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For independent creators, professionals, and freelancers, invoicing is the final step that stands between getting paid by a client—or not. That’s why an efficient invoicing process is crucial to your business’s bottom line. The best way to streamline client invoicing is to use an online scheduling software that includes its own invoice generator. With Acuity Scheduling Invoices, you can quickly create and send invoices to clients at any time, and clients can easily pay their invoice through your scheduler’s integrated payment processor.
Learn more about how to make an invoice, send an invoice, and accept payment—and how Acuity Scheduling streamlines the whole process for you.
What is an invoice?
An invoice is a financial document that itemizes the services you’ve completed for a client, the price of those services, and when the client’s total payment is due.
The process of invoicing clients is the most common way for self-employed professionals like freelancers, contractors, and other independent business owners to collect payment for services they’ve provided to a client: Instead of accepting upfront payment for services, you create and send an invoice to your client after services have been completed—and they are expected to pay the invoice total within your specified timeframe.
For example, a freelance web design consultant who’s redesigned an organization’s website could use Acuity Scheduling’s invoice generator to make an invoice and send it to that organization in order to get paid for their consulting services.
What’s the difference between an invoice and a receipt?
An invoice is a document that requests and processes payment that needs to be made, while a receipt is simply a static document that records a payment that’s already been made.
For example, say you offer a service that can be paid for at the point of booking. That’s a situation where you could use your payment processor to send an automated receipt to the client for their records. No invoice would be needed because the client already paid.
Depending on the type of pricing or service structure you’ve set up for your business, your services might require receipts or invoices. For example, an independent fitness instructor might offer group classes where attendees can pay up front, while also offering ongoing 1-on-1 personal training sessions that they invoice clients for each month.
What should be included in an invoice?
The anatomy of an invoice is pretty straightforward, regardless of your industry or the types of services you’re offering.
These are the most important elements to include in your invoice:
The name and contact information of both you and your client
Types of services you completed for that client
The rate you’ve agreed to charge for each of those services
Total amount due for all services
Date when you’re issuing the invoice
Date when payment is due
With Acuity, you don’t need to remember to include those key building blocks in your invoice—that invoice template is already built into the scheduling software’s invoice generator. It’s quick and easy to customize each field and send professional invoices to your clients, feeling secure in the knowledge that you’re following invoicing best practices.
How to create an invoice with Acuity Scheduling Invoices
Acuity’s invoice generator empowers you to create, send, and track invoices directly from the same account where those clients have scheduled services with you. When you go to the Invoices section of your Acuity account and select Create New Invoice, the invoice generator streamlines the process of making an invoice with an invoice template that’s easy to customize.
Acuity Scheduling Invoices saves you time with the ability to:
Auto-fill services and pricing
The invoice generator automatically recognizes the types of services you offer in your account and their set prices. On the invoice template, those services and pricing are generated in a drop-down menu, so you can easily select which services apply to each client’s invoice. You also have the ability to manually customize those line items, if needed.
Duplicate invoices
You can save time by copying previous invoices. This is particularly helpful if you have recurring clients who always schedule the same services with you.
Manage invoice drafts
You get the flexibility to save or delete drafts as you generate the right invoices for your clients.
Send invoices directly to your clients
Once your invoice is ready, it’s best to preview it to make sure everything looks accurate. From there, a unique URL is automatically generated for your invoice. You can share it with your client however works best for you both. For example, go to your business email account, and add that invoice URL to an email addressed to your client. When the client receives your message and clicks through the URL, they’ll be prompted to easily complete payment through your account’s integrated payment processor.
Getting paid with Acuity Scheduling Invoices
Once you start generating and sending invoices, it’s easy for you to get paid and keep track of invoice payments—all from your Acuity account.
First, in order to get paid, you need to connect a third-party payment processor to your Acuity account. Choosing to connect with either Stripe, Square, or PayPal will establish a seamless and secure payment experience for your clients: When they receive their unique invoice URL from you, that invoice page will simply prompt them to pay via credit card.
You can keep track of who owes you what from your own invoices dashboard. The information on your invoices dashboard updates automatically whenever you create a new invoice, or a client makes a payment. It’s easy to search the dashboard for specific clients, or filter by invoice status (e.g., unpaid, paid, or past due). That way, it’s clear who you might need to nudge about payment, and who’s already paid.
Centralizing your business tools with Acuity Scheduling
Stay organized by managing all of your appointment scheduling needs from Acuity Scheduling. Invoices are only one key part of a robust system that includes features like client self-scheduling, customizable intake forms, and automated client notifications. These tools save you from appointment-scheduling busywork, giving you more time to focus on the high-impact work that matters to you.
Your online scheduler has its own customizable URL that you can share virtually anywhere. You can also purchase your own domain through Squarespace and embed your online scheduler directly into a customizable website template that showcases your services. However you choose to use Acuity Scheduling, it’s the all-in-one scheduling and invoicing software that helps you save time, stay organized, and get paid—anytime.