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Your First Invoice — From Customer to Sent

Now that your account is configured, let's create and send your first invoice. This complete walkthrough takes about 15 minutes.

Step 1: Create Your First Customer​

Every invoice starts with a customer. docs101 supports both B2B and B2C customers.

  1. Navigate to Customers > New Customer
  2. Select the customer type:
    • B2B — Business-to-business customer
    • B2C — Business-to-consumer customer
  3. Fill in the required fields:
    • Company Name (B2B) or Full Name (B2C)
    • Email — Where invoices will be sent
    • Status — Choose from:
      • Lead — Prospective customer
      • Active — Current customer (recommended for first invoice)
      • Inactive — Archived customer
  4. (Optional) Add additional information:
    • Phone — Contact number
    • Tax ID / VAT Number — For B2B customers in EU
      • If provided, docs101 will validate against VIES automatically

Add a Customer Address​

  1. Click Add Address to add the billing address:
    • Address Type — Billing (where invoices are sent)
    • Street — Full address
    • City, Postal Code, Country
    • Set as Default — Toggle to use this as the invoice address
  2. Click Save Customer
Multiple Addresses

B2B customers can have multiple addresses (billing, shipping, invoice, contact). You can manage these from the customer detail page.

VAT ID Validation

For B2B EU customers, entering a VAT ID is optional but recommended. docs101 validates it automatically — if validation fails, you'll see a warning but can still save the customer.

Your first customer is now created and ready to invoice.

Step 2: Create Your Invoice​

The quickest way to start an invoice for a customer you just created is directly from the customer detail page.

  1. On the customer detail page, click New Invoice
    • The customer and their default billing address are pre-selected automatically
  2. Select your settings:
    • Invoice Type — Leave as "Invoice" (default)
    • Template — Select an invoice template (you can customize templates later)
  3. Set the invoice date:
    • Invoice Date — Today's date (auto-filled)
    • Delivery Date — When goods/services were delivered (optional)
  4. Configure payment terms:
    • Payment Terms — E.g., "Net 30" or "Due on receipt" — this determines the due date automatically
    • Notes — Optional payment instructions
  5. Click Create Invoice

Your invoice is immediately in Draft status — no further action needed to start adding positions.

Step 3: Add Invoice Positions​

With the invoice open, add your line items.

  1. Scroll to Invoice Positions and click Add Position
  2. Fill in the position fields:
  • Title — Description of the item or service (e.g., "Web Design")
  • Quantity — Number of units (e.g., 5)
  • Unit — e.g., "hours", "units", "days"
  • Price — Net price per unit (before VAT)
  • Tax Treatment — Select how this position is taxed (e.g., Standard rate, Reverse charge, Small business). See Tax Treatments & VAT for details.
  • VAT Rate — The tax percentage (automatically set to 0% for most treatments; editable for Standard rate)
  • (Optional) Discount — Percentage or absolute amount per position

Example: You deliver 5 hours of consulting at €100.00 net each, Tax Treatment: Standard rate at 19%:

  • Net total: 5 × €100.00 = €500.00
  • VAT (19%): €95.00
  • Gross total on invoice: €595.00

Click Add to save the position.

  1. Repeat to add more positions — the invoice total updates automatically

The invoice now shows:

  • Subtotal (sum of all positions, net)
  • VAT breakdown (by rate)
  • Total (including VAT)

Step 4: Preview Your Invoice​

Always preview before sending to check compliance and formatting.

  1. Click the Preview PDF button
  2. A PDF preview opens — check:
    • Your company name, logo, and address appear correctly
    • Customer name and address are correct
    • All positions and calculations are accurate
    • Invoice number and dates are correct
    • Bank account details are visible
Important Before Sending
  • Verify all customer details (especially email address)
  • Check that the invoice number follows your numbering scheme
  • Review VAT rates for accuracy

Step 5: Send the Invoice​

Your invoice is ready. You have two ways to deliver it to your customer:

Option A: Send via docs101
  1. Click the Send Invoice button
  2. Configure email settings:
    • Recipient Email — Customer email (pre-filled from customer record)
    • Display Name — How your company appears (e.g., "Acme Corp Invoicing")
    • (Optional) BCC Email — To send yourself a copy
  3. Review the message and click Send

Your invoice moves to Sent status automatically. Your customer receives an email with your company details, logo, and the invoice as an attachment.

Option B: Download and Send Yourself

If you prefer to send the invoice yourself — by email, post, or any other channel:

  1. Click Download PDF to save the invoice as a PDF file
  2. Send it to your customer through your preferred channel
  3. Once delivered, click Mark as Sent on the invoice to update the status to Sent

This is useful if you're printing and mailing invoices or using an external email client.

Step 6: Mark as Paid​

When you receive payment, mark the invoice as paid.

  1. In the invoice detail page, click the Status dropdown
  2. Select Mark as Paid
  3. Enter the Payment Date (when payment was received)
  4. (Optional) Enter a payment reference (transaction ID, check number, etc.)
  5. Click Save

The invoice now shows Paid status and appears in your dashboard KPIs.

For detailed information on tracking invoice delivery, email history, and payment status, see Invoicing > Track Payments and Status.

Verification Checklist​

  • Customer created with correct details and a default address
  • Invoice created with correct customer, dates, and payment terms
  • Positions added with correct quantities, units, tax treatment, and prices
  • PDF preview shows correct layout and calculations
  • Invoice sent or downloaded and marked as sent
  • Invoice marked as paid (when payment received)

Next Steps​

  1. Explore Templates — Customize invoice templates with your branding
  2. Manage More Customers — Add more B2B/B2C customers
  3. Build a Product Catalog — Add products for faster invoicing
  4. Monitor Dashboard — Track your business metrics in real-time

For detailed guidance on advanced features, see the Administration Guide.