Create professional invoices and get paid seamlessly within Dubsado. This guide walks you through the process of manually creating and sending invoices to your clients.
Overview of invoices in Dubsado
Invoices in Dubsado allow you to bill clients for your services, track payments, and manage your revenue. You can create an invoice:
In the main Invoicing section
In the Invoicing tab within a project
By having your client complete a proposal, which generates an invoice automatically
This article focuses on how to create invoices manually.
Creating a new invoice
You can create a new invoice from two locations in Dubsado:
From the Invoicing section
Navigate to the Invoicing section in the main left sidebar.
Click the New Invoice button in the top left of the page.
Select a Contact from the dropdown menu. If the contact doesn't exist, click New contact to create one.
Select a Project from the dropdown menu. The project list will filter to show only projects associated with your selected contact. If the project doesn't exist, click New project to create one.
Click Create invoice.
From within a project
Navigate to your project.
Click the Invoices tab.
Click New Invoice.
Setting up your invoice details
Once you have a new blank invoice, start by setting up some basic details:
Invoice number: By default, Dubsado automatically assigns the next sequential number based on your previous invoices. You can manually enter a different number if needed, which is helpful when aligning with external accounting systems.
Invoice date: Automatically set to the current date, but can be changed. Note that this is not the due date.
Invoice title (optional): Add a descriptive title to help you or your client identify the invoice.
Invoice note (optional): Include any additional information your client needs to know about this invoice. Information here is visible to your client on the invoice. Rich text editing is available.
Click the Edit icon (pencil) in the upper right side of the view to modify these details.
Adding line items
Every invoice needs at least one line item. When in edit mode:
Manually adding line items
Click Add Item.
Enter the item name.
Add a description with additional details about the service or product (optional).
Edit the quantity.
Enter the price per unit.
Add a tax rate (if applicable). You can select from existing tax categories or create a new one.
Select an income category from the dropdown, or click New income category to create one. When creating a new category, specify the Category Name and Income Type (Services, Sales, or Non-Operating).
Toggle the Add bullet points option if you want your description formatted as a bulleted list.
You can add additional line items by clicking Add Item again.
Using package templates
To speed up invoice creation, you can use package templates:
Click Add a package in the toolbar above the line items section.
Choose a package template to automatically apply that package's line item(s) to your invoice.
Once you've added a package to your invoice, you can customize any of the line item details without altering your package template.
Additional invoice creation details
Adding time tracking entries
If you use Dubsado's time tracking feature, you can add tracked time directly to your invoice:
Click Time tracking in the toolbar above the line items section.
Select entries from the dropdown menu.
The selected entries will be converted into line items on your invoice.
Organizing line items
The order of line items on your invoice matters:
Line items appear on the client-facing invoice in the same order they appear in the invoice builder.
You can drag and drop line items to organize them in your preferred order.
Use the three dots menu (...) next to each line item to Duplicate or Delete the item.
Applying discounts
You can add discounts to your invoice by using your discount templates, or by creating a new discount:
Click Apply a discount in the toolbar above the line items section.
Select an existing discount template or click New discount.
Choose between a fixed amount or percentage-based discount:
Fixed discounts are applied to the invoice's grand total.
Percentage-based discounts can be applied selectively to specific line items. When you apply a percentage discount, a checkbox appears next to each line item allowing you to Apply [X]% discount selectively.
Saving your invoice
Once you've added all your line items and made any necessary adjustments, click Save to create the invoice.
Setting up payment plans
If you want to split the invoice total into multiple installments or set due dates:
Click Modify payment under the Payment Plan section.
In the Payment Plan editor, you can:
Apply a pre-built payment plan template from the dropdown menu
Click Clear installments to remove all current scheduled payments (note that locked or paid installments cannot be cleared)
Click Add installment to create a new payment schedule
To edit an existing installment (if not yet locked or paid):
Click the date to edit the Due Date setting (Fixed, Relative, or TBD)
Click the amount to edit the Amount Due setting (Fixed, Percentage, or Divide Equally)
Click Add reminder under the Reminders column to set up email payment reminders
Use the three dots menu (...) next to an installment to Duplicate or Delete it.
Click Save when finished.
You can customize the payment plan on an invoice without affecting your payment plan template.
Sending your invoice
Once you have created an invoice that you're ready to share with your client, you can share it in a few ways.
To email your invoice to a client:
Click the Sharing icon (up arrow) in the top right corner of the invoice detail view.
Click Send to open the new email composer with a link to your invoice.
Customize your email message and send.
You can also use the sharing options to:
Copy Link to share the invoice URL directly
Download as PDF to save a copy of the invoice
Once an invoice has more than $0 of value, it will automatically appear within the client's portal — even if you've yet to send the invoice to the client via email. Keep this in mind when deciding when to give your client access to their client portal.
Invoice options
The three dots menu (...) in the top right corner of the invoice detail view provides additional actions:
Make this invoice primary: Designate this as the main invoice for the project (if it's not already). Each project can only have one primary invoice at a time.
View invoice: Preview how the invoice will appear to your client by opening the invoice in a new window.
Close invoice: Mark the invoice as uncollectable. This sets all payment plan installments to "Closed" status and removes it from active collections.
Delete invoice: Remove the invoice entirely.
You cannot delete an invoice if any payments have been applied to it. If you don't wish to collect payment on the invoice, use the Close invoice option instead.
Recording payments manually
You can manually log a payment that was made offline, such as receiving cash or check. To manually log a payment on an invoice:
Click Log new payment in the Transactions section.
Set the date of the payment.
Select the payment method (cash, check, credit, e-transfer, PayPal).
Enter the amount.
Add a description (optional).
Click Save.
The payment amount will automatically be deducted from the invoice's balance.
For existing transactions, click the three dots menu (...) to:
Edit or Delete manual payments
Log or initiate a Refund
Payments processed through Dubsado Payments can be refunded directly from here. Refunds for payments received another way are for record-keeping only, and you must initiate the refund outside of Dubsado.
Managing invoices with Autopay
If a client is enrolled in Autopay and you need to edit the invoice, you'll receive a dialog box asking you to confirm that you want to continue editing. You can safely make changes to invoice line items, the invoice's total, the payment plan, or the project's assigned project dates without interrupting autopay. However, please notify your client of any changes in the amount or date of their remaining installments.
FAQ
Can I delete an invoice after a payment has been made?
No, invoices with recorded transactions cannot be deleted. If the payment was manually entered, you can remove the payment from the invoice, which will then allow you to delete the invoice. For payments processed through Dubsado Payments, use the Close invoice option to mark it as uncollectable.
What is the difference between the invoice date and due date?
The invoice date typically marks when the invoice was created or issued, though you can set whatever date you like as the invoice date. Due dates are set by using a payment plan and these dates indicate when payments should be received. Automatic payment reminders also reference payment plan due dates, not the invoice date.
How do income categories help me?
Income categories help you track and understand how much revenue different services or products are generating for your business. You can specify whether income is from Services, Sales, or Non-Operating sources.
Can I edit paid or pending installments in a payment plan?
No, once an installment is paid or pending (locked), it cannot be edited. You can only modify installments that haven't been paid yet.
What's the difference between Table view and Board view for invoices?
Table view displays your invoices in a traditional list format, while Board view shows a Kanban-style layout where invoices are organized by their lifecycle stage (Unpaid, In Progress, Paid, Overdue, Closed). You can switch between views using the Display settings icon.