Invoicing Guides
The Invoicing Guides section covers everything you need to know about creating, managing, and tracking invoices in docs101. Whether you are setting up your first invoice or refining an established workflow, you will find detailed walkthroughs and best practices here.
What's Covered
Our invoicing guides cover all aspects of the invoice lifecycle:
- Invoice Creation Modes: Two ways to create invoices — a Guided Wizard (step-by-step) and an Expert Dashboard (all fields on one screen), configurable under Settings > Preferences
- Invoice Creation: Detailed workflows for creating invoices from scratch or using customer defaults, configuring payment terms and metadata
- Invoice Duplication: Create new invoices based on existing ones — all positions, discounts, and settings are copied automatically
- Invoice Attachments: Upload supporting files (PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, images) and include them when sending invoices via email
- Invoice Sending: Email delivery via AWS SES, recipient settings, compliance checking, and resend workflows
- Payment Methods: Specify how each invoice is paid — bank transfer, credit card, PayPal, cash, check, or other — and create prepaid invoices for payments already received
- Tax Treatments & VAT Rates: How docs101 handles tax treatments (Standard rate, Reverse charge, Exempt, and more) and rates, plus small business exemption support
- Discounts & Exemptions: Position-level percentage discounts, VAT exemptions, and reverse charge handling for B2B cross-border invoicing. For early-payment discounts (Skonto), see Payment Terms
- Payment Tracking: Manually updating invoice statuses (Draft, Sent, Paid, Canceled), monitoring overdue invoices, and using dashboard KPIs
- Clockify Integration: Connecting your Clockify account to browse workspaces, users, and clients directly from docs101
Quick Navigation
Core Invoicing Workflows
| Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| Invoice Creation Modes | Wizard vs. Expert Dashboard — choose your preferred invoice creation workflow |
| Create & Send Invoice | Complete workflow for creating invoices and sending them via email with ZUGFeRD compliance |
| Invoice Attachments | Upload files and attach them to invoice emails — supported formats, size limits, and usage |
| Duplicate an Invoice | Create a new draft based on an existing invoice — all positions and settings are copied |
| Tax Treatments & VAT Rates | How docs101 selects the right tax treatment and rate — and how to override them |
| Discounts & Exemptions | Position-level discounts, VAT exemptions, and reverse charge scenarios |
| Track Payments | Mark invoices as paid, monitor overdue status, and track payment metrics |
| Clockify Integration | Connect Clockify and browse your workspace data from within docs101 |
Important Concepts
Before diving into the guides, familiarize yourself with these key invoice concepts:
Invoice Statuses
Every invoice in docs101 has a status that reflects its lifecycle stage:
- Draft: Invoice is being edited and not yet ready for sending
- Sent: Invoice was delivered to the customer via email
- Paid: Payment has been received and recorded
- Canceled: Invoice was marked as canceled and is no longer valid
Regular invoices move through statuses manually: Draft → Sent (when you send) → Paid (when you confirm payment). Prepaid invoices follow a different path: Draft → Paid (finalized as already paid) → Sent (when you email the receipt). Invoices can also be canceled from Draft or Sent status. See Track Payments for the full lifecycle.
Invoice Positions
Each line item on an invoice (called a "position") can contain:
- Title and description of the service or product
- Quantity and unit of measurement (hours, pieces, etc.)
- Net price per unit (amount before VAT)
- VAT rate applied to the position
- Discount percentage
- Tax treatment (determines VAT category and rate)
Compliance & Standards
docs101 generates invoices that comply with:
- ZUGFeRD/Factur-X: German and European e-invoice standard with embedded XML, validated by KOSiT
- PDF/A: Long-term archival PDF format
- VAT Directive: Proper VAT handling for domestic and cross-border invoicing
- VIES Validation: Verification of customer VAT IDs via the European VAT Information Exchange System
docs101 provides a free public PDF validation tool that checks ZUGFeRD XML structure, PDF/A compliance, and runs KOSiT validation. You can use it to verify any e-invoice PDF.
Common Invoicing Scenarios
Scenario: B2B Service Invoicing
Create detailed invoices with multiple service positions, apply position-level discounts, use VAT exemption for cross-border EU customers, and track payment through your account statements.
Relevant Guides: Create & Send Invoice, Discounts & Exemptions, Account Statements
Scenario: Recurring Monthly Billing
Duplicate last month's invoice to quickly create a new one with the same positions, customer, and settings. Adjust the benefit period and any changed amounts, then send.
Relevant Guides: Duplicate an Invoice, Create & Send Invoice
Scenario: Time-Based Billing
Track billable hours for your customers using Clockify, then create invoice positions manually in docs101 based on the workspace data you can browse through the Clockify integration.
Relevant Guides: Clockify Integration, Create & Send Invoice
Scenario: Prepaid / Already-Paid Invoices
Create invoices for payments already received — SaaS subscriptions paid via Stripe, credit card purchases, or advance payments. Select the "Already Paid" payment term, choose the payment method, enter the payment date, and the invoice is finalized directly as "Paid". Send it to your customer as a receipt.
Relevant Guides: Create & Send Invoice, Payment Terms, Prepaid Invoices Explained
Getting Started with Invoices
If you are brand new to docs101, start with the Getting Started: First Invoice guide, which provides a quick 5-minute walkthrough of the essentials.
Once you are comfortable with the basics, return here to explore the detailed guides that cover advanced workflows and optimization techniques.
Free Plan Limits
The free plan includes up to 3 invoices per month. If you need to send more, consider upgrading to a paid plan.
Need Help?
Each guide includes helpful admonition boxes that highlight important tips, warnings, and related concepts. Use the cross-references to navigate between related topics and build a comprehensive understanding of your invoicing workflows.