Updated Oct 24, 2023
In Dubsado, you can add a client’s invoice details automatically to your contract! That way, there’s no need to manually adjust each contract or make different versions of the same contract template.
Invoices get added to contracts using invoice smart fields, which will autofill invoice details such as the invoice total, package names, or the payment plan.
👋 Here's a tip... Having a basic understanding of how invoicing in Dubsado works will help you master using invoice smart fields!
Add invoice smart fields to your contract template
To add an invoice smart field to your contract template:
Go to Templates > Forms.
Open your contract template.
Click or drag the Text Box to add it to your form.
In the form itself, double-click on the text box to edit.
In the formatting toolbar, click Smart Field > Invoice and choose an invoice smart field to insert into your form.
Click Save form.
👋 Here's a tip... You can review a list of our invoice smart fields if you're not sure which ones to use.
After you add your contract to a project that has an invoice, use the dropdown next to the contract to preview it.
The smart fields will automatically fill in with the details from the invoice!
Show which packages were chosen
Two invoice smart fields are ideal for automatically customizing the contract with which packages were selected on a proposal. Which one you use depends on how much detail you want to show!
Invoice Item Names & Amounts will generate a table that shows the name, description, quantity/price, and total for each line item. This option shows the most detail on what was selected and works great for custom quotes or invoices that will have a lot of packages.
Invoice Item Names will only show the name of each line item on the invoice. This option is great if there will only be one line item on the invoice that shows the package chosen.
👋 Here's a tip... If the language of your contract needs to change significantly based on which package is selected, you may not be able to accomplish all the customization you need with smart fields. In this case, it may work best to create a separate proposal for each package so that you can attach a dedicated contract for each one.
Show a payment plan breakdown
If there will be a payment plan on your invoice, it's common to want to include this information in the contract. The Invoice Payment Plan smart field generates a table that shows each payment due date and amount due.
FAQ
I added invoice smart fields to my template, but I can't see them filling in.
In order to autofill information from the invoice, there needs to be an invoice on the project for the smart fields to pull from. If some or all of your invoice smart fields are not filling in once you add the contract to a project, check to make sure that the project has an invoice and the relevant details are there!
What if I have more than one invoice on a project?
Invoice smart fields only pull from the primary invoice on the project. If you have more than one invoice on the project, check the Invoice List tab in the project to see which one is the primary invoice.
How does this work if I attach the contract to a proposal? Will the smart fields still fill in?
Yes! As soon as you add a proposal to a project, a primary invoice will be created (if one does not already exist). When the client submits the proposal, any packages they selected will be added to the invoice immediately. All the invoice details will be filled in and ready to go when the client views the contract.
What happens if I edit the primary invoice?
When a form is added to a project, any smart fields in the form will fill in a "snapshot" of the current data. This means that if you make changes to the primary invoice after adding a form with invoice smart fields to the project, the form will not update with the new invoice information.
If you need the form to show updated information, we recommend making a copy of the form so that the smart fields can be updated.
What if there are changes to the project after the contract is signed and I need my client to sign an agreement with a new payment plan or scope of work?
We recommend using a sub-agreement to communicate and agree to these changes with your client. The original contract, once signed, cannot be edited.
Invoice smart fields in your sub-agreement will reflect the current state of the invoice when you add the form to the project and will not update.