How to Create an Invoice in XERO

When you’re in the sales invoice screen you have the choice of using new or classic invoicing.

Classic invoicing requires you to manually enter all the information, while new invoicing prefills many of the details for you and automatically saves your work.

To check which one you’re on, see the link at the bottom of the screen. If it says Switch to new invoicing, then you’re on the classic invoicing screen. If it says Switch to classic invoicing, then you’re on the new invoicing screen.

New invoicing

In new invoicing, Xero will save the invoice every few seconds once you’ve added a contact. Invoice fields are automatically filled with details. You can update a detail if it’s not correct.

1. From the header, click the quick launch icon , then select Invoice.
2. In the To field, start typing to select an existing contact or to add a new one. You can click on the contact name you’ve selected to view or edit their details.
3. (Optional) Click Add last items to add items from the last invoice you sent to that contact.
4. In the Item field, start typing to select an existing item from your inventory or add the details manually by adding the description of the item, then the Quantity and Price.
5. (Optional) Click the item menu  to edit an inventory item or remove the line from the invoice.
6. (Optional) You can drag and drop the line items to reorder them.
7. Once you’ve finished entering your invoice, click Save & close to save the invoice as a draft. Or, click the arrow next to Save & close and select:
   • Save & add another – To save the invoice as a draft and open a new draft invoice.
   • Submit for approval – To submit the invoice for approval.

Classic invoicing

Classic invoicing allows you to create and send an invoice to your customers. Once you begin creating your invoice, you’ll need to manually click Save each time you make a change. The invoice won’t automatically save.

1. From the header, click the quick launch icon  and select Invoice.
2. In the To field, enter the name of the customer you’re invoicing. If there’s a previously approved or paid invoice for the contact, you can add the last item lines from that invoice to the new one.
3. Complete the remaining invoice details. You must fill out the Due date, Description, Account, and Tax Rate fields to be able to approve the invoice.
4. (Optional) You can drag and drop the item lines to reorder them.
5. Click Save to save the invoice as a draft. Or, click the arrow next to Save and select:
   • Save (continue editing) – To save the invoice without closing it.
   • Save & submit for approval – To submit the invoice for approval.
   • Save & add another – To save the invoice as a draft and open a new draft invoice.

 

• Existing invoices can be copied saving you time from having to fill out all the invoice details manually.
• Copy a single invoice, or multiple invoices with the same status, into a new invoice.
• When copying an invoice some details might change because of the defaults applied to your organisation, contacts or inventory items.
• If you’re copying multiple invoices, Xero creates one draft invoice with all line items from the original invoices.
• You can change the customer when you’re copying an invoice.

 

 

Copying an Invoice

To copy an invoice:

1. In the Business menu, select Invoices.
2. Select the tab for the status of the invoices you want to copy. You can’t copy from the list of all invoices.
3. Select the checkbox of the invoices you want, then:
   • Click Copy to if invoice reminders are off.
   • Click More, then select Copy to if invoice reminders are on.
4. Select Invoice and enter the name of the customer you’re creating it for.
5. Click Copy or Copy & merge.
6. Review the invoice and update the details if needed.
7. Click Save or Save & close to save the invoice as a draft.

You can also copy a single invoice while viewing it. If you’re using new invoicing, click the menu icon  then select Copy to draft invoice. In classic invoicing, click Invoice Options then select Copy to.