Sales Invoicing Management
Create and manage invoices from sales orders with flexible methods
Invoices are important documents in the sales process, confirming customer payment obligations. Odoo Sales provides flexible invoicing methods, from order-based invoices, down payments, to invoices based on actual delivered quantities.
Invoicing Policy
Odoo supports two main invoicing policies:
Steps
1. Default configuration: Settings → Sales → Invoicing → Invoicing Policy
2. Per-product configuration: Product → Sales tab → Invoicing Policy
3. Product policy takes precedence over general configuration
Invoicing Policy
| Policy | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Ordered Quantities | Invoice based on ordered quantity | Services, products without delivery |
| Delivered Quantities | Invoice based on delivered quantity | Physical products requiring delivery |
Creating Invoice from Order
Basic process to create invoice from sales order:
Steps
1. Open confirmed sales order
2. Check Invoice Status - must be "To Invoice"
3. Click "Create Invoice" button
4. Select invoicing method
5. Confirm invoice creation
6. Invoice created in Draft status
7. Review and confirm invoice
Invoicing Methods
Create Invoice Options
| Method | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Invoice | Regular invoice | Invoice for entire or partial order |
| Down Payment (Percentage) | Prepayment by % | Customer pays % of order value upfront |
| Down Payment (Fixed) | Fixed prepayment | Customer pays fixed amount upfront |
Creating Regular Invoice
Invoice for entire or partial order:
Steps
1. Click "Create Invoice" on order
2. Select "Regular Invoice"
3. Select quantity to invoice (if partial)
4. Confirm invoice creation
5. Invoice created with lines from order
6. Review information: customer, products, prices, taxes
7. Click "Confirm" to confirm invoice
8. Invoice changes to "Posted" status
Down Payment
Create down payment invoice for order:
Steps
1. Click "Create Invoice" on order
2. Select "Down Payment"
3. Choose type: Percentage or Fixed Amount
4. Enter value (% or amount)
5. Select Down Payment product (auto-created if not exists)
6. Select Income Account
7. Confirm down payment invoice creation
8. Invoice created with Down Payment line
Deducting Down Payment
When creating final invoice, system automatically deducts down payment:
Steps
1. After having down payment invoice
2. Create regular invoice for order
3. System automatically adds deduction line (negative)
4. Total invoice = Order value - Down payment
5. Customer only needs to pay remaining amount
Pro-forma Invoice
Pro-forma Invoice is temporary invoice without legal value:
Key points
• Used for customer import permit
• Official quotation in invoice format
• Does not affect accounting
• Can be printed and sent to customer
Steps
1. Open sales order
2. Click Print → Pro-forma Invoice
3. System generates PDF in invoice format
4. Send to customer if needed
Invoice Status
Invoice Status
| Status | Meaning | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Draft invoice | Edit, confirm, cancel |
| Posted | Confirmed invoice | Send, print, register payment |
| Paid | Fully paid | Complete |
| Partial | Partially paid | Wait for remaining payment |
| Cancelled | Cancelled | No processing |
Sending Invoice to Customer
After confirming invoice, send to customer:
Steps
1. Open confirmed invoice (Posted)
2. Click "Send & Print"
3. System opens email window with template
4. Check recipients and content
5. Invoice PDF automatically attached
6. Click "Send" to send email
7. Invoice marked as sent
Registering Payment
When customer pays, register on invoice:
Steps
1. Open invoice to register payment
2. Click "Register Payment"
3. Select Journal: Bank, Cash
4. Enter payment amount
5. Select Payment Date
6. Enter Payment Reference
7. Confirm payment registration
8. Invoice status changes to "Paid" or "Partial"
Partial Payment
When customer pays less than full amount:
Key points
• Register payment with actual amount
• Invoice status: "Partial"
• Remaining amount (Amount Due) updated
• Can register multiple payments
• When fully paid, status changes to "Paid"
Credit Note
Create Credit Note when refund or adjustment needed:
Steps
1. Open invoice to adjust
2. Click "Add Credit Note"
3. Select reason: Refund, Cancel, Correction
4. Select method: Partial Refund or Full Refund
5. Enter adjustment reason
6. Confirm credit note creation
7. Credit Note created and automatically reconciled with original invoice
Credit Note Types
Credit Note Types
| Type | Purpose | Processing |
|---|---|---|
| Refund | Refund money to customer | Create credit note, refund money |
| Cancel | Cancel incorrect invoice | Create credit note for 100% offset |
| Correction | Adjust information | Create credit note and new correct invoice |
Batch Invoicing
Create multiple invoices at once for multiple orders:
Steps
1. Go to Sales → Orders → Orders
2. Filter orders with Invoice Status = "To Invoice"
3. Select multiple orders (checkbox)
4. Click Action → Create Invoices
5. Select invoicing method
6. Confirm batch invoice creation
7. System creates invoices for all selected orders
Consolidated Billing
Merge multiple orders of same customer into one invoice:
Steps
1. Select multiple orders of same customer
2. Click Action → Create Invoices
3. Select "Merge invoices"
4. Confirm invoice creation
5. One invoice created with all lines from orders
Receivables Tracking
Track unpaid invoices:
Key points
• Go to Accounting → Customers → Invoices
• Filter by status: Not Paid, Partial
• View Amount Due
• View Due Date
• Filter Overdue
• Send automatic payment reminders
Invoice Reporting
Analyze invoices and revenue:
Key points
• Revenue over time
• Unpaid invoices
• Overdue invoices
• Revenue by customer
• Revenue by product
• Average collection time
Best Practices
Steps
1. Invoice immediately after delivery (if policy based on delivery)
2. Carefully review information before confirming invoice
3. Send invoice to customer immediately after confirmation
4. Track overdue invoices and send reminders
5. Use down payment for high-value orders
6. Register payments promptly and accurately
7. Use Credit Note for correct purposes
8. Reconcile receivables periodically with customers
Integration with Accounting
Sales invoices integrate closely with Accounting module:
Key points
• Automatically create journal entries when confirming invoice
• Record revenue to income account
• Record customer receivables (Accounts Receivable)
• Automatically post VAT tax
• Reconcile payments with receivables
• Financial reports automatically updated
Handling Special Situations
Situations and Solutions
| Situation | Solution |
|---|---|
| Invoice with incorrect information | Create Credit Note (Cancel), create new correct invoice |
| Customer returns goods | Create Credit Note (Refund), refund money |
| Discount after invoicing | Create Credit Note (Partial Refund) |
| Customer pays less | Register partial payment, track remaining |
| Overdue invoice | Send reminders, apply late fees if applicable |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Key points
• When should I use down payment vs regular invoice? Use down payment for high-value orders, long production/delivery time, or new customers to reduce financial risk.
• How do I handle invoice corrections? Create Credit Note with appropriate reason (Refund, Cancel, Correction), system automatically reconciles with original invoice and updates receivables.
• Can I invoice multiple orders together? Yes, select multiple orders of same customer, click Action → Create Invoices, select "Merge invoices" to combine into one invoice.
• What's the difference between draft and posted invoice? Draft invoice can be freely edited and cancelled, Posted invoice is recorded in accounting and can only be adjusted via Credit Note.
• How do I handle partial payments? Click "Register Payment" on invoice, enter actual amount received, system updates status to "Partial" and displays remaining amount.
• Can I customize invoice templates? Yes, go to Settings → Technical → Reports, edit report template or use Studio to customize layout, logo and displayed information.
• What's a pro-forma invoice used for? Pro-forma invoice is used for customer import permits, official quotations or when temporary invoice is needed without affecting accounting.
• How do I send payment reminders automatically? Configure Automated Actions in Settings → Technical to send reminder emails based on Due Date and payment status.
• Can I accept online payments? Yes, install Payment Provider (Stripe, PayPal...) in Settings → Payment Providers, customers can pay through portal.
• How do I handle invoice refunds? Create Credit Note with reason "Refund", confirm credit note, then process actual refund to customer via bank or payment method.