Customer invoices are documents issued to customers when they purchase a product or service from a company. They can include due amounts for the goods and/or services provided with applicable sales taxes, shipping and handling fees, and other charges. Odoo supports managing invoices and their corresponding payment flow. This article helps you how to manage invoices on Odoo.
Invoice creation
Invoices are created first as drafts and can be done by navigating to the Accounting app, selecting Customers, and then Invoices. Note that a draft invoice has no impact on accounting unless confirmed. An invoice must include the following information:
Customer
Existing customers can be added directly on the invoice. To create new customers, navigate from the Accounting app, select Customers, and then again Customers. Information such as the customer’s home / office and delivery address will be automatically filled.
Invoice Date
When the invoice is confirmed for payment.
Due Date
When the customer has to pay the invoice. You can alternatively set payment terms of 15 or 21 days depending on the circumstances and how much is asked.
Invoice Lines
The products availed by the customer. For each line added, it contains the following:
Product (either from the Catalog or as a textual description)
Quantity
Price
Taxes (If applicable)
Journal Items
Accounting entries created in relation to the Invoice Lines.
Optional Information
Can be set under Other Info where you can add or modify Customer Reference, Payment Reference, Delivery Date, Fiscal Position, and more.
When creating an invoice, it defaults to a draft and can only be confirmed if you enter the required information such as the customer, delivery address, and availed products or services.
Invoice sending and printing
Once an invoice is confirmed, you can send it to the customer via email or letter. The latter requires In-App Purchase (IAP) credit or tokens. Sending via email has similar usage to platforms like Gmail or Microsoft Outlook. The print function is also available if a physical copy is required or you want to download the invoice on your computer.
If you want to modify the default invoice layout, navigate to the Settings app and select General Settings. Templates for different emails can also be created and modified there.
Reporting
Customer invoice transactions are reported on the Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss, and General Ledger which can be found by selecting Reporting on the Accounting app. For outstanding customer invoices, you can view them on the Aged Receivable report.
Payment and reconciliation
When accounting transactions correspond (and are reconciliated) to an existing invoice, then it is considered paid. If an invoice were not paid, Odoo has an function to follow up customers on their invoices which can be modified by selecting Configuration under the Accounting app.
Wrapping Up
You are now all set to manage invoices by creating and sending them to your customers. Start by creating your first customer and link the products they have purchased from your company.