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 and uses the Guided Wizard — the default invoice creation mode for new users.

Two Creation Modes

docs101 offers a Guided Wizard (step-by-step) and an Expert Dashboard (all fields on one screen). This guide uses the Wizard. For details on both modes, see Invoice Creation Modes.

Step 1: Start a New Invoice

1. Navigate to Invoices and click New Invoice
2. The Wizard opens in Phase 1: Customer Selection

Select or Create a Customer

You can select an existing customer or create one directly within the Wizard — no need to navigate to the Customers section first.

To create a new customer:

1. Click New Customer in Phase 1
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
4. (Optional) Add a VAT ID for B2B customers in the EU — docs101 validates it automatically via VIES
5. Add a billing address with street, city, postal code, and country
6. Save the customer

To select an existing customer:

1. Type the customer name in the search field
2. Select the customer from the results
3. Choose the billing address for this invoice

Review Smart Defaults

After selecting a customer, Smart Default Chips appear showing the defaults that will apply to this invoice:

• Address — The selected billing address
• Payment Terms — Inherited from the customer profile (e.g., Net 30)
• Currency — The customer's default currency
• Template — The customer's assigned invoice template
• E-Invoicing — The detected format (ZUGFeRD/Factur-X or PDF)

These defaults are pulled from the customer profile automatically. You can adjust them later in Phase 3. You can also select a Payment Method (Bank Transfer is the default) to indicate how your customer will pay.

Click Next to proceed.

Step 2: Add Line Items

The Wizard moves to Phase 2: Line Items. Add the products or services you are invoicing for.

1. Fill in a row in the inline table:

Field	Description	Example
Title	Name of the product or service	"Web Design"
Quantity	Number of units	5
Unit	Unit of measurement	Hours
Net Price	Price per unit before VAT	100.00
Tax Treatment	How this position is taxed	Standard rate
VAT Rate	Tax percentage	19%

2. Press Enter to save the position and start a new row, or Tab to move between fields
3. Repeat for additional positions

The footer shows a running total (subtotal, VAT, and gross) that updates as you add positions.

Tax Rate Auto-Determination

docs101 automatically recommends a tax treatment and VAT rate based on your company profile and customer data. For example:

• Domestic sale → Standard rate at your country's rate (e.g., 19% in Germany)
• B2B to another EU country with valid VAT ID → Reverse charge at 0%
• Export to non-EU country → Export outside EU at 0%

Verify the Tax Recommendation

The automatic recommendation covers common scenarios but cannot determine the nature of your product or service. Reduced rates (e.g., 7% for food in Germany), exempt services (medical, education), or zero-rated supplies require manual selection. Always review the pre-filled tax treatment before proceeding.

Click Next to proceed.

Step 3: Review & Finalize

The Wizard moves to Phase 3: Review & Finalize.

1. PDF Preview — Review the invoice as your customer will see it:
   • 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
2. Summary Cards — Check key details (customer, total, payment terms, due date)
3. Validation Checklist — docs101 checks for completeness and compliance issues. Resolve any warnings before finalizing.
4. Click Finalize to create the invoice

Your invoice is now in Open status and ready to send.

Step 4: 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 5: 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 (or selected) with correct details and a default address
• Smart Defaults reviewed (payment terms, currency, template)
• Positions added with correct quantities, units, tax treatment, and prices
• Tax treatment verified — automatic recommendation checked against your product/service type
• 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. Try Expert Mode — Prefer all fields on one screen? Switch to Expert Dashboard in Settings > Preferences
5. Monitor Dashboard — Track your business metrics in real-time

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