Using the Invoice Format Wizard

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Use the Invoice Format Wizard dialog to begin the process of creating a custom invoice format by selecting the information that should appear on client invoices. When you click Finish to exit the wizard, the invoice format will open in the designer screen, where you can further customize it.

To open the Invoice Format Wizard, choose Setup > Custom Formats > Add Invoice. In the Custom Formats screen, click the Add Document Document with a plus button and select Add Invoice from the drop-down list.

Note: Changes that you make to your custom invoice formats will not affect invoices that you have previously composed and saved. If you want your format changes to appear in an invoice that you have already composed, you will need to edit and re-save the invoice before printing.

Main tab

On this tab, enter a description to identify the custom invoice format in the field provided. This description can be up to 30 characters and should distinguish the new invoice format from other invoice formats.

Heading Information tab

On the Heading Information tab, select information to print in the header of the invoice. The information you select in this tab prints only at the top of the first page. Mark the checkbox next to each item that should appear in the invoice header, and clear the checkbox next to each item that should be omitted.

Firm information

In this section, mark checkboxes for firm information you want to add to the header. This data is drawn from corresponding fields for the home office on the Office setup screen.

If you want to add your firm’s logo to the invoice, mark the Logo checkbox, navigate to the logo graphic file, and click Open. By default, the logo will be added to the left of the firm information in the header and resized to fit a default size determined by the application. You can change the default placement and sizing later on the designer screen.

Note: If you’re running Practice CS through Virtual Office CS or Software as a Service (SaaS), you can navigate to files on your local network.

Client information

In this section, mark checkboxes for client information you want to add to the header. This data is drawn from corresponding fields on the Clients setup screen.

Invoice information

In this section, mark checkboxes for the information you want included in the header. Mark the Lead In Text checkbox to add the text "For professional service rendered as follows" at the bottom of the header.

Billing Information tab

In the Billing Information tab, select how you would like billing information represented on client invoices. You can group billing information according to certain criteria, and include specific field details from the billed entries to provide additional detail on the invoices.

Grouping options

On this tab, select billing information that you want to appear on the invoice, and group it as you see fit.

You can specify up to four groupings to summarize time and expense billing information, and for each grouping you can choose to show hours and/or billed amounts. Available grouping criteria are Client, Engagement Category, Engagement, Activity Type, Activity Category, Activity Class, Activity, Staff, Staff Level, and Date. If you are licensed for the Project Management module, you can also group by Project.

Information for each grouping will be displayed as follows:

  • Client - Client name as entered in Name 1 field on client record.
  • Activity - Invoice Description
  • Activity Category - Description
  • Activity Class - "Administrative," "Billable," or "Non-billable," as appropriate
  • Activity Type - "Time" or "Expense," as appropriate
  • Date - Date in mm/dd/yyyy format
  • Engagement - Invoice Description
  • Engagement Category - Description
  • Project (if licensed for the Project Management module) - Invoice Description
  • Staff Level - Description
  • Staff - Last Name, First Name
Entry detail fields

You can include data from time and expense entry detail fields in the custom invoice format. This information will appear after the lowest grouping level from the Grouping Options section. Select a field in the Available pane and click the right-arrow button to move it to the Selected pane. Field information will appear below grouped time and billing information on the invoice.

A/R Information tab

Use this tab to choose accounts receivable information to include on invoices. Mark the checkbox for each item you wish to include.

  • Mark the A/R Recap checkbox to provide a recap of the client’s A/R activity. The following information will be displayed:
    • client’s open A/R balance as of the beginning of the current period
    • total of all invoices dated within the current period, including the current invoice amount
    • total of all receipts from the current period
    • total of all adjustments from the current period
    • total of all service charges assessed in the current period
    • A/R balance
  • Mark the A/R Ledger checkbox to include a beginning A/R balance, current period activity, and amount due.
  • Mark the A/R Aging checkbox to add a five-period aging section to the invoice.
  • Mark the Dunning Messages checkbox to include the dunning messages from the Billing and A/R tab of the Firm setup screen.
  • In the Include A/R information through field, use the drop-down list to specify the cutoff date for A/R information. Choices are Invoice Date, Month End Date, Period End Date, and Last A/R Entry Date. This will be the cutoff date used for A/R Recap, A/R Ledger, A/R Aging, and Dunning messages.

Pay Stub Information tab

On this tab, indicate whether you would like a pay stub to appear at the bottom of the invoice, and mark the checkbox for each item you want to be included on the pay stub.

Mark the Include a pay stub checkbox to add a pay stub to the custom invoice format. Practice CS will automatically create a dashed divider line and the label "Please return this portion with payment" at the top of the pay stub.

In the Pay stub information section, mark the checkbox for each item you want to include on the pay stub. Client information is drawn from the Clients setup screen, and will include the phone number designated as primary.

If you mark the A/R Terms checkbox, Practice CS will add the text from the A/R Terms field in the Billing and A/R tab of the Firm setup screen.

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