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Sales and Invoicing

The Sales module is where you manage your revenue-generating activities, from estimates through to final payments. All sales transactions are found under the Transactions menu.

Sales Workflow Overview​

MyBooks supports a full sales workflow. You can use any step independently or convert between them:

Estimate → Sales Order → Delivery Note → Invoice → Payment
                ↓
         Proforma Invoice → Invoice
DocumentPurpose
EstimateA price quote sent to a prospect before they commit
Proforma InvoiceA preliminary invoice sent before goods are dispatched
Sales OrderA confirmed order from the customer
Delivery NoteRecords that goods have been shipped/delivered
InvoiceThe formal billing document requesting payment
Credit Note (Sales Return)Issued when a customer returns goods or a refund is due

Creating an Invoice​

  1. Go to Transactions > Invoices.
  2. Click New Invoice.
  3. Select a Customer from the dropdown (or add one on the fly).
  4. Set the Invoice Date and Due Date (or select a Payment Term).
  5. Add Items: choose from your catalog or type a description.
  6. Adjust Quantity and Price. Taxes are calculated automatically based on the item and customer's GST treatment.
  7. (Optional) Add a Salesperson, Tags, or Notes.
  8. Click Save to save as a draft, or Save & Send to email the invoice to the customer directly.

Printing or Emailing an Invoice​

  • From the invoice view, click Print to generate a PDF.
  • Click Send to email the invoice. You can customize the email subject and body before sending.

Applying a Sales Return / Credit Note to an Invoice​

If a customer has an open Credit Note:

  1. Open the Invoice.
  2. Click Apply Credit.
  3. Select the Credit Note to apply. The invoice balance will reduce accordingly.

Recording Customer Payments​

When a customer pays an invoice:

  1. Open the Invoice and click Record Payment.
  2. Select the Payment Date and Deposit To account (Bank or Cash).
  3. If it's a partial payment, adjust the Amount Received.
  4. Enter an optional Reference Number (cheque number, UTR, etc.).
  5. Click Save. The invoice status updates to Paid or Partially Paid.

For advance payments not linked to a specific invoice, use the standalone Customer Payments screen. See Customer Payments.

Discounts​

MyBooks lets you apply a Discount at two levels on any sales document: on an individual line item, or as a single discount across the whole invoice.

Line-item discount:

  1. While adding an item, find the Discount field on that line.
  2. Enter a number, then use the dropdown next to it to choose whether it's a percentage (%) or a fixed currency amount.
  3. The line total updates automatically to reflect the discount.

Invoice-level discount:

  1. Below the line items, click + Add Discount.
  2. Enter the discount amount or percentage, the same way as for a line item.
  3. The Total after discounts line shows the invoice total after the discount is applied.

You can combine both — line-item discounts on specific products plus one overall discount on the invoice total — for cases like a promotional discount on one item on top of a loyalty discount for the whole order.

MyBooks remembers whether you last used a percentage or a fixed amount for discounts on a given document type, and defaults to the same choice the next time.

Direct Amount Entry​

For quick, simple invoices where you don't need to itemize what was sold, switch to Direct Amount Entry instead of building a line-item list.

  1. On the invoice form, find the Line Items / Direct Amount Entry toggle above the item table.
  2. Turn on Direct Amount Entry.
  3. Enter the Amount — the total value of the invoice.
  4. (Optional) Choose a Document Tax (Optional), then select Tax Inclusive or Tax Exclusive to specify whether the Amount you entered already includes tax. MyBooks shows a live breakdown (Base + Tax = Total) so you can confirm the numbers before saving.
  5. Enter a Description of what the invoice is for.
  6. (Optional) Select a Sales Account to post the amount to, if you want the income categorized under a specific account rather than the default.
  7. Save the invoice as usual.

Direct Amount Entry is a genuine alternative to itemized invoicing, not just a shortcut for a single line — it's meant for quick, simple transactions where item-level detail isn't needed, like a single consulting fee or a flat service charge. Switch back to Line Items at any time if you need to itemize; note that switching back clears the document-level tax settings you'd entered.

Estimates (Quotes)​

Estimates let you send a price proposal to a customer before they confirm an order.

  1. Go to Transactions > Estimates.
  2. Click New Estimate.
  3. Fill in the customer, items, and pricing just like an invoice.
  4. Send it to the customer for approval.
  5. Once accepted, click Convert to turn it into an Invoice or Sales Order.

See the full Estimates guide for more details.

Sales Orders​

A Sales Order confirms a customer's purchase intent before the goods are dispatched.

  1. Go to Transactions > Sales Orders.
  2. Click New Sales Order.
  3. Fill in the details and save.
  4. Convert to a Delivery Note or directly to an Invoice when ready.

See the full Sales Orders guide.

Proforma Invoice​

A Proforma Invoice is a preliminary billing document often used for import/export or advance payment requests.

  1. Go to Transactions > Proforma Invoices (must be enabled in Settings > Proforma Invoice).
  2. Create it like a regular invoice.
  3. Convert to a final Invoice once the goods are delivered.

Proforma Invoice may not appear as a transaction type on every account — availability depends on your business type and branding.

Credit Notes (Sales Returns)​

Use a Credit Note when a customer returns goods or when you need to issue a refund or discount post-invoice.

  1. Go to Transactions > Sales Returns.
  2. Click New Sales Return.
  3. Select the customer and add the returned items.
  4. Save to create the Credit Note.
  5. Apply the credit to an open invoice or leave it as a balance on the customer's account.

See the full Credit Notes guide.