Create, send, and get paid on an invoice

Create a professional invoice, send it as a branded email with a link to view and download, and record the payment when it arrives.

Create and send:

1. Open All pages in the left sidebar, then under Sales click Invoices, then New invoice.
2. Pick the customer in Bill to. Start typing to search your whole customer list.
3. Set the Issue date and Due date. Quick presets are On receipt, Net 14, and Net 30.
4. Add line items: description, quantity, unit price, and optional tax. The totals update as you type.

5. Click Save & send. Set the recipient, subject, and message, preview the PDF, then send it.

Your customer gets a branded email with a link to view and download the invoice.

Record a payment:

1. Open the invoice and click Record payment.
2. Enter the amount, the date, and the account it was deposited to.

Partial payments are supported, so you can record more later.

If none of the amount received is applied to an invoice, BooksGPT shows the full amount that will become customer credit and asks you to confirm it explicitly.

Fix an erroneous customer credit:

1. Open All pages, then under Reports click Customer credits.
2. Find the credit, open its Actions menu, and choose Reverse source payment.
3. Review the impact, enter a reason, confirm the exact amount, and click Reverse payment.

This is the right way to undo a payment that accidentally became customer credit. It does not delete the Unapplied Customer Credits account. BooksGPT keeps the original journal entry and posts an equal-and-opposite reversal for the audit trail. If the payment was deposited, reconciled, applied, imported, or dated in a closed period, the dialog explains which dependency to undo or correct first. Workspace owners and bookkeepers can reverse source payments; other roles can still view the report.

Use Un-apply credit when the receipt itself is correct but the credit was put on the wrong invoice. Un-applying makes the credit available again; it does not reverse the customer's payment.

Invoices imported from QuickBooks are managed there, so BooksGPT does not show Record payment or Void invoice on them. Record or correct the payment in QuickBooks, then import again. You can still use Duplicate to start a new, native BooksGPT draft without changing the imported invoice.

Set your invoice numbers:

1. Open All pages, then under Setup click Invoice settings. Numbering is the first section.
2. Set a prefix (like INV-), the next number, and how many digits. The page shows exactly what your next invoice will be numbered before you save.

You can also type a number straight into the Invoice # field on a draft. Leave it blank to continue the series. Invoices you already sent keep their numbers.

Delete or restore a draft:

1. Open the draft, choose More invoice actions, then Delete draft.
2. Confirm Delete draft. The dialog explains that the draft moves to Deleted; deletion makes no accounting entry and keeps the invoice number reserved.
3. To recover it, open the Deleted filter in Invoices, open the draft, and click Restore draft within 30 days.

After 30 days the draft leaves the Deleted view, but its number and audit history remain retained. No posted invoice is ever hard-deleted.

Void or delete a posted, unpaid invoice:

1. Open a native BooksGPT invoice and choose More invoice actions.
2. Choose Void invoice to keep it visible with a Void status, or Delete invoice to remove it from ordinary invoice lists.
3. Enter an open-period reversal date and a permanent reason, then click Review accounting impact.
4. Review the exact amount, period, customer-link effect, and recovery path. Void requires an acknowledgement; Delete requires typing the exact invoice number.

Both actions keep the original invoice and journal entry. BooksGPT posts one equal-and-opposite entry so accounts receivable, revenue, and sales tax net to zero. A posted deletion remains available in the Deleted filter and cannot be restored; use Create replacement to make a new draft. Remove or reverse any payment or applied credit before using these actions. Imported invoices must be corrected in their source system.

Manage an invoice (the More actions menu):

After you send an invoice, BooksGPT shows it as a posted document rather than an editable form. The banner above it explains why accounting fields are protected and which actions are safe for that invoice. On desktop, Summary and Activity sit beside the document; on a phone, switch between those two tabs.

Use View activity to see one newest-first timeline. Document covers versions and document changes, Books covers payments, credits, and voids, and Delivery covers sends, views, reminders, and delivery results. Choose All to see them together.

Revise customer-facing details on a posted invoice:

1. Open a native BooksGPT invoice and click Edit invoice.
2. Change the title, subheading, P.O. number, or notes and terms. You can also change the due date while the invoice is unpaid; the due date stays fixed after a payment has been applied.
3. Enter the reason for the change, then choose Review and resend or Save without notifying.
4. Click Review changes to compare every old and new value, then click Save revision. If you chose to resend, BooksGPT opens the updated email and PDF for review; nothing is emailed until you confirm Send.

This revision creates a permanent version and activity record without changing the invoice amount, tax, revenue, accounts receivable, or payment history. Use a separate accounting correction for the customer, invoice number, items, quantities, prices, discounts, or tax. Imported invoices stay read-only and must be corrected in their source system.

Each email is attached to the exact invoice version that was sent. An older email continues to open and download that historical PDF, with a notice and a View latest link when a newer version exists. A PDF that was already downloaded does not change.

• Duplicate copies it to a new draft.
• Void invoice reverses a posted, unpaid invoice while keeping it visible and retaining its number.
• Delete invoice reverses a posted, unpaid invoice and hides it from ordinary lists without erasing its audit trail.
• Make recurring repeats it on a schedule. See "Recurring invoices and payment reminders".
• Invoices past their due date without full payment turn Overdue automatically each morning.

Note: customers cannot pay by card directly through BooksGPT. Collect payment your usual way (bank transfer, check, or your own payment link) and record it on the invoice.

Updated on: 17/08/2026