Issuing
Issuing turns a draft into a document of record. First Invoice checks what every document needs: the customer’s name and address, at least one item — and on invoices your company name, your address and the date of supply. If something is missing, the message says exactly what, for example “Es fehlt noch: Leistungsdatum” (still missing: date of supply).
The document then gets its number and, if it has none yet, today’s date; Invoice fixes totals, language, both addresses, logo, colours and type. Invoice stores the PDF in its archive — this is what you open under “PDF” afterwards and what is sent. If storing it fails, the document is not issued at all.
From now on the document is locked: if your customer moves or you change your brand, it stays as it was. In your BusinessCloud the due date appears in your calendar and a copy of the PDF in your files.
- In “Documents”, click “Issue” (issue) on the draft — or “Save and issue” in the form.
- Read the message: the document is issued and archived.
If “Save and issue” stops at a missing detail, the document is already saved as a draft in “Documents”. Complete it there with “Edit” instead of writing it again.
Numbers and numbering
Every number takes the form prefix, year, running number: RE-2026-0012 for invoices, AN-2026-0003 for quotes. Invoices and quotes count separately, every year starts again at 0001, and the year is that of the document date.
You change the prefixes in the settings under “Invoice prefix” (invoice prefix) and “Quote prefix” (quote prefix) — letters and digits only, eight at most. They apply to new numbers, and the counter carries on rather than starting again: after RE-2026-0011, with the prefix FT, comes FT-2026-0012.
Invoice avoids gaps where it can: drafts have no number, and deleting the most recently issued document of its type in a year passes its number on to the next one — except for a paid invoice. A number from the middle stays used, because two invoices with the same number would be worse than a gap.
Quote accepted or declined
An issued quote shows as “Open” (open) in “Documents”. When your customer says yes or no, record it under “More …” (more): “Mark as accepted” (mark as accepted) or “Mark as declined” (mark as declined). The row then shows “Accepted” or “Declined”.
The status is a note for you; the quote itself does not change. A declined quote can no longer be turned into an invoice. You will find the day “Valid until” runs out in your BusinessCloud calendar.
- Click “More …” in the quote’s row.
- Choose “Mark as accepted” or “Mark as declined”.
Turning a quote into an invoice
“Convert to invoice” (convert to invoice) in the row of an issued quote creates a new invoice draft — with the same items and texts, the same currency, language and tax, and the same discount. The quote stays as it is; it is not reinterpreted as an invoice after the fact.
The new draft has no date of supply and no due date yet. Open it with “Edit”, fill in both and then issue it.
- Click “Convert to invoice” on the quote.
- Open the new draft with “Edit” and fill in “Service date” and “Payable by”.
- Click “Save and issue”.
Reopening an issued document
For the typo you spot right away: “Reopen (to edit)” (reopen to change) under “More …” turns the document back into a draft. You change it with “Edit” and issue it again.
The document keeps its number, even when you issue it again: the corrected version replaces the old one — in the archive as well as in your BusinessCloud storage. While it is a draft, “PDF” shows the version you are working on. Only if the new document date falls in a different year does it get a number from that year. If your customer has already received the document, a cancellation is still the clearer route: they already hold the old version.
A paid invoice cannot be reopened, and neither can a cancelled invoice or its cancellation invoice — a cancellation pair stays as it was issued. For a paid one, remove the payment first — see Recording a payment.
- Click “More …” on the document, then “Reopen (to edit)”.
- Click “Edit”, make the correction and click “Save draft”.
- Issue it again with “Issue”.
Cancelling
You cancel an issued invoice with a cancellation invoice, not by deleting it. “Cancel” (cancel) under “More …” creates one: with its own number and the same items with the opposite sign; the discount comes along too, so the two documents balance. On the PDF it is headed “Credit note” in the document’s language, and the introduction names the invoice it cancels.
Both documents remain; the old invoice then shows “Canceled” (cancelled), the new one “Cancellation invoice” (cancellation invoice). Nothing is deleted, and neither of the two can be reopened afterwards. The cancellation invoice is archived and placed in your files like any issued invoice, and Invoice removes the old invoice’s due-date event from your calendar.
Each invoice can be cancelled exactly once. A cancellation invoice itself cannot be cancelled — if the invoice should stand after all, create it again. Quotes and drafts need no cancellation.
- Click “More …” on the invoice, then “Cancel”.
- Confirm the prompt.
Deleting a document
Invoice is a tool for writing documents, not a till system: you can delete even an issued document, with “Delete” (delete) under “More …” and a confirmation. It cannot be undone. For an invoice your customer already has, a cancellation is the cleaner route.
If it was the most recently issued document of its type that year and was not paid, the next document gets its number; otherwise the number stays used. The calendar event and the PDF copy in your BusinessCloud stay where they are — remove them there yourself.
A cancelled invoice and its cancellation invoice belong together and can only be deleted together: the confirmation names both numbers, then both are gone. You can also delete a quote you have already turned into an invoice — the invoice stays.
Keeping your documents is up to you. With Download everything you always have a copy of your own.
- Click “More …” on the document, then “Delete”.
- Confirm the prompt.