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Glossary

Key terms used in LiteWork and related invoicing concepts.

A

ABN (Australian Business Number): A unique 11-digit identifier for businesses in Australia. Displayed on invoices for Australian GST-registered businesses.
Account Code: A code from your Xero chart of accounts that categorizes revenue (e.g., “200 – Sales”). Required when posting invoices to Xero.
Accounts Receivable: Money owed to your business by customers for invoices that haven’t been paid yet. Also called “debtors” or “receivables”.
Admin: A team role in LiteWork with full operational access—can create documents, manage contacts, invite team members, and connect Xero. Cannot access billing settings. See Managing Team Roles.
Approved (Invoice Status): An invoice that has been finalized and sent to the customer. In Xero, approved invoices create accounting entries and can receive payments.
Auto-Sync: A LiteWork feature that automatically synchronizes documents and contacts with Xero in the background at configurable intervals.
Autosave: Automatic saving that periodically saves your work to prevent data loss. Configurable in LiteWork Settings.

B

Batch Processing: Performing the same action on multiple documents at once, such as posting several invoices to Xero simultaneously.
Billing Address: The address where invoices are sent and where the customer receives correspondence. May differ from the shipping address.
Billing Portal: A Stripe-hosted page where you can manage your LiteWork subscription, update payment methods, and download invoices. Access via LiteWork Settings → Billing → Manage Billing.
Branding: Your company’s visual identity (logo, colors, fonts) as applied to invoices and quotes.
Business Plan: LiteWork’s highest subscription tier at $129/month. Includes 25 team members, 10 companies, 1,000 documents per month, and priority support. See Subscription Plans.

C

Chart of Accounts: The complete list of accounts used by your business in Xero to categorize transactions (revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities).
Company: A business entity within your LiteWork organization. Each company has its own invoices, quotes, contacts, and Xero connection. The number of companies you can create depends on your subscription plan.
Contact: A customer or client record containing name, company, address, email, and other details. Contacts are shared between LiteWork and Xero.
Credit Note: A document that reduces the amount a customer owes. Used to correct errors, provide refunds, or apply credits to future invoices.
CSV (Comma-Separated Values): A simple file format for storing tabular data. Used for importing/exporting contacts and documents.

D

Debit Note: A document that increases the amount a customer owes, typically for additional charges or corrections.
Discount: A percentage reduction applied to a line item or invoice total. Discounts are calculated before tax.
Document Limit: The maximum number of invoices and quotes you can create per month on your subscription plan. Solo: 50, Team: 200, Business: 1,000. Resets monthly on your billing date. See Understanding Usage Limits.
Document Manager: The LiteWork interface for viewing, searching, and managing all your invoices and quotes.
Draft: A document that is saved but not yet finalized. Draft invoices can be freely edited and don’t create accounting entries in Xero.
Due Date: The date by which payment is expected. Calculated from the invoice date plus your payment terms (e.g., invoice date + 30 days).
Duplicate: A copy of an existing document, useful for creating similar invoices without starting from scratch.

E

Extended Description: Additional formatted text attached to a line item, allowing for detailed scope, specifications, or terms beyond the basic description field.
Export: Sending data out of LiteWork, either to Xero, as a PDF, or as a CSV file for backup or analysis.

G

Grace Period: A 7-day window after your trial ends during which you have read-only access to LiteWork. You can view your data but not create or edit documents. Subscribe to restore full access.
GST (Goods and Services Tax): A consumption tax applied to most goods and services. 15% in New Zealand, 10% in Australia. See also VAT.
GST-Exclusive: Prices that don’t include GST. The tax is added on top of the displayed price.
GST-Inclusive: Prices that already include GST. The tax is calculated backwards from the displayed price.
GST Number: See IRD Number (NZ) or ABN (Australia).

I

Import: Bringing data into LiteWork from external sources like Xero or CSV files.
Invoice: A document requesting payment for goods or services provided. Contains line items, totals, tax, and payment terms.
Invoice Date: The date the invoice is issued. This is when the transaction is recorded for accounting purposes.
Invoice Number: A unique identifier for each invoice (e.g., INV-0001). Should be sequential and never duplicated.
IRD Number: Inland Revenue Department number. New Zealand’s tax identification number for businesses, displayed on GST invoices.

L

Line Item: An individual row on an invoice or quote describing a product or service with quantity, unit price, discount, and tax rate.

M

Member: A team role in LiteWork with standard access—can create and edit invoices, quotes, and contacts. Cannot manage team settings or Xero connections. See Managing Team Roles.

N

Net Amount: The amount before tax is applied. Also called the subtotal or exclusive amount.
Notes: Free-text area at the bottom of an invoice for payment instructions, thank you messages, or additional terms.

O

OAuth: The secure authorization method used to connect LiteWork to Xero and Google without sharing your password.
Organization: Your LiteWork account entity that contains your subscription, team members, and companies. Each organization has one Owner and can have multiple team members. Also refers to a business entity in Xero.
Overdue: An invoice that hasn’t been paid by its due date.
Owner: The person who created a LiteWork organization. Has full control including billing, subscription management, and the ability to delete the organization. Every organization has exactly one Owner. See Managing Team Roles.

P

Paid: An invoice that has been fully paid. In Xero, payments are recorded against invoices to mark them as paid.
Past Due: A subscription status indicating a failed payment. Access may be limited until the payment issue is resolved. See Billing and Payment Issues.
Payment Integration: LiteWork’s Stripe integration that allows clients to pay invoices directly with a credit card.
Payment Link: A URL included in invoices that allows clients to pay by credit card with one click. Generated via Stripe or Xero Online Invoices. See Creating Payment Links.
Payment Terms: The agreed timeframe for payment, such as “Due on Receipt”, “Net 7”, “Net 14”, or “Net 30” (days after invoice date).
PDF (Portable Document Format): The file format used for invoice downloads and email attachments. PDFs preserve formatting across all devices.
Post to Xero: The action of sending a document from LiteWork to Xero, creating or updating the corresponding record.
Purchase Order (PO): A document issued by a buyer to authorize a purchase. Often referenced on invoices for client tracking.

Q

Quick Items: Saved line item templates in LiteWork for frequently used products or services. Insert with one click instead of retyping.
Quote: An estimate or proposal sent before work begins. Shows proposed pricing and scope. Can be converted to an invoice when accepted.
Quote Number: A unique identifier for quotes (e.g., QUO-0001), using a separate sequence from invoices.

R

Reconciliation: The process of matching payments received with invoices issued to ensure all transactions are accounted for.
Reference Number: An optional field for the customer’s purchase order number or internal reference, helping them match invoices to their records.
Revision: A saved version of a document that captures its state at a specific point in time. Used for tracking changes and resolving disputes.

S

Section: A group of related line items on an invoice or quote with a heading and optional subtotal. Useful for organizing complex documents.
Sent: An invoice or quote that has been emailed to the customer.
Shipping Address: The delivery address for physical goods, when different from the billing address.
Solo Plan: LiteWork’s entry-level subscription at $29/month. Includes 1 user, 1 company, and 50 documents per month. See Subscription Plans.
Stripe: The payment processor integrated with LiteWork for accepting credit card payments on invoices and processing subscription billing.
Subscription: Your paid LiteWork plan (Solo, Team, or Business). Determines your limits for documents, team members, and companies. See Subscription Plans.
Subtotal: The sum of all line items before tax is applied.
Sync: The process of sending or receiving data between LiteWork and Xero to keep both systems updated.
Sync Conflict: When the same document has been edited in both LiteWork and Xero, requiring manual resolution to decide which version to keep.
Sync History: A log of all synchronization operations between LiteWork and Xero, useful for troubleshooting and auditing.

T

Tax Code: A Xero setting that determines how tax is calculated and reported (e.g., “GST on Income”, “No GST”, “Zero Rated”).
Tax-Exclusive: Pricing where tax is added on top of the stated price. Common in B2B transactions.
Tax-Inclusive: Pricing where tax is already included in the stated price. Common in retail and B2C transactions.
Tax Invoice: An invoice that meets legal requirements for GST/VAT purposes, including the seller’s tax number and tax amounts.
Tax Rate: The percentage of tax applied to line items. Can be set at the document level or overridden per line item.
Team Member: A person who has been invited to and joined a LiteWork organization. Each member has a role (Owner, Admin, Member, or Viewer) that determines their permissions. See Inviting Team Members.
Team Plan: LiteWork’s mid-tier subscription at $59/month. Includes 5 team members, 3 companies, and 200 documents per month. See Subscription Plans.
Terms and Conditions: Standard text that appears on invoices and quotes outlining payment terms, warranties, or legal provisions.
Token: A secure credential that allows LiteWork to access your Xero account. Tokens expire and must be refreshed periodically.
Total: The final amount due including all line items, discounts, and taxes.
Trial: A free 14-day period when you first sign up for LiteWork. Includes full access to all Business plan features. No credit card required. See Understanding Your Trial.

U

Unit Price: The price for a single unit of a product or service on a line item.
Usage Limit: The maximum amount of a resource (documents, team members, or companies) allowed by your subscription plan. See Understanding Usage Limits.

V

VAT (Value Added Tax): A consumption tax used in the UK, EU, and many other countries. Similar to GST. Rates vary by country (20% in the UK).
Viewer: A team role in LiteWork with read-only access—can view documents and contacts but cannot create, edit, or delete anything. Ideal for accountants or stakeholders who need visibility. See Managing Team Roles.
Void: To cancel an invoice, typically because it was issued in error. Voided invoices remain in the system for audit purposes but have no financial effect.

X

Xero: Cloud-based accounting software that LiteWork integrates with for syncing invoices, quotes, contacts, and payments.
Xero Contact ID: A unique identifier assigned by Xero to each contact. Links LiteWork contacts to their Xero counterparts for syncing.
Xero ID: A unique identifier assigned by Xero when a document is posted. Links the LiteWork document to its Xero counterpart.
Xero Online Invoice: A web-based view of an invoice hosted by Xero, allowing clients to view and pay invoices through Xero’s portal.

Z

Zero-Rated: Goods or services that are taxable but at a 0% rate. Different from tax-exempt in how it’s reported.