Invoices

Prosaic helps you create, finalise, send, and track invoices, then connect the payment back to bank reconciliation. It's designed for straightforward invoicing rather than full accounts receivable management (although that is in the works).

Go to Invoices in the main navigation to see invoices for the entities in your current view. Invoicing is available to firm staff and standard users with access to the entity. Users with the restricted Client portal role do not have access to Invoices.

Receivables overview

The top of the Invoices page shows four indicators to help you decide what needs attention:

  • Outstanding balance — sent invoices that are still awaiting payment, including overdue invoices
  • Overdue — sent, unpaid invoices that are past their due date
  • Due in the next 7 days — sent, unpaid invoices due today or within the following seven days
  • Ready to send — finalised invoices that have not yet been sent

The cards respond to the search and filters currently applied to the invoice list. Select the link on a card to filter the list to those invoices while keeping any search or entity filter you already applied.

You can also search the list, filter by entity, status, or due date, and choose which columns are visible. Your column choices are remembered for the workspace.

Creating an invoice

Select Create invoice in the top right of the Invoices page.

Invoice details

Select the entity issuing the invoice. Leave the Invoice number field empty to use automatic numbering. Prosaic shows the number currently expected to be assigned in the empty field and beside the invoice actions, but the number won't be allocated until the invoice is finalised. Enter a manual number if you need to use a different one. You can also change the issue date and optional due date.

You can configure an entity’s invoice number prefix and next sequence from the entity page — the cog beside Invoice number takes you straight there. The sequence can be moved forward but not back. If you type a later number on the invoice itself, Prosaic shows how the next automatic number will move forward, and warns you if that number already exists for the entity while still letting you continue.

Recipient

Search the recipient field to choose a saved contact, or select Create contact to add one without leaving the invoice. You can search for a New Zealand business by name or NZBN when creating a business contact. You can also enter a recipient directly without saving a contact. A recipient name is required to finalise; email and postal address are optional.

Selecting a contact fills in its name, invoice address and recipient email addresses. For a business, Prosaic uses the people marked to receive invoices, or the first person with an email address if nobody is marked. Review the addresses before sending; an invoice can have up to 10 recipients.

Manage saved people and businesses in Contacts, where you can also review their invoices and overdue balances. A contact's Invoice notes, such as payment terms, are copied into a new invoice when you choose the contact, provided you have not already entered your own notes. You can edit the copied notes for that invoice.

Invoice recipient details and notes are saved on the invoice. Updating the contact later does not rewrite existing invoices. To correct an existing invoice, edit the invoice itself.

Tax treatment

Choose whether amounts are Tax inclusive, Tax exclusive, or No tax. Each line uses one of the tax treatments configured for the selected entity. When you select an income account, Prosaic applies that account’s default tax treatment; you can choose a different configured treatment on the line. Prosaic selects No tax automatically when you create an invoice for an entity that is not GST registered.

Bank account and notes

Expand Bank account & notes to add optional payment details:

  • Bank account — adds bank-transfer instructions to the invoice and helps Prosaic match the payment to a bank transaction
  • Notes — adds payment terms or other information to the invoice

Only bank accounts linked to the selected entity and carrying an account number are available.

Previewing the invoice

Select Preview at the top of the page to check the invoice as it will appear to the recipient. You can also use Cmd + P on Mac or Ctrl + P on Windows.

Working with line items

Add one or more lines with a description, account, quantity, unit price, and tax treatment. Prosaic calculates each line amount, subtotal, GST, and total as you work.

The Account records how the income should be coded when the invoice payment is reconciled. Selecting an account applies its default tax treatment, which you can change on the line. Every line needs a description, account, and tax treatment before you can finalise the invoice.

You can drag lines into a different order, delete lines you no longer need, or select Add another line.

For faster keyboard entry, use Tab and Shift + Tab to move through the line cells, and the arrow keys to move between cells and lines. Press Enter after the final editable field to move to the next line; on the last line, Prosaic adds a new one.

Saving, finalising, and sending

Saving a draft

A draft can be incomplete and edited later — only the entity is required to save it. Select Save draft, or open the adjacent menu and choose Save draft & add another when entering several invoices.

When you leave the invoice number blank, saving a draft does not take a number from the entity’s sequence. The Invoice # column shows Draft until you finalise, when Prosaic assigns the next automatic number. If you enter a manual number, the draft keeps it. The draft stays in Invoices and does not create a PDF in Files. Any supporting documents you attach are still available in Files. The preview reflects the details currently entered in the form. Drafts are not receivables yet, and they never show as overdue.

Finalising

Finalising makes the invoice ready to send and assigns its automatic number if needed. It can still be corrected, subject to payment and reconciliation restrictions; see Editing an issued invoice. Finalising does not create a PDF. Prosaic creates and stores the PDF only when you download the invoice or send it by email, using the same invoice details shown in the final preview. Before Prosaic can finalise an invoice, it needs a recipient name and at least one complete line with a description, account, and tax treatment.

For an automatically numbered invoice, review the expected invoice number shown above the invoice actions. Select Finalise, or open the adjacent menu to choose Finalise & send or Finalise & add another. The form remembers whether you last used Finalise or Finalise & send as the main action.

If another invoice takes the automatic number before your invoice finishes finalising, Prosaic shows the updated number and asks you to confirm again. Select Finalise invoice or Finalise & send to continue, or select Change to return to the draft and enter a manual number. Prosaic will not silently issue the invoice under a different number.

Finalise & send opens the send dialog for you to review recipients, the message and attachments. Cancelling that dialog leaves the invoice finalised and ready to send later.

Sending

To send a finalised invoice, open its actions menu and select Send Invoice. In the send dialog you can:

  • send to up to 10 email addresses. The addresses saved on the invoice are filled in, and you can add, change or remove them here
  • edit the suggested message, which is drafted for you from the invoice details
  • select Add recipient email or Add recipient emails to restore saved addresses you removed, or CC yourself to include your email address as a CC
  • choose which supporting files to send — Prosaic ticks as many as fit under the email size limit, and you can change the selection

If the only recipient is your own address, Prosaic warns you before you send. Add the customer’s email if you want the invoice delivered to them.

When you send an invoice by email, Prosaic creates the PDF if it does not exist yet, stores it in Files, and attaches it to the email along with any supporting files you selected. Everything going out is listed before you send. Sending records the sent date. The invoice shows as Sent, or Overdue if its due date has passed. Sending it again refreshes the sent date and uses the current stored PDF. Paid and voided invoices cannot be emailed from Prosaic.

If you send the invoice outside Prosaic, for example by post or from your own email, open the actions menu on its row in the invoices list and select Mark as sent. This records the invoice as sent without sending an email from Prosaic. The option is available while the invoice is finalised and has not yet been marked as sent.

Importing invoices in bulk

If you already keep invoices in a spreadsheet, you can upload the whole file instead of entering them one at a time. Go to Invoices → Import, choose the entity, and upload an Excel or CSV file. Prosaic creates every invoice as a draft, so nothing is sent and no invoice numbers are taken from the entity's sequence until you finalise.

You can upload a sales invoice export from Xero or use the template at the top of the import page, which includes example rows. Check the suggested column mapping and review the imported totals and tax treatment before finalising. The import creates new drafts; it does not preserve another system's paid or sent status.

How rows become invoices

Each row is one invoice line.

  • A row with no invoice number becomes its own invoice, with a single line. That is the right shape if you keep a flat list where every invoice has one line.
  • To put several lines on one invoice, repeat the same invoice number on each of its rows. Only the first of those rows needs the dates and recipient details.
  • Leaving the invoice number blank lets Prosaic allocate one when you finalise the invoice.

For example, three rows with invoice number INV-100 become one invoice with three lines. Three rows with blank invoice numbers become three separate invoices. After importing, Prosaic reports both the row count and invoice count. Select Review drafts to check the result.

Columns and tax treatment

You can map columns for the invoice number, issue and due dates, recipient name, email and address, tax mode and notes, then the line description, quantity, unit price and account code. Prosaic suggests a mapping from your column headings, and you can correct it before importing.

Tax Mode accepts Inclusive, Exclusive or No tax. If it is blank or not mapped, the import defaults to Exclusive. Set it explicitly when your prices already include GST. An unrecognised value must be corrected on the review screen before importing.

There is no line tax-rate column. Each line takes the tax treatment of its matching account in Prosaic; with no matching account, it uses the entity's GST-registration setting. No tax overrides line tax treatment. Tax rates from another system are not imported, so check any zero-rated or other special-tax lines and compare the draft totals with the source invoices.

If a recipient email matches an active contact for the selected entity, Prosaic links the invoice to that person's business, or to the person if they have no active business. Recipients without a matching contact remain as the details from the file; importing does not create a new contact.

Account codes need to exist already in the entity's chart of accounts. If one doesn't match, the line still imports and Prosaic warns you about it. You'll be asked for the account before that invoice can be finalised.

Limits

  • Up to 1,000 rows and 10MB per file. Split a larger file and import it in batches.
  • One entity per file, chosen before you upload.
  • Excel files are read from the first sheet only.
  • Every invoice needs an issue date. Dates can be DD/MM/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, or DD MMM YYYY.

Correct any highlighted spreadsheet validation errors before submitting. During invoice creation, a failed invoice does not stop the others from importing. The result lists successful invoices, failures and warnings, identified by invoice number or source row.

Import creates new invoices; it does not update existing ones. If an invoice number already exists, Prosaic warns you but still creates another draft with that number. Uploading the same file twice can therefore create duplicates. After a partial success, retry only the failed invoices.

Supporting files

An invoice can carry supporting documents — an on-charge receipt, a timesheet, a quote — alongside the invoice itself. Open the invoice and select Attach files at the top of the page, beside Preview. Attached files are listed under Supporting files on the invoice. You can do this while you are writing a new invoice, or add to one later: files can be attached at any point in an invoice’s life except once it has been voided.

Attached files stay with the invoice and also appear in Files. In the file list, select the Invoice chip in the Attached to column to return to the invoice. The separate ⋯ → Go to invoice action is available on generated invoice PDFs.

Removing a supporting file from the invoice detaches it; the file remains in Files. The invoice PDF is stored separately; see Invoice PDFs in Files.

Email limits how much can travel with an invoice: 2 MB in total, including the invoice PDF. A larger file can still be attached to the invoice — it just cannot be emailed. The send dialog shows each file’s size and a running total, so you can choose what goes out.

Editing an issued invoice

Select the invoice row to open it for editing, or choose ⋯ → Edit Invoice. If you are already in Invoice details, select Edit. The available actions depend on your access and the invoice's status:

  • Standard users can edit draft, finalised, sent and overdue invoices. Once an invoice is paid, ask your accountant to make a correction.
  • Workspace owners, admins and advisors with edit access to the entity can also correct paid invoices.
  • Voided invoices cannot be edited by anyone.

You can change the recipient, dates, notes, bank account and invoice number. Changing the number advances the entity's automatic sequence if the new number is higher; it never moves the sequence back.

When a bank transaction is reconciled against the invoice, its line items and tax mode are locked. Undo the reconciliation before changing these financial details, then reconcile the payment again after correcting the invoice.

Select Save changes to save a correction to an issued invoice. If a PDF has already been generated, Prosaic replaces it and retains the previous version. Saving returns you to Invoice details, where History shows changes and links to earlier PDFs. If no PDF exists yet, it is still created on the first download or send.

Anyone already sent a copy still holds the old one. Send the corrected invoice again when appropriate. For a paid invoice, download the corrected PDF and share it outside Prosaic, because paid invoices cannot be emailed from the invoice actions.

Invoice statuses

Invoices move through a simple lifecycle:

Status Meaning
Draft Still being prepared; it can be edited or deleted.
Finalised Committed and ready to send.
Sent Sent from Prosaic or marked as sent, and awaiting payment.
Overdue Sent, unpaid, and past its due date. Prosaic works this out and shows how many days late the invoice is.
Paid Settled through bank reconciliation or marked as paid manually.
Voided Cancelled after finalisation. To void a finalised, sent, or overdue invoice, select ⋯ → Void Invoice. This keeps the invoice number, any stored PDF, and attachments for your records, and cannot be undone. A voided invoice cannot be edited by anyone. Paid invoices can't be voided.

Matching payments in bank reconciliation

When an incoming bank transaction looks like it pays a finalised, unpaid invoice, Prosaic suggests that invoice during reconciliation. Matching uses the invoice details, so the suggestion can appear before its PDF has been generated. To be suggested, the invoice must belong to the same entity, have every line coded to an account, and its total must match the payment exactly. The payment also has to land in a sensible window — from a few days before the issue date through to a couple of weeks past the due date. A matching customer name, or a payment made into the bank account the invoice nominated, raises Prosaic’s confidence in the match.

A matched invoice codes the transaction itself. The row shows the invoice number where the account dropdown would be, and the invoice’s tax treatment where the tax dropdown would be, because the coding belongs to the invoice — to change it, edit the invoice, or clear the match and code the transaction by hand.

Select the transaction row to open it. The Invoice section names the invoice this payment will settle, lists the accounts and tax treatments that will be posted, and says plainly that reconciling marks that invoice as paid. Everything to do with the invoice is here, including changing which one it is.


Choosing a different invoice

Two invoices for the same amount will both match one payment, and only you know which one it settles. The Invoice section lists the alternatives underneath, and Reconcile against this invoice switches to the one you pick. The row and the bulk Accept action both follow your choice.

Search here when none of the suggestions is right, or when nothing was suggested at all. Search by invoice number or customer name. This searches finalised, unpaid invoices for the entity with complete coding, including invoices outside the automatic amount and date window. Invoices already reconciled to another payment are excluded. The results are shown in order of how closely each one resembles the payment — its total, whether the payment arrived around the time it was due, whether the customer name appears on the bank line, and whether the money landed in the account the invoice nominated. Each invoice shows which of those matched, so the order explains itself.

Clear match steps away from invoices altogether and leaves you to code the transaction by hand.

Invoices with a different total are listed with the difference, but cannot be selected unless the amounts match within the one-cent rounding tolerance. This helps you identify a short payment or overpayment. Part payments are not currently supported; see Current limits.

Reconciling a transaction against a matched invoice marks that invoice as Paid. Attaching an invoice PDF to a transaction does not — supporting files are evidence, not settlement. Short payments do not change the status either, because partial payments are not currently tracked. Undoing the reconciliation returns the invoice to Sent (or Overdue if its due date has passed), or to Finalised if it had never been sent.

Managing invoices

Select an invoice row to open it. It opens in the editable form when your access and its status allow editing. Standard users see paid invoices in read-only Invoice details; everyone sees voided invoices read-only.

Use the actions menu on an invoice row to:

  • edit an invoice you have permission to change, or delete a draft
  • duplicate any invoice
  • finalise a draft, with or without sending it
  • send a finalised invoice, or resend a sent or overdue invoice
  • mark a finalised invoice as sent when you deliver it outside Prosaic
  • mark a finalised, sent, or overdue invoice as paid
  • void a finalised, sent, or overdue invoice when it needs to be cancelled

Duplicating copies the entity, recipient, line items, coding, tax treatment, bank account, and notes. The duplicate starts as an unnumbered draft, changes the issue date to today, and keeps the same number of days between issue and due dates. Prosaic assigns the next automatic number when you finalise it.

Deleting a draft removes the invoice. Drafts do not have stored PDFs. Only drafts can be deleted — to withdraw an issued invoice rather than correct it, void it and issue a replacement.

Invoice PDFs in Files

Finalising an invoice does not add a PDF to Files. Prosaic creates and stores the PDF the first time you download the invoice or send it by email. It then appears in the workspace’s Files repository, tagged with an Invoice badge and its current status. Drafts stay in Invoices and do not appear in Files. From Files you can preview or download a stored invoice PDF and filter files by invoice status.

To open the invoice from its PDF, select ⋯ → Go to invoice. The invoice opens for editing when you have permission to change it, or in read-only Invoice details otherwise.

Current limits

Prosaic supports creating, importing, sending and matching invoices to full payments. It does not currently track part payments or customer credits, allocate one payment across several invoices, or combine several payments against one invoice. Recurring invoice schedules and automated payment reminders are not currently available.

What we're working on next

Our next major step is proper accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP). This will bring unpaid invoices and bills into your financial reports, showing what customers owe you and what you owe suppliers.

Other planned improvements include:

  • Flexible payment allocation. Track part payments and the amount still owing, apply one payment across several invoices, and apply several payments to one invoice.
  • Refunds and write-offs. Record money returned to customers and write off amounts that will not be collected, with a clear history of each adjustment.
  • Invoice branding. Add your business branding to the invoices you send customers.

These improvements are planned for future releases and are not available yet.

Need help? Please contact your accountant or bookkeeper, or use the 💬 in-app help button to reach the Prosaic team.

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