The short version
Open Invoices in the sidebar. Fill in your business details, connect Stripe, then write and send your first invoice. The Getting started card on the page ticks each step off for you.
Who can use invoicing
Every signed in Timelydo user can use invoicing. There is no plan to buy and nothing to switch on. You can write, save and edit drafts straight away.
Sending is the one thing that needs more: a Stripe account that can take payments. The sections below explain why.
The Getting started card
Until your first invoice has gone out, the Invoices page shows a card called Getting started. It shows a progress count such as 1 of 4 done. Each step is a link to the screen where you finish it, and it turns green when it is done.
| Step | What it asks | Required to send? |
|---|---|---|
| Your business details | Your name and address, printed on every invoice. | Yes |
| Tax rates | Add the rates you charge. | No. Leave it empty if you do not charge tax. |
| Card payments | Connect Stripe so customers can pay by card. | Yes, to send |
| Send your first invoice | Write it, check the preview and send. |
Select Hide when you do not need the card any more. It also goes away by itself once an invoice has been sent.
Why Stripe is needed to send
You can write invoices without Stripe, and your drafts are safe. An invoice can only be sent once your Stripe account can take payments. That is how customers pay you by card on the invoice page.
When something is missing, the Invoices page shows a notice that names the reason and a Connect Stripe button.
| Notice | What it means |
|---|---|
| Connect Stripe to send invoices | You have not connected a Stripe account yet. |
| Finish setting up Stripe to send invoices | Stripe still needs a few details from you. |
| Stripe needs more details from you | Your account cannot take payments right now, so invoices cannot be sent. |
| Your Stripe account is disconnected | Reconnect it to send invoices and get paid. |
The editor shows the same link in its checklist. Setting up Stripe is covered in Send Invoices and Get Paid.
The invoicing terms
Before the first invoice, estimate, scheduled invoice or repeating schedule goes out, Timelydo shows the invoicing terms. They are ten short sections that explain who is responsible for what: you are the seller, taxes are your decision, national electronic invoicing systems, what an invoice must show, your records, payments, scheduled and repeating invoices, fair use, our responsibility, and changes.
The I accept button works only after you scroll to the end. You can tick the box to not be shown the terms again until they change. Sending another invoice does not ask again. When the terms change, you are asked once more.
The national invoicing notice
Some countries have, or are introducing, a national electronic invoicing system. If yours is one of them, a one line notice appears on the Invoices page and in Invoice settings. Open it for the rule and the official sources. Hide it with the cross; it comes back only when the rule changes.
Timelydo does not connect to those systems. Read Tax and Electronic Invoices before you send your first invoice.
FAQ
Do I need Stripe to write an invoice?
Do I need a plan to use invoicing?
Why am I asked to accept terms?
How do I hide the Getting started card?
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