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Add Invoice

The Add Invoice page allows you to create invoices for device fees, damage charges, technology fees, or any other district-defined charges that need to be tracked and collected.

You can access this page from Billing > Add Invoice or from a user profile's Billing History tab.

Permission Required

To create invoices, you need the Add Invoices permission assigned to your role.

Understanding Invoice Creation​

Think of creating an invoice as writing a bill - documenting what is owed, to whom, for what reasons, and for how much.

When to create invoices:

  • After damage or loss incidents are assessed
  • At the beginning of school year (technology fees)
  • When device fees are due
  • For missing accessories or equipment
  • When charges need to be formally tracked and collected

What invoices contain:

  • Billing contact information (who pays)
  • Associated user (student/staff the charge relates to)
  • Line items (specific charges with descriptions, quantities, prices)
  • Comments/notes (internal context)
  • Invoice date and number (for tracking)

Why invoices are important:

  • Financial accountability - Track what is owed
  • Parent communication - Provide clear billing statements
  • Payment tracking - Record payments against specific charges
  • Audit trail - Maintain complete financial records
  • Compliance - Meet district billing requirements

Invoice Creation Workflow​

Basic Steps​

  1. Navigate to Billing > Add Invoice
  2. Fill in billing contact information (Billed To fields)
  3. Select user to assign invoice to
  4. Set invoice date
  5. Add line items (charges)
  6. Add comments/notes (optional but recommended)
  7. Review total amount
  8. Save invoice
  9. Send to parent/guardian (via email or print)

Invoice Header Information​

The invoice header defines who is being billed and who the invoice is associated with:

Billed To Fields​

These fields appear on the printed/emailed invoice as the billing contact:

Full Name (Required)

  • Name of person responsible for payment
  • Typically parent/guardian name for students
  • Example: "Jane Smith" or "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

Mailing Address (Optional)

  • Street address for mailing physical invoices
  • Example: "123 Main Street"

City (Optional)

  • City for mailing address
  • Example: "Springfield"

State (Optional)

  • State abbreviation
  • Example: "IL"

ZIP Code (Optional)

  • Postal code
  • Example: "62701"
Auto-Fill from User Profile

If you select a user first (Assign to User field), the Billed To fields often auto-populate from the user's guardian information. You can then edit as needed.

Invoice Date​

What it is:

  • The official date of the invoice
  • Appears on invoice statements
  • Used for accounting and due date calculations

Default:

  • Usually defaults to today's date

When to change:

  • Backdating: Invoice for past incident but creating now
  • Forward dating: Pre-billing for upcoming charges

Example:

  • Incident occurred 10/15, invoice created 10/20, but you set invoice date to 10/15 to match incident date

Assign to User​

What it does:

  • Links the invoice to a specific Manage1to1 user (student or staff)
  • Makes invoice appear on user's Billing History tab
  • Enables incident linking

How to use:

  1. Start typing user name or ID
  2. Select from dropdown
  3. User's guardian information auto-fills Billed To fields (if configured)

Why it matters:

  • Organizes invoices by user
  • Tracks financial relationship with each user
  • Enables cross-referencing with incidents and checkouts

Invoice Line Items​

Line items are the specific charges on the invoice:

Adding a Line Item​

  1. Click Add Line Item or expand line item section
  2. Select Item from dropdown (sale item type)
  3. Description auto-fills (edit if needed)
  4. Enter Quantity (default: 1)
  5. Enter Price per unit
  6. Total calculates automatically (Quantity × Price)
  7. Add additional line items as needed
  8. Subtotal updates with combined total

Item Types (Sale Items)​

What are sale items? Pre-configured charge types that your district has set up. Examples:

  • Screen Repair
  • Device Replacement
  • Technology Fee (Annual)
  • Charger Replacement
  • Case Replacement
  • Administrative Fee
  • Loaner Fee

Purpose:

  • Standardize charges
  • Ensure consistent pricing
  • Simplify invoice creation
  • Support reporting by charge type

Customization: After selecting an item, you can:

  • Edit the description (add specific details)
  • Adjust the price (if district policy allows)
  • Change quantity for multiple units

Line Item Fields Explained​

Item

  • Dropdown showing available sale items
  • Select charge category (what is being billed)

Description

  • Details about the charge
  • Auto-populated from sale item
  • Can be edited to add specifics
  • Example: "Screen Repair - Chromebook Model XYZ"

Quantity

  • How many units
  • Example: 1 screen repair, 2 chargers, etc.
  • Default: 1

Price

  • Cost per unit
  • Auto-populated from sale item default price
  • Can typically be adjusted if needed

Total

  • Automatically calculated: Quantity × Price
  • Shows amount for this line item

Subtotal

  • Sum of all line item totals
  • This is the total invoice amount
  • What user will owe (before payments)

Multiple Line Items​

Why use multiple line items:

  • Itemize different charges separately
  • Example: Screen repair $125 + Case replacement $15 = $140 total
  • Clearer for parents to understand charges
  • Better reporting (track screen repairs separately from cases)

How to add multiple:

  1. Add first line item
  2. Click Add Another Line Item or similar button
  3. Configure second line item
  4. Repeat as needed
  5. Subtotal updates automatically

Comments​

What comments are for:

  • Internal notes not visible on invoice (typically)
  • Document context for the charge
  • Reference incident numbers
  • Note payment arrangements
  • Record decision-making

Good comment examples:

"Incident #2024-001234 - Cracked screen from drop on 10/15/2024.
Assessed by tech staff, screen replacement required. Parent notified."
"Annual technology fee per district policy. Required for device checkout."
"Lost device incident #2024-005678. Device not recovered after 30-day
investigation. Charging replacement cost per district policy."

Why comments matter:

  • Future staff can understand invoice context
  • Support billing disputes or questions
  • Document incident linkage
  • Record special circumstances

Common Use Cases​

Scenario 1: Creating Invoice for Damage Incident​

Student's Chromebook has cracked screen:

  1. Navigate to Billing > Add Invoice
  2. Assign to User: Search for student name, select
  3. Billed To: Auto-fills with parent name and address (verify)
  4. Invoice Date: Today's date (or incident date)
  5. Line Items:
    • Item: "Screen Repair"
    • Description: "Chromebook screen replacement - cracked screen"
    • Quantity: 1
    • Price: $125.00
    • Total: $125.00
  6. Comments: "Incident #2024-001890, damaged 10/15/2024, see incident for photos"
  7. Click Save
  8. Invoice created, assigned invoice number automatically
  9. Email invoice to parent

Result: Damage charge formally billed and tracked.

Scenario 2: Multiple Charges on One Invoice​

Student damaged multiple components:

  1. Navigate to Billing > Add Invoice
  2. Assign to User: Select student
  3. Billed To: Verify parent information
  4. Line Items:
    • Line 1: Screen Repair, Qty: 1, Price: $125, Total: $125
    • Line 2: Case Replacement, Qty: 1, Price: $15, Total: $15
    • Line 3: Charger Replacement, Qty: 1, Price: $25, Total: $25
    • Subtotal: $165.00
  5. Comments: "Multiple component damage from water spill incident #2024-002100"
  6. Save and send

Result: All charges on one invoice, clear itemization for parent.

Scenario 3: Annual Technology Fee​

Beginning of school year, billing all students for tech fee:

  1. Navigate to Billing > Add Invoice
  2. Assign to User: Select first student
  3. Billed To: Parent information
  4. Invoice Date: 08/01/2024 (start of school year)
  5. Line Items:
    • Item: "Technology Fee (Annual)"
    • Description: "Annual technology program fee 2024-25"
    • Quantity: 1
    • Price: $50.00
    • Total: $50.00
  6. Comments: "Annual fee per board policy, required for device checkout"
  7. Save
  8. Repeat for all students (or use bulk invoice creation if available)

Result: Technology fees formally invoiced, tracked for collection.

Scenario 4: Lost Device Charge​

Student cannot locate device after 30-day search period:

  1. Navigate to Billing > Add Invoice
  2. Assign to User: Select student
  3. Billed To: Parent information
  4. Invoice Date: Today (end of investigation period)
  5. Line Items:
    • Item: "Device Replacement - Lost"
    • Description: "Chromebook replacement - device lost/not recovered"
    • Quantity: 1
    • Price: $450.00
    • Total: $450.00
  6. Comments: "Loss incident #2024-003456, reported 09/15, not recovered after 30 days"
  7. Save and send

Result: Replacement cost formally charged.

Scenario 5: Adjusting Invoice Before Saving​

District decides to reduce charge due to special circumstances:

  1. Create invoice as normal
  2. Line Items:
    • Item: "Screen Repair"
    • Price: Auto-fills $125.00
    • Adjust price: Change to $75.00 (partial charge)
  3. Comments: "Reduced charge - student's first incident in 3 years, financial hardship documented"
  4. Save

Result: Adjusted charge documented with reasoning.

After Creating an Invoice​

Once saved, the invoice:

  1. Receives an invoice number - Unique identifier (e.g., INV-2024-001234)
  2. Appears on user's Billing History tab - Linked to the assigned user
  3. Shows in View Invoices - Appears in district-wide invoice list
  4. Can be emailed - Send PDF to parent/guardian
  5. Can be printed - Generate paper invoice for mailing
  6. Tracks payments - Ready for payment recording

Next steps:

  • Email invoice to parent/guardian (use Email button on invoice profile)
  • Print invoice if mailing physical copies
  • Record payment when received (from invoice profile or Billing History)
  • Follow up if unpaid after reasonable time

Validation and Error Handling​

The system validates invoice data before saving:

Common validation errors:

ErrorCauseSolution
"Billed To name required"No name enteredEnter parent/guardian name in Billed To field
"Must assign to user"No user selectedSelect a user from Assign to User dropdown
"No line items added"Invoice has no chargesAdd at least one line item
"Invalid price"Price is negative or non-numericEnter valid price (positive number)
"Quantity must be at least 1"Quantity set to 0 or negativeEnter valid quantity (1 or more)

Tips for Creating Invoices​

✅ Do:

  • Always assign invoice to a user (enables tracking on user profile)
  • Add comments documenting incident numbers or context
  • Verify billing contact information before saving
  • Use standard sale items for consistent pricing
  • Itemize charges clearly (separate line items for different charges)
  • Set invoice date to match incident date when applicable
  • Email or print invoice promptly after creation

❌ Don't:

  • Leave Billed To name blank (required for valid invoice)
  • Skip comments (future staff need context)
  • Guess at prices (use configured sale items)
  • Create duplicate invoices for same charge
  • Forget to send invoice to parent after creation
  • Use vague line item descriptions
  • Create invoice before incident is properly documented

Common Questions​

Q: Can I create an invoice without assigning it to a user? Typically no. Most systems require user assignment so the invoice can be tracked on the user's profile and linked to incidents. Check with your system administrator if you have special circumstances.

Q: What if the parent address is different from the student's address? Edit the Billed To fields to reflect the correct billing address. The system may auto-fill from the user profile, but you can override it for this specific invoice.

Q: Can I edit an invoice after saving it? This depends on permissions and whether payments have been applied. Generally:

  • Before payments: Can usually edit (with Edit Invoices permission)
  • After payments: May be locked to preserve financial integrity

Q: What if I need to charge a price that's not in the sale items? Most systems allow you to adjust the price after selecting a sale item. Or select a generic sale item and edit both description and price.

Q: Can I delete an invoice if I made a mistake? If the invoice has no payments and you have Delete Invoices permission, yes. Otherwise, you may need to void it. Contact your administrator.

Q: How do I link an invoice to an incident? Best practice: In the Comments field, reference the incident number (e.g., "Incident #2024-001234"). Some systems may have a direct incident linking field.

Q: What happens if I don't add comments? The invoice will still save, but future staff won't have context. Always add comments documenting why the charge was created.

Q: Can I create invoices in bulk (many at once)? Some systems support bulk invoice creation (e.g., for annual fees). Check with your system administrator for bulk invoice features.

Q: What's the difference between price and total?

  • Price - Cost per unit (per item)
  • Total - Quantity × Price (for that line item)
  • Subtotal - Sum of all line item totals (whole invoice)

Q: Do I need to fill in the address fields? Address fields are typically optional. Required if you're mailing physical invoices. Not required if sending electronically only.

Q: How do I email the invoice after creating it? After saving, you'll be redirected to the invoice profile page. From there, click Email Invoice button. Or navigate to View Invoices, find the invoice, and click Email.

Q: Can parents pay invoices online? This depends on your district's configuration. Some districts integrate with online payment portals. Check with your system administrator.

Q: What if sale items don't have prices configured? You may need to manually enter the price. Contact your administrator to configure default prices for sale items.

The Add Invoice page provides a straightforward workflow for creating billing statements for device fees, damage charges, and other district-defined costs. Properly created and documented invoices ensure clear financial accountability, support parent communication, and maintain comprehensive audit trails for all charges.

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