Progress invoicing, deposits and rounding on part invoices

This article covers progress (part) invoicing from a quote, recording deposits and reservation fees, and why part invoices can round. It also covers invoice and due dates, adding a Stripe payment link to invoices, and keeping track of supplier invoices that are coming due.

How do I invoice a deposit or reservation fee, then deduct it from a later invoice?

You can invoice the deposit on its own, then show it as a negative line on the next invoice.

1. Create the deposit invoice. Go to Accounts > Invoices > Add > Quick Add, enter the deposit amount and assign it to the job. See Quick Add Quote/Invoice.
2. When you raise the next invoice, add an Other item called "Deposit" or "Reservation fee".
3. Set the quantity to -1 and the sell price to the deposit amount.
4. Save. The deposit now shows as a deduction from the total owing.

A negative line is usually better than a credit note because the customer can see the deduction on the invoice. When you sync to Xero, NextMinute converts the negative line into a credit. The same negative-line approach is used for retentions in How to handle retentions when invoicing in NextMinute.

Will a Quick Add deposit invoice count towards the quote's amount already invoiced? No. It sits on the job and appears in back costing as invoiced, but it isn't linked to the quote. That's fine if you create the rest of the invoices from the quote.

If you want the deposit to show as invoiced against the quote, create it from the quote instead (More > Create Invoice from Quote). Be aware that a part amount from a quote is split across the quote lines and can round (see below).

Do credit notes and negative lines sync to Xero?

Yes. A credit note added through More > Add Credit Notes is sent to Xero on that invoice when you sync the invoice. A negative Other line is converted into a credit when it syncs. See Add Payment & Credit Note to Invoice.

The customer paid a deposit before we invoiced anything. How do I record it?

1. Create a standalone invoice in Xero for the deposit amount and call it something like "Deposit".
2. When you create the actual invoice in NextMinute, add an Other item (or a separate section) called "Deposit".
3. Set the quantity to -1 and the amount to the deposit amount. This shows the deposit being deducted from the total owing.

If you made a placeholder deposit invoice in NextMinute to track things internally, delete it once you've raised the actual invoice with the deduction. This avoids duplicate records.

We already invoiced the deposit in Xero. How do I show it in NextMinute?

Don't sync another deposit invoice from NextMinute, or you'll end up with a duplicate in Xero. Choose one of these options:

• Show it against a quote: create a deposit invoice from that quote in NextMinute, but don't sync it to Xero. It will show as invoiced against the quote.
• Show it on the job only: go to Invoices > Add > Quick Add and enter the deposit amount. It won't show against a specific quote, but it will appear in the job's back costing as invoiced.

If one deposit covers several quotes, pick whichever option suits how you want to track it.

Why does part-invoicing a quote round my amount?

When you invoice a percentage of a quote, NextMinute changes the quantity of each quote line to the original quantity multiplied by the percentage. For example, taking 20% of an item with quantity 1 creates an invoice line with quantity 0.20.

The amount is split across the lines as evenly as possible, and amounts are rounded to two decimal places, the same as Xero. This means the invoice total may not exactly match the amount you wanted. You can't turn this rounding off.

How do I get an exact progress payment amount when invoicing from a quote?

Use one of these workarounds after creating the invoice from the quote:

• Add a rounding line: add an Other item, for example called "Rounding", with the amount needed to reach your exact progress payment.
• Edit a line directly: change the quantity of a line to 1, then adjust its sell price to the amount you want. This still flows back to the quote to show how much has been invoiced.

Why is my second progress invoice calculated on the remaining balance, not the full quote?

Invoicing from a quote always works off the amount remaining, not the original quote total, and there's no option to change this. For example, a 25% invoice raised after a 10% invoice is calculated on the remaining 90%.

To claim a percentage of the whole quote, adjust the line quantities on the invoice. Each invoice quantity is the original quote quantity multiplied by the percentage, so for 25% of an item with quantity 1, set the invoice quantity to 0.25.

My progress claim invoices aren't showing against the original quote. How do I fix this?

Invoices only track against a quote when they're created directly from the quote (More > Create Invoice from Quote). If you built the invoices manually, you can still see the total invoiced in reporting, but it won't be broken down per quote or per section.

To link them up, delete the manual invoices and re-create them from the quote:

1. If the invoices are synced, mark each one as not synced so you can delete it. See Invoices - Mark as not Synced.
2. Delete the original invoices in NextMinute.
3. Create new invoices from the quote, matching the amounts already claimed.
4. Then either leave the old invoices in Xero and keep the new ones as drafts in NextMinute, or sync the new ones to Xero.
5. If you sync the new ones, void or delete the original invoices in Xero and re-assign any payments to the new invoices.

Will clearing a quote's acceptance to add a negative variation affect invoices already raised?

No. Removing the acceptance doesn't affect anything previously invoiced. Clear the acceptance, make your changes, re-accept the quote, then carry on invoicing. See Variations - How to add a negative variation to your existing quote.

Can I set a default invoice date or due date?

The invoice date doesn't have a default setting, so update it each time if you don't want the date that's there. To change it, click the top area (header) of the invoice to open the invoice details panel, then edit the Invoice Date.

You can set a default due date under Admin > Accounting. You can use your accounting provider's default, or set a number with one of these options: of the following month, day(s) after the invoice date, days after the end of the invoice month, or of the current month. See Set default due date for Invoices.

Can I include a Stripe payment link on invoices sent from NextMinute?

NextMinute isn't integrated with Stripe, so a payment link can't automatically show the customer's specific invoice amount and details. The workaround is a generic payment link:

1. Create a generic payment link in Stripe.
2. Add the link to the footer of your invoices, for example as a footer template.

The customer clicks the link and is taken to a standard payment screen, where they need to enter the amount and invoice number themselves. To add your bank details and payment terms to invoices, see Setup Payment Details to appear on your invoices.

Can NextMinute remind me when supplier invoices are coming due?

There's no automated reminder system. Instead, go to Accounts > Supplier Invoices and sort by due date to see what's coming up. You can also filter by a due date range, as shown in Filter accounts lists by due/expiry date range.