How to send one
How to create an invoice from a text message
Turn one typed line into an invoice. The line names the client, each price and when it is due. You edit the words, not a table.
The line is the invoice
You already describe the job in a message to yourself or to the office: who, what, how long, what it cost. That sentence is enough to build the invoice if it follows a simple pattern. The client comes first. Each price follows. The due terms go last, written as “due net 14” or “due on receipt”.
Boiler service at 14 Hill Street is invoiced. 3 hours labour, a valve and the call-out. Total on the link, due in 14 days.
Start with the customer
The first comma-separated piece is the name on the bill. “Workshop Bench Co” or “Priya Shah” both work.
Price the work in the same line
“3 hrs boiler service @ 65” means three hours at 65. “replacement valve 48” means one valve at 48.
Say when it is due
“due net 14” becomes due in 14 days. “due on receipt” means you are asking today.
Read the preview out loud
If a part landed in the client name, you missed a comma. Fix the line and the totals move with it.
What to put on this invoice
- Client name before the first comma
- Hours written as a number, then hrs, then @ rate
- Parts as a name and a price
- Due terms at the end
Questions about this job
What if I type the price without @?
A piece like “replacement valve 48” is read as one item at that price. Use @ when you have hours or a quantity.
Can the customer reply to change it?
They can reply in the text thread. You change the invoice and send the same link again, or a new one if the total changed.
Does the text itself have to contain every line?
No. The text you send the customer can be short. The typed line that builds the invoice can be longer than the SMS.
Once the pattern is familiar, the invoice is the note you were going to write anyway. You stop retyping it into a separate form.
Related guides
How to invoice a client by SMS
An SMS is short. Put the total and the link in the first 160 characters and leave the line items on the invoice page.
Open guide →How to send a payment link by text
The link in the text opens the invoice: who you billed, the lines and the total. That is the payment link. Do not text a card number.
Open guide →How to create an invoice without an app
You and your customer can do this in the browser. There is no store download, no tablet app and no login for the person paying.
Open guide →