Invoice and payment
Once an order is confirmed, it's invoiced and paid before it can be dispatched.
| Invoice status | Meaning | Order can be dispatched? |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Created, not yet final | No |
| Posted | Final and recorded in the accounts; waiting for payment | No |
| Partially Paid | Some money received | No |
| Paid | Fully paid | Yes |
| Cancelled / Reversed | Undone in the Invoicing module | No |
Create the invoice
Where: the order page. Who: sales.invoice.create.
- The order must be Confirmed, with no invoice yet.
- Select Create Invoice. You'll see "Invoice created from sales order."
- An Invoice button appears at the top of the order. Select it to open the invoice.
One order has one invoice, covering the whole order.
Post the invoice
Where: the order → Invoice. Who: sales.invoice.post.
The Sales Invoice page shows the invoice number, status, the lines (Product, Variant, Description, Qty, Unit Price, Discount, Tax, Line Total) and the Journal Transaction Details.
- Check the lines and totals.
- If needed, check the journal accounts first.
- Select Post Invoice. You'll see "Invoice posted successfully." The status becomes Posted.
Post Invoice is offered only for a Draft invoice with at least one line and a total above zero.
Journal accounts
Who: the Accounting module, accounting.account.view and sales.invoice.accounts.update.
While the invoice and its journal are Draft, the page shows: "Journal is still in Draft — you can change the debit/credit accounts below." Each row shows Account, Type (Debit or Credit), Amount and Base Amount.
| Entry | Usually | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Debit | Accounts receivable (the customer owes you) | 1100 Trade debtors · 327.60 |
| Credit | Sales income | 4000 Sales · 327.60 |
To change an account, search and pick it, then select Save Account Changes ("Journal accounts updated successfully."). Discard undoes your unsaved changes. Once posted, the accounts are fixed.
Record a payment
Where: the invoice → Record Payment (or 1 Payment, 2 Payments … once there are some).
Who: payment.create and payment.allocate. The invoice must be Posted or Partially Paid.
- On the Invoice Payment page, select Record Payment.
- Fill in:
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | The amount received; can't be more than the outstanding balance; up to 4 decimals | 200.00 |
| Payment Method | Cash, Bank transfer, Card, Cheque, Online or Other | Bank transfer |
| Payment Date | When it was received | 07/11/2026 |
| Reference Number | The bank or receipt reference | FPS-77812 |
| Notes | Optional | First instalment |
- Select Record Payment.
The Payments table lists each payment: Payment Number, Date, Allocated Amount, Base Allocated Amount and Journal (with its status).
Example: paying in two parts. The Café Aroma invoice is 327.60: mugs 40 × 4.50 less 15% = 153.00, T-shirts 10 × 12.00 = 120.00, subtotal 273.00, tax at 20% 54.60.
| Payment | Amount | Outstanding after | Invoice status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1, bank transfer, 7 Nov | 200.00 | 127.60 | Partially Paid |
| 2, card, 9 Nov | 127.60 | 0.00 | Paid |
Now the order can be dispatched.
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| "Amount cannot exceed the outstanding balance." | Enter no more than what's still owed. |
| "Amount must be greater than zero." / "Amount is required." | Enter the amount. |
| "Payment method is required." / "Payment date is required." | Fill them in. |
| "Unable to record payment." | Check the invoice is Posted, and your permissions. |