## Zoho Billing - Product, solutions, integrations, support, and resources Index

Access the complete documentation index at:
https://www.zoho.com/bh/billing/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available documentation pages before proceeding.

# Introduction - Invoices

An invoice is a financial document which indicates the supply of goods or services between a vendor and a customer.

**How does an invoice work?**  
The workflow of an invoice in Zoho Billing is as follows:

![Invoice Life Cycle](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/invoice-overview/invoice-life-cycle.png)

### Create Invoice

You can create an invoice in Zoho Billing from the sales module or directly from the dashboard.

**From the Sales module**

*   Go to **Sales** > **Invoices**.
    
*   Select **\+ New** button in the top right corner of the page.
    
    ![Create New Invoice from Sales](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/new-invoice/create-from-sales.png)
*   Select the **Customer Name**, **Invoice Date** and other details.
    
    ![Create New Invoice Part 1](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/new-invoice/invoice-new-part-1.png)
*   Enter the **Item Details**.
    
    ![Invoice Details](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/new-invoice/invoice-item-details.png)
*   After entering the required details, click:
    
    *   **Save as Draft** - to send it to your customer later
    *   **Save & Send** - to send it to your customer right away

> **Note:**  
> Fields in red are compulsory, others are optional.

**Fields**

**Description**

**Customer** **Name**

The customer for whom the invoice is created.

**Place** **of** **Supply**

The location where the supply takes place.

**Invoice#**

Invoice number is generally auto-generated. You can manually enter the invoice number as well by clicking the **Settings** icon next to this field.

**Invoice Date**

The date on which the invoice is created.

**Terms**

The time period within which the customer is obliged to repay the invoice amount.

**Salesperson**

A salesperson can be allocated to each invoice.

**Item Details**

Type or select the items from the **Items Details** dropdown.

**Tax**

Select a tax type from the drop down to apply to the selected Item.

*   After entering the required details, click **Save**.

**From the Dashboard**

*   In the **Dashboard**, click the **+** icon top of the page.
*   Select **Invoices** under **Sales**.

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### Import Invoices

Do you already have invoices in your business? Zoho Billing provides you the option to import invoices in the CSV, TSV or XLS format.

To import invoices:

*   Go to **Sales** > **Invoices**.
    
*   Click the **Hamburger** icon in the top right corner of the page.
    
*   Select **Import Invoices**.
    
    ![Import Invoices](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/new-invoice/invoice-import.png)
*   Click the **Choose File** button under **Upload File**. You can download a sample CSV or XLS file for your reference by clicking **sample csv file** or **sample xls file**.
    
*   Choose the **Character Encoding** and **File Delimiter** for your file.
    
*   If you want your invoice number in the imported file to be auto-generated, mark the box **Auto-generate Invoice Number**.
    
*   You can also **Link Invoices to its corresponding Sales Orders** by marking the box.
    
*   Click **Next**.
    
    ![Choose Import File](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/new-invoice/invoice-import-choose-file.png)
*   Ensure that all the fields are mapped correctly in the **Map Fields** page.
    
*   To use the similar import format for the next time, mark the box **Save these selections for use during future imports**.
    
*   Click **Next**.
    
    ![Map Import File](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/new-invoice/invoice-import-match-fields.png)
*   Click **Import**.
    

### Edit Invoice

To change details of an existing invoice:

*   Go to **Sales** > **Invoices** and select the invoice whose details you want to edit.
    
*   Click the **Edit** icon.
    
*   Make the necessary changes and click **Save**.
    
    ![Edit Invoice](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/new-invoice/invoice-edit.png)

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### Send Invoice to Customer

Usually, when you create an invoice, you would have saved it as a draft or sent it to your customer right away.

If you have saved it as a draft, you can send it to your customer manually. Here’s how:

*   Go to **Sales** > **Invoices** and select the invoice you want to send.
    
*   Click **Send Mail**.
    
*   Go through the template and click **Send**.
    
    ![Send Mail](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/invoice-send-mail.png)

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### Mark Invoice as Sent

You can manually mark an invoice as sent. This allows you to record payments for the invoice. To mark an invoice as sent:

*   Go to **Sales** > **Invoices**.
    
*   Select the invoice which is in the Draft status that you want to mark as sent.
    
*   Select **Mark as Sent**.
    
    ![Mark as Sent](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/invoice-mark-sent.png)

If you have enabled Customer Portal for the customer, they can view the invoice in their portal and perform actions.

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### Share Invoice Link

You can generate a link for an invoice in Zoho Billing and share it with your customers. Using this link, your customer can view and/or pay for that invoice.

To generate and share an invoice link:

*   Go to **Sales** > **Invoices**.
    
*   Select the invoice for which you want to share the link.
    
*   Click **Share**.
    
    **Note:** Only invoices with the \*\*Sent\*\* status can be shared.
    
    ![Share Invoice](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/invoice-share.png)
*   You can generate the link for **Public** or **Private & Secure** access.
    
*   If you have selected Private & Secure, your customer can view the invoice from their Customer Portal.
    
    ![Private & Secure Link](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/invoice-share-private.png)
*   If you have selected Public, click **Generate Link**.
    
    ![Share Public Link](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/invoice-share-public.png)
*   Copy the URL and share it with your customer.
    

#### Make Invoice Payments via Public Link

When your customer opens the shared URL or clicks **Pay Now** in the email sent for invoice payment, a page displaying the invoice number, invoice date and status opens.

*   They can pay for the invoice from this page by clicking **Pay Now**.
    
*   If your customers wish to view the invoice, they can click **View Invoice** next to the invoice number.
    
    ![Invoice Payment Link](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/invoice-payment-link.png)
*   Enter their email address in the popup to verify their identity.
    
*   Click **Verify**.
    
    ![Verify Email](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/verify-email.png)

Now they can securely access and view the invoice details.

![Invoice Details Page](/billing/images/help/images/invoice/manage-invoices/invoice-details-page.png)

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