When should you issue an invoice?

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Issuing invoices is one of the most enjoyable parts of being an entrepreneur. Why? Because it’s the final step towards getting paid. But the question arises – when should you issue an invoice so that it’s legal? It turns out that there’s no single answer to this question. It all depends on the circumstances. Most often, an invoice is issued after the delivery of goods or services. However, there are some exceptions. This article will explain when you should issue invoices. It mostly depends on the type of invoice, so here we’ll discuss the ones that occur most often.

When should you issue an invoice? – index:
Sales invoice
Final invoice
Progress invoice
Advance invoice
Proforma invoice
Recurring invoice
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Sales invoice
This is a fairly common way of issuing invoices. It is especially common in stores. When you, as a salesperson, deliver the purchased items to the customer in person, you can also issue an invoice immediately. In argentina whatsapp number database case, it is usually linked to the acceptance of payment, whether in cash or by credit card. However, it can happen outside of your business that you deliver goods directly to the customer.

It might seem like you can’t invoice your client right away if you’re away from your office. Luckily, you can use a mobile invoicing app . This allows you to issue invoices using your smartphone. What about printing? You don’t have to, because you can send the invoice via email. An electronic invoice has the same legal value as a paper invoice.

Final invoice
For services, it is common to see invoices issued after the work is completed. How do these differ from invoices issued on the day of sale? Theoretically, the moment you complete your service, you can issue an invoice. This is a good way to do this if you have personal contact with the customer. In this case, the customer immediately sees the results of your work and can accept and approve the invoice.

However, if the client has not yet seen the work you have done for them, it is best to check if they are satisfied with the final result. If they have any comments, you can make corrections before issuing the invoice. Otherwise, it may happen that the client does not accept the invoice because they have commented on the project. This would prolong the payment process. You can avoid this by sending a message to the client asking if they accept the work done and, if not, what corrections are still needed.

With the customer confirming that everything is okay, you can confidently issue an invoice for the services rendered.
Progress invoice
Partial invoices are especially common for larger projects. In this case, the work can be divided into stages. Once the stages are completed, an invoice is issued covering the work performed. Where can you find this type of invoice? Whenever the total work is spread out over time.

This happens, for example, during the construction of a house. The company carrying out the work can issue invoices after the completion of individual stages. This form of invoicing ensures cash flow and avoids payment bottlenecks as well as a high bill after everything is completed. For long-term projects, it is a good idea to establish a payment schedule at the beginning. It can indicate certain milestones after which partial invoices will be issued.