Invoice smart fields can autofill details like the invoice total, package names, or even a payment plan breakdown in your contract.
There's no need to manually adjust the contract each time you send it or make 10 different versions of the same contract template... just let our smart fields handle the customization for you.
👋 Here's a tip... having a basic understanding of how invoicing in Dubsado works will help you master using invoice smart fields!
In this article...
Add invoice smart fields to your contract template
Go to Templates >> Forms.
Open your contract template.
Click on a text box element to edit the text (or add a new text box element if needed).
Click in the text where you would like to insert a smart field.
In the formatting toolbar, make a selection under Smart Field >> Invoice to insert the smart field.
Save your changes.
Once you add your contract to a project that has an invoice, just use the dropdown next to the contract to preview.
The smart fields will automatically fill in with the details from the invoice!
👋 Here's a tip... you can review a list of our invoice smart fields if you're not sure which ones to use.
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'd like 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 update.
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.