Invoice Fields
| Number | Auto-generated |
| Date | Issue date |
| Due Date | Payment deadline |
| Reference | Client’s PO (optional) |
Creating Invoices — Complete Guide
This is the comprehensive reference for invoice creation. It covers every field, option, and feature available. If you’re creating your first invoice, start with the step-by-step walkthrough in Getting Started instead.
Invoice Fields
Invoice Number: Auto-generated using your configured format (e.g., INV-0001). The prefix, starting number, and zero-padding are all configurable — see Invoice Numbering Configuration. You can override the number before saving, but LiteWork warns you about duplicates.
Invoice Date: Defaults to today. This is the date you’re issuing the invoice — it affects aging calculations and payment terms.
Due Date: When payment is expected. Defaults to your configured payment terms (typically 30 days after the invoice date). Configurable per document. Clients see this prominently on the PDF and in email.
Client: Select from your contacts or add a new one inline. The client’s name, address, and email populate from their contact record. Changing the client on an existing invoice updates the displayed details immediately.
Optional Fields
Reference Number: Your client’s purchase order or job number. Click “Add Reference” to show this field. Appears on the PDF and syncs to Xero’s Reference field. Useful if your client needs to match invoices to their internal tracking.
Shipping Address: Click “Add Shipping” if the delivery address differs from the billing address. See Adding Shipping Information for details.
Notes: Free-text area at the bottom of the invoice. Use for payment instructions, bank details, thank-you messages, or project-specific notes. Configure defaults in Terms and Notes settings.
Terms: Payment terms and conditions. You can set a default in Terms and Notes that auto-populates on every new invoice.
Line Items
Each line item has: description, quantity, unit price, optional discount, and optional tax rate. See Adding and Managing Line Items for the full guide.
Power features for line items:
- Quick Items: Save frequently-used items as presets — see Using Quick Items
- Sections: Group related items with headings and subtotals — see Using Sections
- Extended Descriptions: Add longer descriptions below the main line — see Extended Descriptions
- Discounts: Per-line or whole-invoice discounts — see Using Discounts
Calculations
The subtotal is the sum of all line items (after line-level discounts). Tax (GST) is calculated based on your tax settings. Configure whether your prices are tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive in LiteWork Settings → Tax/Codes.
For detailed tax calculation behaviour, see Understanding Tax Calculations.
Saving and Revisions
Press Cmd/Ctrl + S or click Save. If autosave is enabled, LiteWork also saves automatically at your configured interval.
Each save creates a revision. You can view and compare past versions — see Document Revisions.
After Creating
Once your invoice is ready:
- Email it to your client as a PDF
- Preview the PDF to check appearance
- Post to Xero to keep your accounting in sync
- Add a payment link so clients can pay online
- Assign it to a project for organisation