# Introduction - Invoices

The document that asks a customer for money, and its statuses.

**Video coming soon:** An invoice from draft to paid, and what can still be corrected on the way.

An invoice asks a customer for money. It lists items, quantities and tax, carries a due date from the customer's terms, and moves through statuses as it is sent and paid.

A **draft** invoice is yours to edit. A **sent** invoice is the customer's copy, so only a small set of fields can still be corrected. Payments recorded against it move it to **partially paid** and then **paid**.

![The Invoices screen. A table lists invoices with columns for Date, INV number, Reference Number, Customer, Status, Amount, Balance Due and Due Date. Status badges read Paid, Partially Paid, Draft and Overdue by 22 days.](https://www.sorviai.com/help/invoices/invoice-list.png)

*Every status in one view. Overdue counts the days for you, and Balance Due is what is left to collect.*

## Where an invoice comes from

Most invoices are not typed from scratch. Three of the four routes below carry their lines across for you, which is the whole reason the earlier documents exist.

1. **Quote accepted**: Converted directly
2. **Sales order fulfilled**: Billed after shipping
3. **Recurring profile**: Generated on a cycle
4. **Invoice**: However it arrived

Raising one directly is the fourth route, and the right one when there was nothing to agree and nothing to ship.

## The statuses in practice

| Status | How it gets there | What you can still do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Draft | Saved without sending. | Everything. Edit, delete, send. |
| Sent | Emailed or shared as a portal link. | Correct a small set of fields, record a payment, credit it. |
| Partially paid | A payment covers some of the balance. | Record more payments, credit the remainder. |
| Paid | Allocations cover the full balance. | Credit it, or refund the payment. |
| Overdue | Passed its due date unpaid. | Chase it. The status is derived, not set. |
| Void | Cancelled before it was ever paid. | Nothing. The number is kept and the value is zero. |

> **Note:**
>
> **Sent is the line that matters**
>
> Before it, an invoice is a draft you own. After it, it is a document the customer holds a copy of, so corrections go through a credit note rather than an edit. That is what keeps your numbering sequence intact for an auditor.

## What an invoice is not

- It is **not** the money. A payment is a separate record, and matching the two is an allocation.
- It is **not** a deposit. Billing ahead of delivery is an advance invoice, because that money is a liability until you earn it.
- It is **not** editable once sent. Reverse the value with a credit note instead.