Invoices and payments

Invoices record what a customer owes for a vehicle sale, a deposit, service work, parts or anything else. You can issue one, send the customer a link to view and pay it, record payments taken in the store, and export everything for your accountant. Deals, deposits, service and the web store create their invoices for you.

Before you start #

• Invoices need a plan with the sales CRM (Pro and Enterprise).
• Set your defaults once under Finance › Accounting settings: Default sales tax rate (%), Documentation fee added to vehicle sales ($), Invoice number prefix, Payment terms (days until due) and the Footer printed on invoices.
• To let customers pay by card online, connect your own Stripe account (see deposits and buy online). Without it, the pay link shows the invoice and you take payment in the store.

Create an invoice #

1. Open Finance › Invoices and select + New invoice. (You can also start one with New invoice on a lead, a customer or a vehicle.)
2. Pick the Customer, the Type (Vehicle sale, Deposit, Service, Parts & accessories or Other) and, if it applies, the Vehicle (optional).
3. Add lines with a Description, Qty, Unit price ($) and Taxable. Use a negative amount for a trade-in allowance or a discount. Blank rows are ignored.
4. Check the Sales tax rate (%) and Due date, and add Notes on the invoice if you like.
5. Select Save draft to keep working on it, or Save and issue.

Totals and tax are worked out when you save. A draft can still be edited; once issued, the invoice is fixed and you Void it to cancel.

(open full size)

1. + New invoice.
2. Search and Status filters.
3. Balance still owed on each invoice.

To invoice a deal, use Create sale invoice on the deal instead. It builds every line from the deal, including trade-in credit, payoff and tax, so the invoice total equals the deal balance (see deals and desking).

Send the customer a pay link #

1. Open an issued invoice.
2. Under Customer pay link, select Email it or Text it, or copy the Pay link.

The customer sees the invoice and, when online payment is on, a Pay by card button that takes them to Stripe's secure page. When Stripe confirms the payment, it is recorded on the invoice as Online card payment. Messages follow the customer's consent (see messages).

Record a payment taken in the store #

1. Open the invoice and go to Record a payment.
2. Enter the Amount ($), the Method (cash, check, card in store, debit card in store, bank transfer, lender / financing, trade-in credit, store credit, gift card or other), when it was Received and a Reference (check no., last 4…).
3. Select Record payment.

(open full size)

1. Payments received, each with a Mark refunded link.
2. Customer pay link (shown while a balance is due).

The invoice moves from issued to partly paid to paid as payments come in.

Refunds and voids #

• Refund: return the money first (in Stripe for card payments, or by check or cash), then select Mark refunded on that payment. The balance reopens. For a deposit, this also lifts the hold on the unit.
• Void: open Void this invoice, give a Reason and confirm. The pay link stops working.

Payments and reports #

• Finance › Payments lists every payment received, with Export (CSV).
• Finance › Accounting reports shows Sales by type, Payments by method and Unpaid balances by age for a date range, with CSV exports of invoices and payments that open in Excel and import into most bookkeeping software. Dates are in your dealership's time zone.

Tips #

• Issue invoices only when the numbers are final. Use drafts while you are still working.
• Put the check number or the last four card digits in Reference. It makes bank reconciliation much easier.
• Export payments monthly for your accountant.

Permissions #

Limitations #