Send an Invoice

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The short version

Select Review and send in the editor. Check the To address, the subject and the message, then select Send. The invoice gets its number and is locked.

Overview

Before you send

Sending needs a connected Stripe account that can take payments, your business details and a customer with an email address. The editor checklist tells you what is missing. See The invoice editor and autosave.

The first time you send, schedule or write an estimate, TimelyDo shows the invoicing terms. Read to the end, then select I accept. They are not shown again unless the terms change.

Setting it up

The send dialog

When to send

Choose Send now, or Send later and set a date and a time. Tomorrow at 09:00 is suggested. The time is in your time zone, shown under the field. You can pick from 5 minutes to a year ahead.

The customer's billing email. You can change it for this send.

Copies

Up to five addresses, separated by commas. If the customer has billing contacts, they are filled in. Tick Send me a copy to get one yourself. The customer does not see that one.

Subject

It starts as Invoice from and your name. You can change it, or use a saved message.

Message

A personal note. It goes under Hi and the customer's name, so you do not need a greeting. The invoice link is added for you.

Preview

Under What your customer gets you see the email as it will arrive, and the language the email, PDF and invoice page go out in.

Attach the invoice as a PDF is on by default. Untick it to send the link only. Select Use a saved message to reuse a message, or Save as a template to keep this one.

What sending does

It gives the invoice its number and locks it. It can no longer be edited.
It emails your customer from TimelyDo's address with your name as the sender. Replies go to your email.
The email has the PDF attached, any files you attached to the invoice, and a button to open the invoice page. Every email also says who it is from and that TimelyDo never asks for card details by email.
It starts your reminders, if they are on.

Mark as sent, no email records the invoice as sent without emailing it. Use it when you hand the invoice over yourself. Share the link or the PDF yourself.

Send again and Copy link

On the invoice page, select Send again to email the invoice once more. You can write a new message, but the invoice itself is not changed. Select Copy link to copy the address of the customer's invoice page and share it anywhere.

To send later, see Scheduled sending. A scheduled draft stays editable until it goes out, and you can select Cancel schedule.

Getting paid

Link previews in chat apps

Paste the invoice link into WhatsApp, Slack, iMessage or Telegram and the app shows a preview. It has the invoice number, your name, the amount due and the due date, or Paid in full. The words are in your customer's language, with a picture of the invoice.

Opening a link preview does not count as your customer viewing the invoice.

Sending limits

Limit	Number
Invoice and estimate emails a day, for you	50
Emails a day to one address	5
Scheduled send	5 minutes to a year ahead

Receipts and credit notes do not count. These limits protect your customers from fake invoices sent from a trusted address. If you have never sent an invoice before, you cannot put a link of your own in the subject or the message. The invoice link is always there.

Help

FAQ

Do I need Stripe to send an invoice?

Yes. Sending needs a connected Stripe account that can take payments, even if your customer pays by bank transfer.

Can I send a copy to someone else?

Yes. Add up to five addresses in Copies. Tick Send me a copy to get one yourself.

Why can I not put a link in my message?

Until you have sent an invoice or estimate once, you cannot put a link of your own in the subject or message. This protects customers from fake invoices. The invoice link is always there.

Why does it say I reached the sending limit?

You can send 50 invoice and estimate emails in a day, and 5 a day to the same address. Try again later.

Can I take back a sent invoice?

A sent invoice is locked. Void it if nothing was paid, or issue a credit note. See Credit notes and refunds.

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