Create and send an invoice

Before you start

An invoice is built from the matter's Ready to bill items: stages reached, appearances recorded, instalments and retainers due, disbursements and billable time. If nothing is there yet, check the fees on the matter.

To send it by email, the client needs an email address on their record.

Start the invoice

Use one of these:

• On the matter's Billing tab, tick items under Ready to bill and click the Invoice button that appears.
• Open Billing, then the Ready to bill tab, and click Create invoice beside the matter.
• Open Billing, click Create invoice and pick the matter.

Build it

1. Under From Ready to bill, tick the items to include. Lines are grouped by type, as the client will see them.
2. To add something that isn't listed, click + Add in a group, then enter a description and an amount.
3. Add a Note to client if you like: what the invoice covers, in plain words.
4. Check the Total panel. It shows fees, VAT on the lines that carry it, disbursements (no VAT) and the amount To pay. If the client still owes money on earlier invoices, Chronica says so and shows it on this invoice.
5. Under How the client can pay, leave Pay online on to let the client pay by card, bank transfer or wallet, or turn it off so they pay by bank transfer only.
6. Check the Issue date and the Due date. The due date follows your firm's payment terms unless you change it.
7. Leave Email it to the client ticked to send it now, or untick it.
8. Leave Send payment reminders ticked to email the client when the invoice goes overdue, on your firm's schedule.
9. Click Preview to see what the client will see.
10. Click Send invoice, or Create invoice if you unticked the email.

The panel heading uses the client's first name, for example "How Ada can pay".

What the client receives

The client gets an email with the invoice's lines and totals, a PDF, and a View and pay invoice button (or View invoice if Pay online is off). Bank details for a transfer come from your payout account.

The items you invoiced leave Ready to bill, and the invoice appears on the matter's Billing tab and under Billing, then Invoices.

Save a draft instead

Click Save draft to finish later. A draft isn't numbered, sent or payable, and its items are held off Ready to bill.

To finish a draft, open it and click Issue invoice. Check the dates and options, then click Issue and send or Issue invoice. It gets your next invoice number. Click Discard draft to delete it and put its items back on Ready to bill.

After it's sent

Open the invoice from Billing to:

• Download PDF.
• Send again, to the client's email or another address, with an optional message.
• Send reminder now, if it's unpaid.
• Copy client pay link to share it yourself.
• Record payment when the client pays you directly. See record a payment.

The History panel shows each email and reminder, and whether it was sent, skipped or failed.

Questions

Why can't I send it?

If the client has no email address, Chronica won't send. Untick the email, or add an address to the client's record.

Why is Pay online turned off?

Online payments need a payout account. See online payments and payouts. Online payment is also only available for invoices in naira.