Create and send your first invoice

This guide shows you how to create and send your first invoice. Issuing clear, professional invoices helps you get paid faster and maintain accurate financial records.

A good invoice is more than a request for payment. It is a record of the work you completed and a key part of your client relationship. AtomicSam helps you create detailed invoices directly from your job data, so you can bill accurately and with confidence.

Before you start

• Your staff member role must have the Invoices: Create & Edit permission enabled.
• You need at least one client set up in your organization to send an invoice.
• To accept online payments on your invoices, you must have an Admin role to connect a payment gateway in Settings.

Choose how to create your invoice

You can create an invoice in a few different ways, depending on what you need to bill for. Each method pre-fills your invoice with different information to save you time.

Create an invoice from a job

This is the most common way to create an invoice. It pulls all unbilled time and materials associated with a specific job.

1. Navigate to Jobs from the main menu.
2. Select the job you want to invoice for.
3. Click the Create Invoice button in the top-right corner.
4. A modal appears. You can choose to invoice for unbilled time and materials, a percentage of the Job Total, or a fixed amount.
5. Select your preferred option and click Create Draft Invoice.
6. AtomicSam generates a draft invoice with all the relevant information.

ℹ️ Good to know: When you create an invoice from a job, AtomicSam automatically marks the associated time entries and costs as 'Billed'. This prevents you from accidentally invoicing for the same work twice.

Create a blank invoice from scratch

Use this method for charges that are not connected to a job, such as a retainer or a standalone product sale.

1. Navigate to Billing → Invoices.
2. Click the New Invoice button.
3. Select a Client from the dropdown list.
4. Manually add each line item. You need to provide a Description, Quantity, and Unit Price for each line.
5. Set the Issue Date and Due Date.
6. Review the details and save the draft.

💡 Tip: You can save common line items as templates to use on future invoices. Go to Settings → Item Templates to set them up. This saves you from re-typing the same information on every invoice.

Review and send your invoice

Once you have a draft invoice, the final step is to review it and send it to your client.

1. Open the draft invoice from the Invoices list under the Billing tab.
2. Carefully review all details: client information, line items, quantities, rates, and the Total.
3. Add any payment instructions or notes for the client in the Notes field. These are visible to the client.
4. Click Send Invoice.
5. A sending modal appears. Confirm the client's email address in the To: field. You can add other recipients in the CC field.
6. Customize the email subject and message if you need to. A default message is provided.
7. Click Send Now. The invoice is emailed to your client and its status changes from Draft to Sent.

Good to know

• You can edit an invoice as long as it has a Draft status. Once sent, you cannot edit it directly. To correct a sent invoice, you must void it and create a new one to maintain a clear audit trail for your records.
• Your organization's logo and address appear on all invoices. You can configure these in Settings → Organization Details.
• To let clients pay you online directly from the invoice, you must connect a payment gateway. Go to Settings → Integrations → Payment Gateways to set up Stripe or PayPal. A "Pay Now" button will appear on invoices for clients.

What's next

• Set up online payments
• Track invoice payments and status
• Automate payment reminders
• Set up recurring invoices for retainers