---
title: Invoices — create, send, and get paid (step by step)
description: Beginner-friendly walkthrough of creating, sending, and reconciling invoices in Easy Invoice — every field explained, the why behind each input, and the full flow from Add New to Paid.
---
# Invoices — step-by-step for first-time users
If this is your **first invoice ever** in Easy Invoice, follow this page top to bottom. Every field on the Invoice Builder is listed, with **why** you'd fill it in and **what the client sees** when you do.
> Need help setting up your defaults first (company name, logo, currency, prefix)? Run through the **[Quick start](./quick-start)** first, then come back here.
## What an invoice looks like end-to-end
| Stage | Where it happens | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Create it | WP Admin → Easy Invoice → Add New Invoice | `Draft` |
| 2. Mark Available | Click **Publish** / **Available** in the builder | `Available` |
| 3. Send to client | **Send Email** button in the builder | (email sent) |
| 4. Client pays online | Public invoice URL → gateway → return | `Paid` (auto, with webhooks) |
| 5. Or record a manual payment | Easy Invoice → Add New Payment | `Paid` (manual) |
---
## 1. Open the Invoice Builder
WP Admin sidebar → **Easy Invoice → Add New Invoice**.
The builder opens with **five tabs** on the left:
1. **Invoice Details** — the basics (title, number, dates, status, notes, terms)
2. **Items** — what you're billing for
3. **Client** — who you're billing
4. **Discounts & Taxes** — pricing modifiers
5. **Payment** — gateways and currency override
You don't have to fill them in this exact order — the builder remembers everything between tabs and saves on **Publish**.
---
## 2. Invoice Details tab
### Invoice Title
**What it is**: A short label like *"Website design — May 2026"*.
**Why it matters**: Shows in your invoice list (admin) and on the public invoice page right under the invoice number. Helps both you and the client identify which job this invoice is for.
### Invoice Description
**What it is**: Free-text paragraph.
**Why it matters**: Optional. Use for context that doesn't fit in line items — *"This invoice covers Phase 1 only; Phase 2 will be invoiced separately."*
### Invoice Number
**What it is**: Auto-generated from your prefix + counter (e.g. `EIIN_0042`).
**Why it matters**: Read-only by default — auto-increment keeps numbers sequential, which most tax authorities require. The format is set under **Settings → Invoice → Invoice Prefix** and **Next Invoice Number**.
### Issue Date
**What it is**: The day you consider the invoice "issued" (today, usually).
**Why it matters**: Many tax regimes calculate VAT/GST based on issue date, not due date. Set this carefully if you're back-dating.
### Due Date
**What it is**: When the invoice should be paid by.
**Why it matters**: Drives the "Overdue" badge, the auto-email payment reminders (Pro), and the "X days late" warnings on your dashboard.
> **Suggested default**: Issue Date + 30 days for B2B, Issue Date + 7 days for retainers.
### Status
| Status | What it means | When to use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Draft** | Hidden from clients, not yet "issued" | While you're still editing |
| **Available** | Live and visible at the public URL | Once you're ready to send |
| **Unpaid** | Sent, not yet paid | After sending (set automatically) |
| **Overdue** | Past the due date, unpaid | Auto-set on the due date |
| **Paid** | Payment recorded | After a payment is collected |
| **Cancelled** | Withdrawn | If the deal falls through |
### Notes
Visible **to the client** on the PDF/public invoice — use for "thanks!" or special instructions.
### Internal Notes
**Not visible** to the client — for you and your team only. Use for *"client wants Net 60 — already approved by Sarah."*
### Payment Terms
The terms paragraph at the bottom of the invoice. **Defaults to your global** *Settings → Invoice → Terms & Conditions* — override per invoice if needed.
---
## 3. Items tab — what you're billing for
Click **Add Item** to add a line. Each item has:
| Field | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| **Item Title** | Short name — what shows on the invoice (e.g. "Website design"). |
| **Description** | Multi-line explanation under the title. Useful for breaking down what's included. |
| **Quantity** | Number of units (hours, items, etc.). Use `1` for fixed-price jobs. |
| **Price** | Unit price. |
| **Adjust (%)** | (optional) Markup or markdown for **this item only**. `+10` adds 10%, `-25` subtracts 25%. Hide this column globally via **Settings → Invoice → Show/Hide Adjust Field** if it confuses clients. |
| **Total** | Auto-calculated (Qty × Price + Adjust). Read-only. |
| **Taxable** | Tick to include this item in the invoice tax calculation. Untick for tax-exempt items. |
> **Pro tip:** With Pro's [Item Library](./features#item-library), you can save your common line items (hourly rate, support retainer, hosting) and add them with one click. PRO
---
## 4. Client tab — who you're billing
### Select Client (dropdown)
Pick from existing clients you've already added. Each client is created under **Easy Invoice → All Clients → Add New Client** with:
- Business name (or first + last name for individuals)
- Billing email
- Phone, website
- Billing & shipping address
- Tax / VAT number
If you don't have a client yet, save the invoice as Draft, jump to **All Clients → Add New**, then return.
> **Why this matters:** the selected client's email is who receives the **Invoice Available** email when you click **Send Email**. Their billing address is printed on the invoice header under "Bill To".
---
## 5. Discounts & Taxes tab
### Discount Type
- **No Discount** — skip the whole section.
- **Percentage** — e.g. 10% off the subtotal.
- **Fixed Amount** — e.g. $50 off.
### Discount Value
The number that goes with Discount Type (10 for 10%, 50 for $50).
### Calculation Method
- **Before Tax** — discount reduces the taxable amount, then tax applies. *(EU-friendly)*
- **After Tax** — tax is applied on the full subtotal, then the discount comes off the total. *(US-friendly)*
This choice matters for legal accuracy — check what your local tax authority requires.
### Tax Rate (%)
Override the global default tax rate (set in **Settings → Tax → Default Tax Rate**). Use `0` for tax-exempt invoices.
### Price Includes Tax
- **No** (default) — the prices you typed in Items are **net**, tax is added.
- **Yes** — the prices you typed **already include** tax; Easy Invoice extracts the tax portion for reporting.
> **Why it matters:** in the EU, most B2C catalog prices include VAT by default. In the US, prices are typically net.
### Additional Tax fields PRO
If you've enabled *Pro → Additional Tax* (e.g. for Canadian GST + PST), a second tax block appears here. See [Settings reference → Tax](./settings-reference#_5-tax-settings) for the calculation modes.
---
## 6. Payment tab
### Payment Gateways
Tick which gateways the client can choose on this specific invoice. Defaults to **all enabled gateways from Settings**. Untick to hide one for this invoice — useful for *"this big client gets bank transfer only, no card fees."*
### Currency
Per-invoice override. Defaults to **Use from Global Settings**. Set when you bill an international client in their currency.
### Currency Symbol Position
Same idea — override the global symbol position (before/after the number) for this one invoice.
---
## 7. Save, mark Available, send
When you're done editing:
1. Click **Save Draft** to keep editing later, **or**
2. Set Status to **Available** and click **Publish** — the invoice goes live at a public URL.
3. Click **Send Email** to email the **Invoice Available** template to the client.
The email body and subject come from **Settings → Email → Invoice Available**. The default body includes a **Pay Now** button that links to the public invoice. See [Email & notifications](./email-settings) for editing the template.
---
## 8. The public invoice page
When your client opens the link (or PDF) they see:
- Your **logo** + company details (top left)
- Their **billing details** (top right)
- The line items table
- Subtotal, discount, tax, total
- A **Pay Now** button (if at least one gateway is enabled on this invoice)
- The **Print** and **Download as PDF** buttons (their labels can be renamed via **Settings → Text Settings**)
Once they pay (via Stripe/PayPal/etc.), the webhook fires and the invoice is marked **Paid** automatically. They also receive your **Payment Received** email.
---
## 9. The invoice list
WP Admin → **Easy Invoice → All Invoices** shows every invoice with quick filters by status and a search box.
### Filter by client (Free)
The **Filter by client** dropdown next to the search box narrows the list to one specific client's invoices. The filter sticks across:
- view-tab switches (All / Draft / Trash)
- status-filter chips (Paid / Unpaid / Overdue / …)
- pagination
- the search box
Pick **All clients** to clear the filter.
### Bulk Send Email PRO
With **Easy Invoice Pro** active, the **Bulk Actions** dropdown gains a **Send Email** option. Use it to:
1. Tick the checkboxes next to the invoices you want to email.
2. Pick **Send Email** in the Bulk Actions dropdown.
3. Click **Apply** — confirm the dialog.
4. Easy Invoice Pro dispatches the configured **Invoice Available** email to every selected invoice's client, then shows a "Sent: X ok, Y failed" toast.
This is one of the highest-impact Pro features for end-of-month invoicing — a single click replaces opening each invoice individually and clicking **Send**.
### Bulk Export Selected PRO
Need invoice data for accounting or an external audit? The **Export Selected** bulk action streams a UTF-8 CSV of just the rows you've ticked — no separate Export screen, no date filter to set up.
1. Tick the checkboxes next to the invoices you want to export.
2. Pick **Export Selected** in the Bulk Actions dropdown.
3. Click **Apply** — confirm the prompt (*"Download a CSV of N selected invoices?"*).
4. Your browser downloads `easy-invoice-invoices-YYYY-MM-DD.csv`.
**Columns exported:** Invoice Number, Title, Client Name, Client Email, Issue Date, Due Date, Status, Subtotal, Tax, Discount, Total, Currency, Payment Method, Payment Date, Transaction ID.
The CSV ships with a UTF-8 BOM so Excel opens it with the right encoding — works straight in QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, and any spreadsheet.
> **Without Pro:** the option still shows as **Export Selected (Pro)** and picking it opens the Upgrade-to-Pro dialog with a one-click upgrade link.
### Row actions
- **View** — open the public invoice
- **Edit** — back to the Invoice Builder
- **Duplicate** — clone with a fresh number (great for repeat jobs without recurring billing)
- **PDF** — download
- **Send** — re-send the email (single invoice)
- **Delete** — trash
---
## Tips for new users
- **Don't worry about getting numbering perfect on day 1.** Pick a prefix you like (`INV-`, `EIIN_`, year-based like `2026-`). You can change it later via Settings; existing invoices keep the number they were created with.
- **Set realistic due dates.** Net 7 / 14 / 30 are common. Anything shorter than 7 days for B2B feels aggressive.
- **Customize one email template.** The default **Invoice Available** body works fine, but adding a personal sentence at the top dramatically improves payment speed.
- **Test with yourself first.** Email a $1 invoice to your own address, pay it, watch the whole flow — that's the fastest way to learn the system.
---
## Pro-only invoice extras
- **Item Library** PRO — saved products/services, one-click add. [Read more](./features#item-library)
- **Recurring** PRO — bill monthly/quarterly/yearly automatically. [Recurring invoices guide](./recurring-invoices)
- **Partial payments** PRO — let clients pay in installments. [Settings reference](./settings-reference#pro-only-invoice-settings)
- **Deposit invoices** PRO — split an invoice into deposit + balance.
- **Watermarks** PRO — `DRAFT`, `PAID`, `CONFIDENTIAL` overlay on the PDF.
- **Template Builder** PRO — drag-and-drop PDF layout designer. [Read more](./features#template-builder)
---
## Next
- [Send a Quote first, convert to invoice](./quotes)
- [Email templates & smart tags](./email-settings)
- [Recording payments manually](./payments)
- [Payment gateway setup](./payment-settings)