---
title: How To Create, Edit, And Send An Invoice
description: Create, edit, and send invoices in Exterio. Covers templates, line item types, payment methods, payment terms, and sending as a payable link by email or text.
---
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October 20, 2026
# How To Create, Edit, And Send An Invoice
## Invoices are built on the Financials tab of a project and sent as a payable link by email or text. Down payment invoices are created for you automatically when a proposal requires one.
### When would I use this?
- Billing a progress payment partway through a job
- Invoicing the final balance after completion
- Sending a deposit request outside a proposal
- Re-sending an invoice a customer says they never received
### Where do I create an invoice?
Open the project and go to the **Financials** tab, then the **Invoices and Payments** section.
You can also click **Actions** on the project and select **Create Invoice**.
The Financials tab also holds a financial summary (project value, estimated profit, payments received, outstanding payments), job costing details, P&L analysis, and commissions. Those are covered separately.
### Do I need to create a down payment invoice?
**No.** If a proposal requires a down payment, that invoice is created automatically when the proposal is signed — whether or not the customer has paid yet.
- **Customer paid the deposit at signing** → the invoice is marked **Paid**
- **Customer hasn’t paid yet** → the invoice shows as **Sent**
### How do I build an invoice?
Click **Create Invoice**. Your default invoice template from your invoice settings (Settings \> Invoices) loads automatically.
From there you can:
- Keep the default template
- Select a different template — for a different percentage or balance of the project
- Select **no template** to start with blank line items
### What are the line item types?
| Type | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Fixed amount** | A set dollar figure |
| **Percentage of job** | Calculates automatically from total project value |
| **Project balance** | Whatever remains unpaid |
**Total project value** is the sum of all estimates, change orders, add-ons, and fees, minus any discounts.
So a 20% down payment line item populates as 20% of that figure automatically.
You can pull common line items from your invoice template settings, add a description to any line, and click **Add Line Item** for more.
### What else can I set on an invoice?
| Setting | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| **Notes** | Additional notes or terms |
| **Sales tax** | Enable if sales tax applies in your area |
| **Payment terms** | Defaults from your template — adjustable to Net 15, Net 30, or Net 60 |
| **Accepted payment methods** | Comes from your account payment settings; turn individual methods off for this invoice |
Turning off a payment method here affects only this invoice. If you don’t want to offer pay-in-person on a particular job, deselect it and the customer won’t see it.
### How do I preview an invoice?
Click **Preview**. Invoices carry your branding from your brand settings, the line items on the invoice, and the customer’s payment option.
**Previews are draft mode and are not payable by the customer.** A preview is for your review only.
### How do I send an invoice?
From the invoice, choose **Cancel**, **Save Changes**, or **Save and Send**.
**Save and Send** opens the sending modal:
1. Use your **invoice email template** from your Email and SMS template settings, or write your own.
2. Attach **project files** or upload a file.
3. The **primary contact** on the project is the default recipient. Search your CRM to change them, or add **CC** and **BCC** recipients.
4. Send by **email**, **text message**, or **both**.
You can also **copy the invoice link** to send outside Exterio.
### Does the customer receive a PDF?
**No — invoices send as a payable link, not an attachment.**
The link is what lets the customer pay. A PDF is a document; the link is a transaction.
To get a payable link to the customer, you must either send the invoice by email or text, or **mark it as sent** using the mail checkbox icon.
### How do I print an invoice?
Once the invoice is marked as sent, click **View Invoice**. Below the **Pay Now** button is a **Download PDF** option.
Download it to print for your records or to present in person.
### What are the invoice statuses?
| Status | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Draft** | Created, not yet sent |
| **Sent** | Delivered and payable |
| **Pending** | The customer indicated they’ll pay in person |
| **Paid** | Payment received in full |
### When does an invoice become overdue?
When its **payment terms** elapse without payment. An invoice on Net 30 terms goes overdue 30 days after it’s sent.
### Can invoices trigger automations?
Yes. **Invoice sent**, **invoice overdue**, and **invoice paid** are all available as triggers in both Workflows and Campaigns.
The highest-value use is automated follow-up on unpaid invoices — a scheduled email or text sequence that chases payment without anyone remembering to. See *How to Create an Automated Campaign*.
### Tips and gotchas
- **A preview isn’t an invoice.** Previews are draft mode and can’t be paid. If a customer says they can’t pay, check that the invoice was actually sent or marked as sent — not just previewed and downloaded.
- **Set payment terms deliberately — they define overdue.** Net 30 on a job you expect paid on completion means 30 days before anything flags as late, and 30 days before your overdue automation fires. Match the terms to when you actually expect the money.
- **Build overdue follow-up as a campaign, not a habit.** Invoice overdue is a trigger. Chasing payment manually is the thing that slips when you’re busy, and it’s your own money. Set it up once.
- **Use percentage line items instead of doing the math.** A percentage-of-job line recalculates off total project value, which includes change orders and add-ons. Typing a fixed number means re-doing it every time the job changes.
- **Turn off any payment method when you don’t want to offer it.** Leaving every payment method on means a customer can choose the slowest one. If you want this invoice paid digitally, deselect the alternatives before sending.
- **Steer large balances to ACH.** Credit card processing costs 3.2% + $0.30; ACH is 1% capped at $50. On a $30,000 payment that’s roughly a $950 difference. Which methods you leave enabled is the lever.
- **Check the recipient on commercial jobs.** The primary contact is the default, and on commercial work the person who signed often isn’t the person who pays. Send it to accounts payable and CC your contact.
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