Invoicing Your Projects

⏱️ 5 minute read

Invoicing in Forecast refers to the process of generating and managing client invoices based on project time, budget, or fixed fees. Invoicing allows project managers or finance teams to create accurate, billable invoices for work completed within Forecast. A project must have an assigned client in order to create invoices.

This article covers:

• Creating Invoices
• Editing Invoices
• Exporting Invoices
• Downloading Invoices
• Deleting Invoices

Creating Invoices

Invoices are created from Finance or from within a project's Financials. Access to Invoicing is permission-based.

• Check out Overview of Invoicing for more information on who can access Invoicing.

To create a new invoice from Finance

1. Click Finance in the navigation ribbon.
2. Select Invoice Creation from the dropdown.
3. Click New Invoice at the top right. 
   

To create a new invoice from a project's Financials

1. Click Projects in the navigation ribbon.
2. Select All Projects from the dropdown.
3. Open the project you wish to invoice.
4. Click Financials in the left side panel.
5. Select Invoicing.
6. Click + Create Invoice.
   

There are two (2) types of invoices that can be created in Forecast:

• Billable hours/fixed price
• Manual/Deposit

You can create either type of invoice by clicking New Invoice in Invoice Creation or + Create Invoice within a project's Invoicing.

To create an invoice for Billable hours/fixed price

1. In Create invoice, toggle Invoice Type: Billable hours/fixed price.
2. Set the Date Range.
3. Select the invoice Client from the dropdown.
4. Select the project/s to invoice by ticking the box to the left of each project ID/name.
5. Click Create Invoice.
   
6. Enter the Invoice Name.
7. Set the Invoice Date and Due Date.
8. Enter a Reference, apply a Discount or Tax, if applicable.
9. Set the invoice Currency.
10. Enter Notes, as required.
11. Select a grouping for Billable Hours.
12. Toggle Yes/No to include/exclude expenses, and apply a grouping, if desired.
13. Click Next.
14. Review the project, description, quantity, unit price, discount, tax and total price values.
15. Use the green + to add an invoice line.
    1. If adding a line, select the project from the dropdown. Note: Only projects that fall under the selected client will appear.
    2. Add a description (optional), and enter the quantity, unit price, discount, and tax rate.
    3. Repeat to add additional lines as needed.
16. Click Save and Continue.
    

To create an invoice for Manual/Deposit

1. In Create invoice, toggle Invoice Type: Manual/Deposit.
2. Set the Date Range.
3. Select the invoice Client from the dropdown.
4. Enter the Invoice Name.
5. Set the Invoice Date and Due Date.
6. Enter a Reference, apply a Discount or Tax, if applicable.
7. Set the invoice Currency.
8. Enter Notes, as required.
9. Click Create Invoice.
   
10. Click the green + to add an invoice line.
11. Select the project from the dropdown. Note: Only projects that fall under the selected client will appear.
12. Add a description (optional), quantity, unit price, discount, and tax rate.
13. Click Save and Continue.
    

Editing Invoices

Once an invoice is created, it is possible to make changes to it by editing it. Invoices may be edited when in Draft status. It is not possible to edit an invoice in Approved/Sent status or if the invoice has been exported to an integrated accounting tool.

To edit an invoice from Finance

1. Click Finance in the navigation ribbon.
2. Select All Invoices from the dropdown.  
3. In All Invoices, select the time period to align with when the invoice was created, or select All Time.
4. Apply a filter to select the project for the invoice.
5. Identify the invoice to edit.
6. Set the status to Draft.
7. Click the three dots at right of the invoice line.
8. Select Edit.
9. Make the necessary changes, then click Save.
   

To edit an invoice from within a project

1. Click Projects in the navigation bar.
2. Select All Projects from the dropdown.
3. Open the project where the invoice exists.
4. Click Financials in the left side panel.
5. Select Invoicing.
   Note: If an invoice contains multiple projects, the invoice will not be listed or accessible at the project level. For projects that have invoices containing more than one project, the following message will display:
   
6. Under Invoices, find the invoice you wish to edit.
7. Update the invoice status to Draft.
8. Click the three dots at the right of the invoice line.
9. Select Edit.
10. Make the necessary changes, then click Save. 
    

Exporting Invoices

Forecast integrates with three (3) different accounting platforms, Xero, QuickBooks, and e-conomic. Invoices created in Forecast can be exported to these platforms. The export process is specific to each integration. 
More information on exporting invoices is available in:

• Invoicing with Xero for Forecast Integration
• Using the QBO Integration for Invoicing
• Using the e-conomic Integration for Invoicing

Downloading Invoices

Save a PDF copy of your invoice from All Invoices or with a project's Invoicing page. 

To download an invoice from All Invoices

1. From Finance > All Invoices or within project Invoicing.
2. Identify the invoice to download.
3. Click the three dots at right of the invoice line.
4. Select Download.
   
5. Select the information to include on the invoice in Download PDF Options.
6. Click Download PDF.
7. A PDF file saves to your downloads.

Deleting Invoices

It is possible to delete an invoice, however the invoice must be in Draft status and not been exported to an integrated accounting tool.

To delete an invoice from Finance

1. Click Finance in the navigation ribbon.
2. Select All Invoices from the dropdown.  
3. n All Invoices, select the time period to align with when the invoice was created, or select All Time.
4. Apply a filter to select the project for the invoice.
5. Identify the invoice to edit.
6. Set the status to Draft.
7. Click the three dots at right of the invoice line.
8. Select Delete.
9. The invoice is removed from your account. 

To delete an invoice from within a project

1. Click Projects in the navigation ribbon.
2. Select All Projects from the dropdown.
3. Open the project you wish to edit an invoice for.
4. Click Financials in the left side panel.
5. Select Invoicing.
   Note: If an invoice contains multiple projects, the invoice will not be listed or accessible at the project level. For projects that have invoices containing more than one project, the following message will display:
   
6. Under Invoices, find the invoice you wish to edit.
7. Set the status to Draft.
8. Click the three dots at the right of the invoice line.
9. Select Delete.
10. The invoice is removed from your account. 

Related Articles

• Overview of Invoicing
• Invoicing Retainer Periods
• Invoicing Settings