Invoice lifecycle (draft to sent)
Invoices move through several states from first draft to client delivery. This page summarises the end-to-end path; see Creating invoices for line-level editing.
High-level stages
| Stage | Where you work | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Time & Invoices → Invoices (Invoice.View) | Fee earners build time, disbursements, fixed fees, discounts, and preview PDFs. |
| Awaiting approval | Time & Invoices → Waiting approvals (Invoice.Approve, badge count) | Approvers review previews and approve or reject. |
| Ready to send / processing | Time & Invoices → Ready to send (Invoice.Send, badge count) | Accounts or delegated staff send to Xero/email or return for fixes. |
| Sent / paid | Invoice detail tabs | Payments, reminders, and collection letters are managed as configured. |
Exact labels in your tenant may match your firm’s workflow names.
Invoice detail tabs
When you open an invoice, common tabs include:
- Summary -- Header fields, matter and client linkage, audit notes, Generate preview.
- Time entries -- Included WIP lines; add or remove lines before approval.
- Disbursements -- Hard costs recharged to the client.
- Fixed price items -- Agreed lump sums.
- Discount items -- Requires Invoice.Discount when enabled.
- Payments -- Record of receipts (where integrated).
- Collection letters -- Reminder and collections correspondence where used.
- Notes -- Internal discussion on the invoice file.
Approvals and separation of duties
Many firms require a second pair of eyes before an invoice leaves the firm. Approvers use Waiting approvals; preparers receive notifications on approve/reject.
Permissions
Sidebar entries (navLinks.ts):
- Invoices —
Invoice.View - Waiting approvals —
Invoice.Approve - Ready to send —
Invoice.Send
Other actions (drafting, deleting, line discounts) use additional permissions such as Invoice.Draft, Invoice.Delete, and Invoice.Discount on specific routes. Your role may allow only part of the lifecycle.