked sent when customers never received them. This ensures your sent status accurately reflects whether customers have actually been notified.

NEW: Editable Email Subject Lines - When sending an invoice via email, you can now customize the subject line before sending. The default subject "Invoice [INV-1234] from [Your Company]" can be edited to match your preferred wording or add customer-specific context. This helps your emails stand out in customer inboxes and supports workflows like progress billing where you want to reference specific milestones.

NEW: Dual Delivery Channels - When sending invoices, you can now deliver them via both email AND SMS simultaneously. The email includes a professional branded message with a "View Invoice" button, while the SMS sends a concise text with a direct link to the invoice page. Perfect for ensuring customers receive your invoice regardless of their preferred communication channel. Both delivery methods are optional - send via email only, SMS only, or both together.

NEW: Per-User Email Signatures - Invoice and estimate emails now include the sender's personal email signature if configured in their user profile settings. This adds a professional, personalized touch to customer communications - each team member's emails reflect their individual contact details and closing message. If no signature is configured, emails send without a signature block.

NEW: Multi-PDF Attachments - You can now attach multiple PDF files to invoices before sending. Upload plans, contracts, photos, or any supporting documents, and they'll be included as email attachments when you send the invoice. Attachments are stored securely and remain linked to the invoice for future reference.

NEW: Product Thumbnails in Line Items - When adding products to invoices, thumbnail images now appear next to each line item if the product has a photo in your catalog. This visual reference helps you and your customers identify items quickly, especially useful for material-heavy invoices or when selling equipment with multiple similar SKUs.

NEW: Profit Tracking - Each invoice line item now tracks profit automatically by comparing your selling price to the item's cost from your catalog. The invoice detail page shows total profit and profit margin percentage, helping you understand job profitability at a glance. Profit data syncs to job profitability reports for financial analysis across all your work.

NEW: Automatic Item Validation - When you save an invoice, BlueClerk automatically validates that all line items have an itemId from your catalog. Items without catalog linkage won't sync to QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks, so the system prevents you from creating broken invoices. If you try to add a line item that doesn't exist in your catalog, you'll be prompted to create it first.

NEW: Purchase Order Attachment - Link purchase orders to invoices to track supplier costs against customer billing. When creating an invoice, select an existing PO from the dropdown to associate supplier expenses with the job. The linked PO appears on the invoice detail page, and you can view supplier costs directly alongside customer charges for complete job cost visibility.

NEW: Mark Sent Button - After saving a DRAFT invoice, use the "Mark Sent" button in the invoice header to manually change the status to SENT. This gives you explicit control over when invoices become visible in your accounting software and when customers are considered notified.

NEW: Real-Time Loading Feedback - While creating or editing invoices, you'll see loading spinners next to line items as they save to the database. This visual feedback confirms your changes are being saved and prevents the confusion of clicking Save and wondering if it worked.

NEW: Server-Side Item Search - The item picker now searches your catalog on the server instead of loading everything into the browser. This makes item selection instant even with catalogs containing thousands of products, and search results appear as you type with no lag.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Creating a New Invoice

1. Click "Finance" in the sidebar
2. Select "New Invoice" from the flyout menu
3. Choose the customer from the dropdown
4. Select the property (if customer has multiple addresses)
5. Add line items by clicking "Add Item" and searching your catalog
6. Review totals - subtotal, tax, and total update automatically
7. Click "Save" to save as DRAFT

Linking a Purchase Order

1. While creating or editing an invoice, scroll to the "Purchase Order" section
2. Click the PO dropdown to see available purchase orders
3. Select the PO you want to link to this invoice
4. The PO appears in the invoice detail view after saving
5. Click the PO link to view supplier costs alongside customer charges

Adding PDF Attachments

1. While creating or editing an invoice, scroll to the "Attachments" section
2. Click "Upload PDF"
3. Select one or more PDF files from your computer (max 10MB each)
4. Attachments appear in the list with filename and size
5. Remove attachments by clicking the X icon
6. When you send the invoice, all attachments are included in the email

Marking an Invoice as Sent

1. Save your invoice (it remains as DRAFT)
2. Review the invoice to ensure everything is correct
3. Click "Mark Sent" in the invoice header
4. The status changes to SENT and the invoice syncs to your accounting software
5. Customers can now view the invoice if you share the link

Sending an Invoice via Email

1. Open the invoice you want to send
2. Click "Send" or the send/email icon
3. Review the recipient email address
4. Edit the subject line if desired (default: "Invoice [INV-1234] from [Your Company]")
5. Add a personal message (optional)
6. Your email signature is automatically included if configured in your user profile
7. PDF attachments are automatically included if you uploaded any
8. Click "Send Invoice"
9. Customer receives a branded email with a "View Invoice" button
10. Invoice status changes to SENT automatically (if it was DRAFT)

Sending an Invoice via SMS

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