Creating an invoice in AccBooks AI

Overview

AccBooks lets you create branded, VAT-compliant invoices in seconds. You can send them by email directly from AccBooks, download a PDF, or generate a payment link.

Creating a new invoice

1. Go to Invoices → New invoice.
2. Select or create a customer. If the customer doesn’t exist yet, click + New customer and enter their name, address and email.
3. Enter the invoice date and invoice number (auto-generated, but editable).
4. Set the payment terms — Net 30, Net 60, Due on receipt, or a custom date.
5. Add line items:
   • Description
   • Quantity
   • Unit price
   • VAT rate (inherits from the nominal code’s default but can be overridden)
   • Nominal code (the account to credit)
6. Add any notes or terms and conditions that should appear at the bottom of the invoice.
7. Review the totals — AccBooks calculates subtotal, VAT and grand total.

Required information for a VAT-compliant invoice

If you’re VAT-registered, your invoices must include:

• Your business name and address
• Your VAT number
• A unique invoice number
• Invoice date
• Tax point (usually the same as the invoice date)
• Customer’s name and address
• Description of goods/services
• Net amount, VAT amount and gross amount per line
• Total VAT and total gross

AccBooks includes all of these automatically when you’re VAT-registered.

Sending the invoice

Click Send when ready:

• Email — AccBooks emails the invoice to the customer’s email address with a PDF attachment and optional payment link.
• Download PDF — download and send manually.
• Copy link — generate a shareable payment link.
• Save as draft — save without sending. Drafts don’t post to the ledger.

Marking an invoice as sent

If you send the invoice outside AccBooks (e.g., by post), click Mark as sent to update the status without emailing. The invoice is posted to the ledger as an outstanding debtor.

Invoice statuses

Status	Meaning
Draft	Not yet sent; not posted to ledger
Sent	Emailed or marked as sent; outstanding in debtors
Partially paid	A payment has been received against it
Paid	Fully settled
Overdue	Past the due date with outstanding balance
Voided	Cancelled — replaced with a credit note

Attaching supporting documents

Click Attach on any invoice to upload supporting documents — purchase orders, delivery notes, timesheet PDFs, etc. These are stored alongside the invoice and accessible to team members with invoice permissions.

Posting to the ledger

When an invoice is sent (or marked as sent), AccBooks automatically posts:

• Debit: Debtors control account (1100)
• Credit: Sales nominal code (from the line item)
• Credit: VAT liability (if applicable)

When payment is received, AccBooks matches the bank receipt to the invoice and clears the debtor balance.