Aside from the standard prompts available on all forms, the Create Invoice form prompts for the following information:

Select an invoice to edit from the drop-down list, or select (Add New) to create a new invoice.

Select "Deleted" if you want to delete an existing invoice.

Note: If you are using QuickBooks integration in batch update mode, the invoice will be saved with status = "Deleted"; the invoice in Smart Contractor and in QuickBooks will then be deleted the next time you Update QuickBooks Data.

Enter or select the date of the invoice.

If you enter an invoice number, the program will display this in the list of invoices at the top of the form, and the invoice number will be printed on invoices. The invoice number will also be copied to invoices in QuickBooks (if you are using QuickBooks integration).

If you do not enter an invoice number, the invoice date will be used as the invoice number, and QuickBooks will automatically assign the next consecutive invoice number when invoices are copied to QuickBooks.

Check the Credit check box to create a "credit invoice" (credit memo). If you are using QuickBooks integration, credit invoices create "Credit Memos" in QuickBooks.

Click to expand the invoice options box. The invoice options box contains the following options.

Select the status of items to include in the list. "Completed Items" selects only items that have had their cost entered in the Enter Purchases form, or in the Job Progress entry form.  "Work Started" selects only items that have been set to status "Work Started" in the Job Progress entry form. "All Items" selects items of all status'.

Select a job section for which to select invoice items. The program will list job items that are included in the job section you select.

Select a Cost Category for which to select invoice items. The program will list only the cost categories of job items that you select.

Rather than just scrolling through the list of items to be invoiced, there are two ways in which you can narrow the list: 

• By Job Phase, or
• By Group Item

If you select "Job Phase", the following prompt will allow you to select the job phase for which to list invoice items.

If you select "Group Item", the following prompt will allow you to select the group item for which to list invoice items.

If you selected "Job Phase", the previous prompt, this prompt will allow you to select the job phase for which to list invoice items.

If you selected "Group Item", the previous prompt, this prompt will allow you to select the group item for which to list invoice items. 

Indicate whether to invoice based on estimated or actual item costs...

• Estimated Cost, except for allowance items, the cost column displays the estimated item cost (plus markups), so invoices are based on estimated item costs. For allowance items, the amount displayed is the actual cost (as entered in the Job Progress form, or the Enter Purchases form and Enter Labor Hours form).

  Note: If the actual item cost for an allowance item has not been entered, the program will invoice the estimated cost. You can create another invoice after the actual item cost has been entered, and the program will automatically invoice (or credit) the difference between the actual cost and the amount previously invoiced.

• Actual Cost, the cost column displays the actual item cost (plus markups), so invoices are based on actual item costs. You enter actual costs in the Purchase Entry form and Labor Hours entry form, or the Job Progress form.

Check this option to invoice items with zero estimated or actual cost.

Enter a percent to invoice all selected items. The program will set the value in the "Percent To Invoice" column to the value that you enter here (unless that exceeds the invoice balance amount).

Enter the total amount (before sales tax) to invoice. If you enter an amount here, the program will automatically select items to include in the invoice (in the order they are listed) up to the fixed amount to invoice.

Check this box to invoice the estimated amount for Allowance Items with zero costs entered.

Check this box to invoice the markup only for Allowance Items with zero costs entered.

Click to expand the invoice print formatting options box. The print options box contains the following options.

Check to print the job recap report with the invoice.

Check to print the list of items included in the invoice.

Select the order in which to sort items in the printed invoice.

Check to print item prices in the invoice.

Check to summarize item prices by Group Item.

Check to summarize item prices by Job Phase.

Check to print the total amount due (for all invoices in the job) at the bottom of the invoice.

Check to list items in the invoice by item structure.

The invoice item grid displays the list of items to be included in the invoice. You can select items to include in the invoice based on criteria that you select in the Options... drop-down box (discussed above).

When you add a new invoice, the item grid displays items with the status you select in the List Items With Status prompt, and items which have not been fully invoiced.

You can invoice less than the full amount for individual items. You might want to do this when you need a draw for an item that has not been completed.

You can change the actual cost of an item after it has been invoiced. The result of this is the same as having invoiced less than the full amount. You can invoice the balance in a later invoice.

When you edit an existing invoice, the invoice item grid displays the list of items in that invoice. You can click the More Items button to add more items to an existing invoice.

If you create an invoice for an item and then later enter an actual cost which is higher than the estimate, and if the item is an Allowance, or the contract type is not "Fixed Sum" (i.e. you need to invoice more for the item), the item will be re-listed in the invoice item grid (as though your previous invoice was a partial invoice) with the invoice amount set to the difference between the amount previously invoiced and the actual costs entered. This will allow you to automatically invoice for the any differences between amounts previously invoiced and actual costs entered.

1. Select a Job in the prompt at the top of the main window. If a job does not exist for the customer, create one using the Edit Job form and Edit Job Estimate form. 

2. To enter actual item costs, you can do either of these:

1. Update the actual item costs in the Purchase Entry form and/or the Labor Hours entry form, or
2. Enter the actual item costs, and set the item completion status to "Work Started" or "Completed" in the Job Progress entry form.

3. In the shortcut menu, click Invoice, then Create Invoices.

4. Complete the prompts described below.

1. Select a Job in the prompt at the top of the main window.

2. In the shortcut menu, click Invoice, then Create Invoices. Select the invoice to edit (by date) from the prompt for Invoice.

Note: Only the last invoice entered can be edited or changed! This is because of program logic necessary to manage "partial invoicing".

3. Complete the prompts described below.

Click OK.

Click Print.

Click Email.

The invoice will be sent as a PDF file attachment to the email address that you enter for the customer in the Edit Customer form. You specify the customer for this job in the Edit Job form.

Click Cancel.

Click Cancel to close the invoice. Click Exit to close the form.

Check box to select the item to be included in the invoice.

The item name, as entered in the Edit Job Estimate form.

The item status: "Started", "Partially Invoiced", or "Completed".

Displays the estimated item cost without markups or sales tax.

Displays the estimated item cost with item markups (but not sales tax or Finance Charge).

Displays the sum of the actual costs entered for this item to date, without markups or sales tax.

Note: Click in the "Cost To Date" cell to display a detailed list of purchases or labor hours entered for the item on that line.

Displays the sum of the billable costs entered for this item to date, without markups or sales tax.

The billable costs for an item may be different than the actual costs for two reasons:

1. The "Billable" check box in the grid in the Enter Purchases form, and in the Enter Labor Hours form allow you to indicate whether the labor or purchase cost for an item should be billed to the customer. If the "Billable" check box is not always checked on costs entered for an item, then the billable costs will be less than the actual costs.
2. The "Bill Labor At Fixed Rate" check box in the Misc tab of the Edit Job Estimate form allows you to indicate whether to bill labor hours for that item at a fixed rate. When labor hours are billed at a fixed rate for an item, then the billable labor costs will be different (presumably higher) than the actual labor costs.

Displays the billable amount entered for this item to date, with markups (but not sales tax or Finance Charge).

The box is checked if the item is an Allowance Item.

Displays the amount that has been invoiced for this item on other invoices.

The Balance To Invoice is the difference between the item (estimated or actual) cost and the amount of previously invoiced.

Enter a number (beween 0 and 100) to invoice a percent of the item cost. The program will calculate the invoice amount as cost x invoice percent.

The amount to invoice for this item. You can enter an amount less than the item balance to invoice a partial amount for this item.

Displays check mark if the item is taxable. The taxable status is set for each item/cost category in the Edit Estimate form.

Displays the amount of tax previously invoiced.

Displays (and allows you to enter) the tax amount.

Enter any notes to appear on the line below this item in the invoice. This is the same note that can be entered in the "Item Note" box in the Edit Estimate form.

The prompts below the invoice item grid are...

Displays the total sales tax of the selected (checked) invoice lines.

Displays the total of the selected (checked) invoice lines.

Prompts for the retainage percent. Defaults to the Job Retainage Percent that you set in the Estimate Setup tab Edit Job form.

Displays the invoice retainage amount based on the retainage percent entered above.

Displays the invoice Subtotal minus Retainage.

Displays the deposit balance, which equals the amount entered in the prompt for Deposit Amount in the Edit Job form, minus the sum of all Apply Deposit Amounts entered in other invoices for this job.

See How Do I... Apply Deposits To Invoices topic for more information.

Enter the amount of the deposit balance to apply to this invoice. You can enter any amount between 0 and the Deposit Balance. The Apply Deposit Amount that you enter will be subtracted from the Deposit Balance and from the Invoice Total for this invoice.

See How Do I... Apply Deposits To Invoices topic for more information.

Displays the invoice total, which equals the sum of the selected (checked) invoice lines, minus the Apply Deposit Amount.

Enter any notes to appear on the invoice, after the list of items.

Click OK to save the invoice.

Click Print to print the invoice. This will format the invoice in a "printed form" style invoice. You can also print the invoice as a merged "Draw Request" document by using the Print Invoices form.

Click Cancel to cancel changes.