Invoice Generation

What is this page about: Light generates sales invoices from the Sales invoices page, with each invoice tied to a customer and an issuing entity. This page explains how to create and duplicate invoices, how currency defaults are resolved, what the invoice states mean, and how edits are handled before and after posting.

# On this page

• How do I create a sales invoice in Light?
• How do I duplicate an invoice?
• What fields are on the invoice detail form?
• What do the invoice states mean?
• Can I edit an invoice after it's posted?
• How do I post and send an invoice?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Related Articles

In Light, sales invoices (accounts-receivable documents) are created, edited, and posted from the Sales invoices page.

Navigate via Revenue & Invoicing → Sales invoices.

# How do I create a sales invoice in Light?

Click + Create sales invoice, fill in the required fields, then click Create to open a new draft invoice.

1. Click + Create sales invoice: a dialog opens

2. Fill in the create dialog:

   • Customer: required
   • Entity: the company entity issuing the invoice

3. Click Create: Light opens the invoice in Draft state, ready for line items and details

Light resolves currency automatically once the invoice is created, rather than asking for it in the create dialog: it defaults to the currency of the customer's most recently created issued invoice (if available), otherwise the entity's local currency. You can change the currency from the invoice detail view while the invoice is still in Draft.

# How do I duplicate an invoice?

Open any invoice, click the ⋮ (three-dot menu) in the top right, then choose Duplicate to create a new draft with the same details.

If you need to create a new invoice similar to an existing one, open any invoice and click the ⋮ (three-dot menu) in the top right, then choose Duplicate. Light creates a new draft with the same customer, entity, currency, line items, and custom properties. You can then edit the draft as needed before posting.

# What fields are on the invoice detail form?

The invoice detail view has a header section (Entity, Customer, Currency, Payment type, Net terms, Invoice template) and a line items table.

Once created, the invoice opens in its detail view. The header section includes:

• Entity
• Customer
• Currency
• Payment type: the method of payment expected (e.g., Stripe, ACH, bank transfer)
• Net terms: payment terms in days
• Invoice template: controls the invoice layout and email defaults

The body is a line items table with + Add line item to add items.

# What fields does each line item have?

• Product: pick from your products catalogue; Light auto-fills the price, tax, and ledger account
• Description
• Quantity
• Price
• Discount
• Tax code
• Ledger account
• Amortization: applies a release template to spread revenue over a date range (see Deferred entries)

Tabs in the invoice detail include Activity, Payments, Deferred revenue, and Documents.

# What do the invoice states mean?

An invoice moves through Draft, Open, and Paid-related states as it's created, posted, and settled. Reversed and Void are terminal states that an invoice doesn't move on from.

# How do I reverse a posted invoice?

To reverse a posted invoice, choose Reverse and reissue from the ⋮ (three-dot menu):

1. Prepare the customer credit
2. Send the customer credit

Completing these steps moves the invoice itself into the terminal Reversed state.

Good to know: Reverse and reissue appears once the invoice is posted (Open, Partially paid, or Paid) and you have permission to reverse invoices. For a Paid or Partially paid invoice, settle or reverse the payment first. If an Open invoice hasn't been sent yet, use Reset from the ⋮ menu to undo it instead.

This is different from Issue customer credit, a separate ⋮ menu action that creates a credit note against the invoice but leaves the invoice in its current state (for example, still Open). Use Issue customer credit when you want to credit the customer without reversing the invoice; use Reverse and reissue when you want the invoice itself marked Reversed.

# Can I edit an invoice after it's posted?

Yes, but only two things stay editable: the PO number (a header field) and custom properties (on line items).

Invoices in Draft can be freely edited. Once posted (Open or beyond), amounts, quantities, prices, line descriptions, ledger accounts, tax codes, posting date, and document date are all locked and can't be changed.

# Can I edit custom properties after posting?

Yes. Even after an invoice is posted, you can still add, change, or remove the custom properties (department, cost center, project code, etc.) on its line items, with no need to void and recreate the invoice to fix a tag.

1. Open the posted invoice
2. Enter edit mode on the line item you want to update
3. Add, change, or remove its custom properties
4. Confirm the changes when prompted, then save

Amounts, quantities, prices, line descriptions, ledger accounts, tax codes, posting date, and document date all stay locked. The only other field you can still change after posting is the header's PO number. Light records every change in the invoice's modification history, and the line item re-locks after saving. See Custom Properties for more.

# How do I post and send an invoice?

Use the action button in the top right of an open invoice to post it, with or without sending it by email.

• Post only: posts to GL without sending
• Post & send invoice: posts and emails the invoice in one action

For posting and sending in bulk, see Sending Invoices.

# Frequently Asked Questions

# What's the difference between Post only and Post & send invoice?

Post only posts the invoice to the general ledger without emailing it. Post & send invoice posts it and emails it to the customer in the same action.

# What happens to the currency if I don't set one?

You don't set currency in the create dialog. Light resolves it automatically: the customer's most recently created issued invoice's currency, if one exists, otherwise the entity's local currency. You can still change it afterwards from the invoice detail view while the invoice is in Draft.

# Does duplicating an invoice copy the line items?

Yes. Duplicate copies the customer, entity, currency, line items, and custom properties into a new draft.

# Can I change an invoice's amount after posting?

No. Amounts, quantities, and prices lock once an invoice is posted, along with line descriptions, ledger accounts, tax codes, posting date, and document date. The only fields that stay editable are custom properties (on line items) and the PO number (in the header).

# How do I undo or reverse a posted invoice?

Choose Reverse and reissue from the ⋮ menu, then:

1. Prepare the customer credit
2. Send the customer credit

This moves the invoice into the terminal Reversed state. Issue customer credit is different: it creates a credit note but leaves the invoice's own state unchanged.

# Related Articles

• Accounts Receivable Overview
• Sending Invoices
• Invoice Templates
• Tracking Payments and Outstanding Balances
• Customer Credits
• Revenue Schedules and Deferred Revenue