Invoices
FlowLance provides full invoicing — create professional invoices, send them by email, generate PDF downloads, share via link, and track payment status.
Invoices List
The invoices page shows stats cards at the top:
| Card | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Invoices | Total number of invoices |
| Pending Payment | Amount and count of unpaid invoices |
| Overdue | Count of invoices past their due date |
| Paid This Month | Revenue collected this month |
Unbilled Time Alert
If you have billable time entries that haven't been invoiced yet, an alert bar appears showing: - Total unbilled hours and their value - Which projects have unbilled time - Quick buttons to create invoices for specific projects
Bulk Delete
Select multiple invoices using checkboxes, then delete them in bulk.
Creating an Invoice
Click New Invoice to open the creation form.
Basic Details
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Client | Yes | Select from your clients |
| Project | No | Link to a project (enables unbilled time import) |
| Invoice Date | Yes | Date the invoice is issued |
| Due Date | Yes | Payment deadline |
| Reference | No | Optional reference such as a purchase order number. Shown on the invoice PDF, email, and public view |
| Payment Terms | No | Auto-calculates due date (e.g., 30 days). Default comes from your invoice settings |
| Notes | No | Pre-filled from your default invoice notes in Settings |
Line Items
Add line items manually, or import unbilled time entries:
Manual line items: - Description - Quantity - Unit rate - Amount (auto-calculated)
Import from time entries: When a project is selected, you can import unbilled time entries. Each entry becomes a line item showing: - Date and description - Hours worked - Hourly rate (from the project settings) - Calculated total
Time entries imported into an invoice are automatically marked as billed.
Tax and Totals
The invoice shows: - Subtotal — Sum of all line items - Tax — If you've configured tax rates in Settings - Total Due — Final amount the client owes
Invoice Detail Page
View the complete invoice with all details: - Invoice number (auto-generated with your configured prefix) - Client name and contact details - Full itemised breakdown - Payment status and dates
Invoice Actions
From the detail page or the list, you can:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Edit | Modify invoice details (available for draft and sent invoices) |
| Send via Email | Sends a branded email with PDF attachment to the client's email address |
| Download PDF | Generate and download a professional PDF invoice |
| Share Link | Create a public, token-protected link for the client to view the invoice online |
| Mark as Sent | Update status to "sent" without sending an email |
| Mark as Paid | Record that payment has been received |
| Revert to Draft | Change a sent invoice back to draft for editing |
| Delete | Remove the invoice (with confirmation) |
Invoice Status Workflow
Draft → Sent → Paid
→ Overdue (automatic when past due date)
- Draft — Invoice is being prepared, can be freely edited
- Sent — Invoice has been sent to the client. Can still be edited if you need to correct details
- Overdue — Invoice is past its due date and hasn't been paid
- Paid — Payment has been received
You can revert a sent invoice back to draft, or edit it directly without changing status.
Email Sending
When you send an invoice by email:
- You can customise the subject line and message before sending — smart defaults are pre-filled with your business name and client details
- The email is sent from a verified FlowLance address (invoice@flowlance.io)
- Your business email is set as the reply-to address, so client replies go to you
- A professional branded email template is used
- The PDF invoice is attached
- If you have late payment escalation configured, your payment terms are included in the email
Configure your business email and invoice branding in Settings.
Public Invoice View
When you share an invoice link, the client sees a read-only view including: - Invoice number and date - Full itemised breakdown - Total due - Your payment details (bank name, sort code, account number)
The link is protected by a unique token — it can't be guessed.
Quick Actions
The invoice detail page sidebar provides one-click access to common tasks:
| Action | When visible | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Edit Invoice | Draft or Sent | Opens the edit form |
| Download PDF | Always | Downloads the invoice as a PDF |
| View as Client | Always | Opens the public invoice view in a new tab |
| Mark as Paid | Sent | Records payment with one click |
Automatic Reminders
FlowLance can automatically chase unpaid invoices on your behalf. Reminders are sent daily at 8am.
Pre-deadline Reminders
Send gentle reminders before the due date — for example, 7 days and 3 days before. These remind clients that payment is coming up.
Overdue Reminders
After the due date passes, send follow-up emails. Choose between:
- Recurring — Send every X days (e.g., every 7 days)
- Custom — Send on specific days after the due date (e.g., 1, 7, 14, 30 days overdue)
Per-invoice Control
You can toggle reminders on or off for individual invoices using the Payment Reminders section when creating or editing an invoice.
Configure your default reminder schedule in Settings.
Late Payment Escalation
For persistently overdue invoices, you can set up automatic surcharges.
How It Works
- Configure tiers in Settings — e.g., 5% after 14 days, 10% after 30 days, 15% after 60 days
- When an invoice crosses a tier threshold, you're notified on the dashboard
- You decide whether to apply the surcharge — it's never sent automatically
- If you confirm, a separate late-fee invoice is created and the client is notified formally
- If you cancel, nothing happens and the escalation is dismissed
Pending Escalations
A card on your dashboard shows escalations waiting for your decision. For each one, you can:
- Confirm — Creates a late-fee invoice and sends a formal notice to the client
- Cancel — Dismisses the escalation
- Mark as Paid — If the client has already paid, mark the original invoice as paid (which automatically cancels the escalation)
Payment Terms
When escalation is configured, your payment terms are automatically:
- Included on invoice PDFs and emails
- Available as a
{{paymentTerms}}placeholder in contract templates
Reminder Timeline
The invoice detail page shows a timeline of all reminder and escalation activity — when reminders were sent, escalations triggered, and their outcomes.
Letter Before Action
For invoices that have passed all your escalation tiers and remain unpaid, a Letter Before Action panel appears on the invoice detail page.
This provides:
- A downloadable PDF — a formal letter compliant with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims, listing all outstanding invoices and late-fee invoices for the client
- Next steps guidance — send via recorded delivery, wait 14 days, then file via Money Claim Online
- Links to gov.uk Money Claim Online and the court fee schedule
The letter references the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and is formatted as a professional legal document.
Invoice Settings
Configure defaults for all invoices in Settings > Invoice Settings: - Business name and address - Invoice number prefix and next number - Default payment terms - Default notes and footer text - Payment details (bank account) - Logo and brand colour
See Settings for full details.