Learn Mokapen

Invoices Guide

An invoice is the fiscal document that closes the sales cycle: what you sold, to whom, with which taxes, and when it is due. In Mokapen an invoice is not a PDF sitting in a folder. It is a live CRM record, linked to the contact and company, with line items from the same catalog as quotes and orders, tracked payments, and e-invoicing fields from your organization's country pack.

This guide walks you through day-to-day use: issuing an invoice from an order (or from scratch), recording receipts, generating the PDF, sending it to the customer, and knowing what is still open. You will also find document types (credit note, debit note, proforma), pipelines, and e-invoicing settings — they are in dedicated sections, but you do not need to touch anything to start: the defaults work immediately.

The invoices area is in the Sales → Invoices menu, right after orders. It requires the Large plan with the Sales app active and tax rates configured at organization level (once, in Settings → Sales → Taxes).

How invoices fit into the rest of your work

Before the card details, it helps to see where the invoice sits in the flow — that is what makes you use Mokapen instead of fighting it.

In the typical path, a customer enters as a contact. When a concrete opportunity appears you open a deal. If you need a formal proposal you prepare a quote; when the customer accepts, the quote becomes an order — the commercial commitment. The invoice is the next step: same customer, same items, same amounts, now as the fiscal document to issue, send, and collect.

You can skip steps: not everyone invoices only from orders (an agreed job, a recurring fee, a credit note on a previous invoice). What matters is that the invoice inherits from and feeds everything else: if it is born from an order, items, recipient, discounts and terms are copied; if you open it from a company record, address and tax data fill in. Payments stay on the invoice and show up in the customer history.

The practical advantage: six months later, anyone on the team who opens the contact sees quotes, orders and invoices together — which are issued, sent, overdue or paid, and for how much. No shared spreadsheet, no «invoices 2026» folder to hunt through.

Use cases

• Consulting: invoice from an order or directly, service lines by hour/day, due dates and partial payments in the payments block, branded PDF.
• Product resale: catalog items with price and VAT; automatic customer discount if set on the company.
• Credit note / debit note: same customer and a link to the original invoice; lines stay connected, history stays in one place.
• Proforma or receipt: same editor and catalog, different document type — useful before final issue or for collections outside the invoice cycle.
• Country e-invoicing: fiscal fields come from the country pack (organization country, with an override in Invoice settings). They are not Italian constants pasted into the CRM: change country, change the rules.

The Invoices page: where you start every day

When you open Sales → Invoices you land on the Kanban board: columns for each stage (Draft, Issued, Sent, Overdue, Paid, Credited, Cancelled — all customizable). Each invoice is a card in its column. At a glance you see how many wait to be sent, how many are overdue, how much you have already collected.

This is the daily view: open Mokapen in the morning, look at Issued — ready to send. Look at Sent — waiting for payment. Look at Overdue — to chase. The Paid column shows collections for the period, with the column total on top.

At the top you will use two tools a lot: the pipeline selector (if you have different processes — B2B vs retainers) and Filters. Filters narrow the board: one customer, above an amount, one owner, a tag, credit notes only. If you reuse a combination, save it as a saved filter.

To move a stage you do not need to open the invoice: drag the card from Issued to Sent and the status updates. That is the fast way in a meeting or when you walk through overdue items in the morning.

The + Invoice button at the top right opens the editor — see «Create an invoice» below. The cleanest path is still to start from an order with + Create and connect, so you do not retype the lines.

Pages and views

The Invoices page offers two views of the same data. Active filters and pipeline stay the same when you switch.

Kanban view (default)

A board of columns: each column is a stage, each invoice is a card. Each column header shows count and total amount. To progress, drag the card — the status updates without opening the record.

List view

A table: one row per invoice, configurable columns (code, customer, amount, status, document type, owner, date, tags). Sort by clicking the header — useful for largest amounts or due dates — and select rows for bulk actions: owner, tags, archive, CSV export.

Which to use, when

Rule of thumb: Kanban to work (move, open, comment, review overdue), List to review and correct (numbers, due dates, bulk edits, export). Switch with the control at the top right.

The invoice card

Click a Kanban card (or a List row) to open the invoice. On a Premium plan you can switch to the full page with the expand icon — useful on long documents or many payments.

At the top you see the invoice code (e.g. #12-2026) and the title. The code is the progressive number on the PDF. The title is the internal label («Annual maintenance 2026 — Acme»): it helps you recognize the record; it is not the fiscal number.

Below the title, the action bar: pipeline status, privacy, tags, files, notes. Copy link shares the internal reference. The Options menu (three dots): Clone, Archive, Delete.

+ Create and connect creates a follow-up task («chase on Friday»), an appointment, a linked credit note, or any other entity. The link is automatic — you find it on the invoice and on the customer card.

The rest of the card is organized in blocks: recipient and sender, commercial data, document type, items, totals, payments, design, terms, country e-invoicing, connections. We go through them one by one.

Invoice code: automatic numbering (and how to change it)

Every invoice has a unique code: you use it internally (Kanban, lists, connections) and it appears on the PDF as the document reference.

Mokapen generates it on first save if you have not set one: year sequence + year, format NUMBER-YEAR. The first invoice of 2026 is 1-2026, the second 2-2026. On 1 January the counter restarts at 1. If you move the date to another year, the code realigns to that year.

You can set the code manually: click the code, type, save. Useful when you import from a previous system or your accountant wants a prefix (INV-2026-005). Codes outside NUMBER-YEAR do not advance the automatic counter: the next automatic invoice uses the next free Mokapen number, not INV-2026-006.

Watch duplicates: if you force the same code by hand, Mokapen does not block you. In a team, leave automatic numbering and override only when you really need to.

Recipient and sender: who buys and who invoices

The invoice has two faces at the top of the PDF: the sender (your organization) and the recipient (the customer).

The sender is prefilled from organization settings: name, address, VAT number, email, logo. If org data is complete, every invoice already has it. You can still change it on a single document for a special case (a branch).

You set the recipient. Selecting a company loads name, address, VAT number, email and phone. If you also link a contact, their name and email become the send reference. If the customer is not in the directory yet, typing the name lets you create them on the fly with the minimum data from the invoice.

If the company has a dedicated discount on its record, it is applied to the lines as on quotes and orders. You do not have to remember it.

Document type: invoice, notes, proforma

Not every fiscal document is a sales invoice. On the card (and in the country e-invoicing tab) you choose the document type:

• Invoice — the default: a sale or service to collect.
• Credit note — full or partial reversal of an issued invoice. Link the original invoice so they stay in the same customer history.
• Debit note — an addition to an issued invoice (adjustment, extra charge).
• Proforma — courtesy / preview document, same structure, not a final invoice.
• Receipt — a collection outside the invoice cycle, same editor and catalog.

The type also drives the electronic pack fields (the country's fiscal document type) and, for notes, the link to the original document. Change the type before you issue: afterwards, history and reports stay coherent if you do not mix meanings.

Items: building the economic document

Items are the heart of the invoice: the same five types as quotes and orders, the same catalog, the same VAT, discount and margin maths. If the invoice is born from an order, the lines are already there — you review and save.

When you click + Item you choose the line type:

• Service — from the Services catalog. Price, VAT, code and description prefills; you can adapt them on the line without changing the catalog.
• Product — the same, from the Products catalog.
• Generic item — a free line, no catalog («Travel», «One-off setup»).
• Generic item % — a percentage of the net of the lines above (loyalty −10%, rush +15%). Recalculates live.
• % text-only item — a label on the document that does not touch totals.

What you write on each line

• Title and note — what the customer reads on the PDF.
• Quantity and unit price — they make the line total.
• VAT rate — from organization taxes. Without at least one rate you cannot create items.
• Line discount — 0–100% on that line only.
• Unit cost — internal, for margin and markup; never on the PDF.

Net or gross prices

The «Use gross prices» switch applies to the whole document. Net (default, B2B): you type 100 + 22% VAT = 122. Gross (B2C): you type 122 and Mokapen splits tax out. You cannot mix net and gross lines on the same document.

Discounts: three levels in cascade

As on quotes and orders, discounts do not add up: they apply in sequence. Example on 1,000 net, 10% customer discount, 5% line discount, 3% document discount: 1,000 → 900 → 855 → 829.35, then VAT. The totals block shows each level. Document discount is enabled from «Add discount» under the items. Details in the Discounts guide.

Lines drag to set PDF order. Edit and trash sit on the line; totals (net, discounts, tax by rate, gross) recalculate immediately. Margin and markup stay internal.

Payments: recording collections

The Payments block is what sets the invoice apart from quote and order: here you record what actually arrived. It appears on the card after the first save (the invoice id is required). On a new invoice, save first, then record receipts.

Each payment row has:

• Date — when the money arrived (defaults to today).
• Amount and currency — currency follows the document.
• Method — bank transfer, card, cash, or the method already set on the invoice.
• Reference — bank ref, transaction id, cheque number: whatever you need to reconcile.

Add with + Payment, remove with the trash icon on the row. You can split the collection: deposit today, balance in 30 days, two different methods. The paid total on the card shows how much is left versus the gross.

When coverage matches the total (or you treat it as closed), move the card to Paid — from Kanban or from the status on the card. Payments stay in history even if you later issue a credit note.

Document design: PDF templates

The PDF starts from a template: layout, colors, logo, item table, signature. In the Design block you pick which one to use. Mokapen includes system templates Standard 1–4; the organization can create custom ones in Templates, of type Invoice, with preloaded economic terms and a default template for new documents.

If you change the template on an existing invoice and save, preview and download use the new layout — items, prices and payments stay as they were.

Economic terms

In the Document block, the rich editor for terms: payment terms («30 days from invoice date»), bank details, order references, legal notes. If the template prefills them, start from there. The text lands on the PDF under the item table.

Preview, download and send to the customer

When the invoice is ready — items, terms, customer, document type — you deliver it in three ways.

Preview

The Preview button shows the A4 PDF as the customer will see it. Always use it before sending: a cut title, a wrong VAT rate, the logo. Preview reflects the saved state: if you just changed lines, save and try again.

Download: PDF or Word

Download offers PDF (standard delivery; file name SenderName - Code.pdf) and Word (docx) if you need to tweak outside the system. Edits in Word do not come back to Mokapen.

Send email

Send email opens the modal: recipient prefilled from contact/company, extra addresses separated by semicolons, sender from SMTP connections (otherwise the system address). Subject like «Invoice {code}», editable body. Options: Attach PDF (default) and BCC me. The send is logged on the invoice timeline (date, recipients). Then drag the card to Sent.

Unlike a quote, an invoice has no online OTP acceptance: it is an issued document, not an offer to sign.

Country e-invoicing

Mokapen is built for more than one country: fiscal rules are not hardcoded as constants of a single market. Each country has a pack (fields, allowed values, document types, defaults). The default country is the organization country; in Settings → Sales → Invoices you can override it if you issue under a different profile.

On the invoice, the e-invoicing block shows the active pack fields: fiscal document type, exemption / nature codes, regime, and whatever the country channel needs. Values hydrate from: the document → organization settings → pack defaults. Fill them carefully before you treat the invoice as issued: they are the same data the electronic send will use when the country channel is active.

If the organization country has no pack yet, you see a warning that e-invoicing is not available for that country: you can still issue the CRM document, PDF and payments. Packs grow over time; Italy uses the electronic invoice profile (SDI fields) on the organization and on each invoice.

For credit and debit notes the pack may require a link to the original invoice: pick the related document for the same customer. Without it, history stays split.

Sending to the national system (e.g. SDI in Italy) is prepared on these fields and on org settings. When the send channel is enabled for your organization, start from a complete invoice: recipient with tax data, lines, document type, pack filled. Until then, work with PDF, email and payments — the record stays valid in the CRM.

If you still use Fatture in Cloud from orders, you can continue: details in the Fatture in Cloud guide. Native Mokapen invoices and FIC sync are two paths; do not mix them on the same document without a clear team rule.

Create an invoice

Two ways, and the choice changes how much work you do.

• From an order (recommended) — open the fulfilled or «to invoice» order, + Create and connect → Invoice. Customer, items, discounts and terms are copied. You check date, document type, electronic pack, and save. The order stays and stays linked.
• From a quote or customer card — the same + Create and connect, if you skip the order. Recipient and dedicated discount prefills.
• Direct — + Invoice from the Invoices page. Fine for a credit note, a retainer, a job without an order. You can create the directory record on the fly if it is missing.

In every case the sequence is the same:

1. A clear title («Maintenance 2026 — Acme Ltd»).
2. Recipient, sender, document type.
3. PDF template or org default.
4. Items (already copied if you come from an order).
5. Economic terms and, if needed, electronic pack fields.
6. Owner and dates (issue, due).
7. Save: the progressive code is assigned. Then preview, send, or the first payment.

Not everything has to be perfect on first save. After you send to the customer, if you change the lines, send the PDF again: they already have a version in hand.

Edit an invoice

Edit on the card

Open and change what you need: title, fields, lines, terms, payments. On the side card, fields save when you leave focus; on the full page you click Save on the block. Save before preview or send.

Advance the status from Kanban

If you only change the stage (issued, sent, paid, overdue), drag the card. Terminal statuses (100% Paid, 0% Credited/Cancelled) toward other statuses can be changed by organization members — a guard so closed documents are not reopened casually.

Bulk edit from List

List → filter → checkboxes → Edit: owner, status, tags, simple fields. Not items or payments (those belong to the single document). Same bar: Clone, Archive, Delete.

Clone an invoice

A monthly retainer, the same structure for different customers: do not rebuild from scratch. Card → Options → Clone. You take items and, optionally, attachments, connections, comments, timeline. New progressive code, suffix on the title, recipient to set again. The original is untouched.

From List you can clone several invoices at once: same options, once.

Archive an invoice

Even when paid or credited, the invoice remains fiscal and commercial history. Archive removes it from the active Kanban and List but keeps it: it stays on the customer card and in reports. You find it under Invoices → Actions → Invoice archive. Single: Options → Archive. Bulk: List → Archive. To bring it back: archive → Options → Restore.

Archive if the document really happened (sent, paid, linked to an order). Delete if it is a mistake or a test.

Delete an invoice

Delete only wrong drafts or test duplicates. If it has a number, was sent, or has payments, archive it.

Card → Options → Delete → confirm. With advanced Premium it goes to the trash (Invoices → Actions → Trash): from there Restore or Delete permanently. On a plan without trash, deletion is usually permanent after confirm. From List: select → Delete.

From order to invoice

The order is the commitment, the invoice is the fiscal document. The natural step is + Create and connect → Invoice from the order (or from the orders «To invoice» column, when you use that stage). Items, customer, amounts and terms are copied; both records stay, linked in Connections. On the customer card you see «order in April, invoice in April, paid in May» without typing anything by hand.

You can invoice the same order in more than one document (progress billing, deposit + balance) by creating several linked invoices: adjust the lines on each. For order details see the Orders guide; for the offer upstream see the Quotes guide.

Pipelines and statuses

The pipeline is the invoice path. Out of the box there is one pipeline with the typical fiscal stages:

• Draft (10%) — in preparation, not issued.
• Issued (40%) — numbered, ready to send.
• Sent (60%) — the customer has it, you wait for payment.
• Overdue (80%) — past due, to chase.
• Paid (100%) — collected.
• Credited (0%) — closed with a credit note.
• Cancelled (0%) — not valid, no useful collection history.

The percentages feed the bar on the cards and the reports (open / won / lost). You customize statuses and pipelines in Settings → Sales → Invoices → Pipelines and statuses: rename, reorder, progress 0–100%, extra pipelines (B2B vs retainers), team visibility. Use 100% only for «paid / closed ok» and 0% only for final closures, so report volumes stay believable.

Related sections

• Connections — order, quote, credit note, chase task, ticket. Bidirectional.
• Files — delivery notes, contracts, bank proofs.
• Updates — timeline: creation, edits, emails, payments.
• Tags — «Chase», «Retainer», «Public sector», whatever you need to filter.

Invoice settings

Available to admins and owners in Settings → Sales → Invoices:

• Pipelines and statuses — stages, progress, extra pipelines.
• E-invoicing — country (default: org country), pack fields, defaults copied onto new invoices (regime, fiscal document type, and whatever the pack exposes).
• Card fields — order, required fields, custom fields (tender codes, job codes).
• List columns — also from List → Actions → Edit columns.

Outside the invoices area, but required: Tax rates (Settings → Sales → Taxes) and Document templates (Templates menu, type Invoice).

Invoice reports

Kanban and List are for the single document. For the trend — issued in the quarter, overdue, who pays, which items you invoice, margin — use the reports, from the Invoice reports page (Premium / Large plan).

The most useful views:

• Open, collected, lost amounts — gauges for what is still to collect, what is paid, what is credited/cancelled.
• Average amount — average ticket for the period.
• Margin and markup — if you filled costs on the lines.
• Status and pipeline distribution — bottlenecks (too many Sent or Overdue).
• Document type — invoices vs credit notes vs proforma.
• Top invoiced items and item cost.
• By owner, contact, company — who issues and who buys.

Reports respect permissions: each user sees only the invoices they can access. Filter, open the detail, download charts for meetings — faster than ten export sheets.