Follow these steps to create a client-based invoice:

1. Open the client record and click Client Invoice in the New group of the ribbon. See also: Invoice Ribbon

2. Take a look at the invoice. You will see the following areas:

   • Invoice Ribbon - The ribbon where you'll find tools for working with your invoice. Click on the tabs across the top (Home and Communication) to see more tools. For a complete description of each tool on the ribbon, refer to the Invoice Ribbon reference topic.

   • Invoice Header - The top section contains the contact information for the Client, as well as the Bill-To Client information and Shipping Address. When creating an invoice, these will automatically be the same client.

   • Detail Tabs - There are a variety of detail tabs right above the client information. When creating an invoice, you'll focus on the General tab, the Order Detail tab, and the Notes tab.

     

3. Review the client's information, including the details of the Client, the Bill-To Client, and the Shipping Address. 

   • To modify the client contact information, open the client by clicking Client in the View group of the ribbon. Make any necessary changes on the client's record and then click Save. Click Refresh on the invoice to update the displayed client information.

   • To change the Bill-To Client, click on the  icon. You'll have the option to "Change the Bill-To Client," "View Bill-To Client," or "Create New Bill-To Client."

   • To choose the Shipping Address, click the down arrow on the right side of the first row. You can ship to the client, the bill-to client, or the studio.

4. Fill in the following fields on the General tab.

   • Invoice Date - This date is automatically created but can be changed if needed by entering a new date or clicking the calendar icon.

   • Invoice Type - Select what type of invoice this is. You can choose from Generic, Credit Memo, or Estimate. See also: Invoicing Overview, Creating an Estimate

   • Invoice Description - Provide a brief description of what the invoice is for. The invoice description will be displayed on the Invoices tab of the client record and on the Invoices hub.

   • Invoice Status - Select the status of the invoice. Invoice statuses can be used for sorting purposes in the Invoices hub and on your reports. See also: Using Invoice Statuses

     TIP! The session date and session number will remain blank because a client invoice is not related to a specific session.

   • Notes - Enter any notes related to this invoice. If you do not want these notes to appear on the client's printed invoice, uncheck the Print box.

   Though optional, you may also want to consider using the following fields to help organize and track your orders:

   • Sales Rep - Select the individual that created the invoice. You can choose the sales rep from the drop-down list. See also: Setting up Users

   • Payment Due Date - Select the date the payment will be due for the invoice. The default date is today's date. If the payment is not due today, you can change it by entering a new date or clicking the calendar icon. When typing in the due date, you don't need to enter slashes. For example, 010112 will automatically be displayed as 01/01/2012.

   • Approx. Delivery Date - Use this date field to give your client the estimated date their order will be ready.

   • Delivery Date - Use field to indicate when the products have actually been delivered.

   • Custom Fields - There is one text field and one date field for you to use as needed.

5. Add items to the invoice on the Order Detail tab.
   
   

   • Item Selection Window - This is a list of all the invoice items available from your price list. See Price List for more information on setting up your price list.

   • Invoice Details - The item number, description, quantity, unit price, and extended price are displayed here. Add items to the invoice in one of the following ways:

     1. Double-click the item in the Item Selection Window.

     2. Enter the item number in the Item field and press Tab.

     3. Or, enter a special item that has not been pre-defined in the price list by simply entering a description in the Description column. No item number is necessary. A quantity and price can also be entered.

     TIP! The orange arrow to the left of the line shows which item is currently selected. Right-click the orange arrow and choose to Insert New Line, Move the line up or down on the invoice, or Delete the line.

   • Add a Discount - There are two ways to discount an invoice. You can discount one item on the invoice using a Line Item Discount, or you may discount the entire invoice with an Invoice Discount.

     • Line Item Discount - To discount an individual item, highlight the appropriate item on the invoice and click the Item Detail tab in the Payment Information section in the lower left. Enter the percentage or dollar discount information, along with any notes you want to record about the item being ordered. Stratus will calculate the discount and display the adjusted price in the Extended column above.
       
       

     • Invoice Discount - To discount the entire invoice, locate the "Discount" line in the lower right. You can either enter a percentage in the smaller box and let Stratus calculate the discount, OR you can type in a dollar amount in the box on the right.
       
       

6. Create a payment for this invoice. See Creating a Payment and Payment How To's for more information.

7. Click Save & Close when finished.