Sending out invoices to clients can be a tedious task, especially when you have to remember all the services you offered and switch to a different software to send them out. However, if you work in WordPress, you can easily send out invoices through the platform using a plugin. In this article, we will guide you through the process of sending out client invoices through WordPress using the WP-Invoice plugin.
To get started, download and activate the WP-Invoice plugin on your WordPress dashboard. Once activated, you can find the Invoice tab on the left-hand side of your dashboard. Click on it and navigate to Settings to begin the setup process.
On the Basic Setup page, fill in all the default settings that you only have to modify once. For example, type in the name of your business to show up on your invoices and select a particular page on your website that shows the invoices. It is recommended to create a specific invoices page so regular visitors don’t stumble upon this.
Choose where you want to place the invoices on the page and designate how you want to accept payment. You can specify that you want to bill clients with PayPal, credit card option or things like 2Checkout or Stripe. You can also allow the client to change the payment method if needed.
If you plan on accepting credit cards, input your gateway payment processing information. This usually requires separate fees for processing, and you can find the best deals for this at places like Authorize.net. The PayPal setup is much simpler, with an area to type in your PayPal username, a test mode option, and an automatically generated PayPal IPN URL from your own domain name. Click on the Save All Settings button when you complete these fields.
Once you complete the basic settings, it brings you directly to the Add New page which gets you started with a brand new invoice. Start by typing in the email address you plan on sending the new invoice to. Click on the Create New button once done typing in the email.
The new invoice editor is rather similar to the WordPress editor you see for creating posts and pages. Create a title for the client invoice and you can also throw in a description if you need to send a message to the client. Scroll down below the description to find an area to type in what you plan on billing your client for. Type in the services or products you are charging for and modify the price and quantity. Feel free to incorporate discounts or add additional lines if you have more items to include.
Right below that, you can change around the payment settings to specify what type of currency you accept and which payment methods are allowed. You can also accept manual payments. If you go to the right sidebar, you will find some interesting features to either Allow Partial Payment or Recurring Billing. If you click on the partial payment option, you simply type in the minimum payment you are willing to accept. If you select the recurring billing option, there are various fields to fill in such as intervals, billing cycles, and which payment processing system you are working through.
If you scroll down a little more in the right side column, you can fill in the User Information details. This is the personal information for the client you plan on sending the invoice to. So, make sure everything is correct, and choose the proper email address so it doesn’t go to the wrong person. Options include First Name, Last Name, Company, Phone Number, and more.
Click on the Save button to complete the process. However, just because you hit Save doesn’t mean the invoice sent out. You have several options for sending out the invoice. Choose to either View Online, Enter Payment, or Send Notification.
If you view the invoice on your website, you can simply grab this link and email it to the client if this is how your invoicing process works. They can then review the invoice online and click on the Process Payment button which redirects them to PayPal or to a credit card processing page. If you click on the Send Notification option, this lets you shoot a quick email through WordPress, telling your client that the invoice is available. Simply type in the email address you want to send it to and change up the message however you want. Click the Send Notification button and they receive a quick link to your invoice.
Once someone makes a payment, it is automatically tagged as Paid through the WordPress invoicing system. You don’t have to do anything after this. However, if someone pays you with a check or they choose some other method of payment, you can also click on the Enter Payment button to record the payment manually. Choose that you received the payment. This drop-down also gives you options for refunds and adjustments. Type in how much the client paid you, along with a date and note if needed. Click the Process / Charge Payment button to finish the process.
After you start collecting a few invoices, feel free to click on the Reports tab in the WordPress dashboard. This area simply breaks down how much money you have invoiced, your most valuable clients, and even your top grossing line items if you sell products.
Apart from WP-Invoice, there are other WordPress invoicing plugins available such as Sliced Invoices, Sprout Invoices, WooCommerce PDF Invoices & Packing Slips, among others. Sliced Invoices is a flexible, well-supported, and easy-to-use plugin that lets you harness your WordPress site to send professional-looking quotes and invoices and get paid online. It comes with many features right out of the box, including customizable invoice templates complete with your business details and logo, one-click invoice email sending, customizable email templates, flexible tax settings, pre-defined line items, invoice reporting, CSV import & export. If you need more, several free and paid extensions are available.
In conclusion, invoicing clients through WordPress can be a breeze with the right plugin. WP-Invoice and Sliced Invoices are two great options to consider. With these plugins, you can easily create and send professional-looking invoices to your clients, track payments, and generate reports. So, if you’re tired of switching between different software to send out invoices, give WordPress invoicing plugins a try and make your billing and accounting a breeze!
