Help Center / Accounts Receivable

Invoice Templates

What is this page about: A document template in Light controls the layout and email defaults for sales invoices and other accounting documents. This page explains what a template controls, how to create and edit one, how to assign a template to an invoice, and how payment details, including Bankgiro for Swedish entities, appear on invoices.

On this page

  • What does a template control?
  • How do I create a template?
  • How do I edit a template?
  • How do I assign a template to an invoice?
  • What payment details appear on invoices?
  • How do I show a Bankgiro number for Swedish entities?
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Related Articles

Document templates configure the layout and email defaults for sales invoices and other accounting documents in Light. Templates are managed under Settings (gear icon) → Templates.

What Does a Template Control?

A document template in Light controls how a document looks and what defaults are used when it's emailed. Specifically, a template defines:

  • Name: internal name for the template
  • Description: optional notes
  • Type: document kind the template applies to, either Sales invoice, Customer credit, or Purchase order
  • Company entities: which entities can use this template
  • Invoice pattern: number/format pattern for the document number
  • Background color: colour used on the rendered document
  • Logo: logo image displayed on the rendered document
  • Reply-to email: default reply-to when this template is used to send a document
  • CC emails: default CC recipients
  • Default email subject: subject line used when sending
  • Default email message: body text used when sending (max 750 characters)
  • Additional text: extra text rendered on the document
  • Show contract period: whether to display the contract period on the rendered document

Good to know: Reply-to email, CC emails, Default email subject, Default email message, Invoice pattern, and Show contract period apply to Sales invoice templates only. Additional text is the one content field shared by all three template types: Sales invoice, Customer credit, and Purchase order.

Good to know: Light automatically adds a payment section to invoice PDFs on partially-paid and paid invoices, displaying payments received, credits applied, and balance due. This section appears automatically on every invoice and is not controlled by template settings.

How Do I Create a Template?

To create a document template in Light:

  1. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Templates
  2. Click Add template
  3. Fill in the template fields (listed above under "What Does a Template Control?")
  4. Click Create

How Do I Edit a Template?

Open an existing template in Settings (gear icon) → Templates and update its fields. Light applies changes only to future documents that use the template. Documents you've already sent keep their original layout and defaults.

How Do I Assign a Template to an Invoice?

When creating or editing a sales invoice, pick a template from the Invoice template field in the invoice header. (This field is labelled Document template instead when creating or editing a Customer credit.) The selected template controls the document's layout and its email defaults when sending.

What Payment Details Appear on Invoices?

Light displays payment details from the connected bank account directly on the invoice, so customers know exactly where to send payment. Depending on the bank account's country and configuration, an invoice can show:

  • BIC / IBAN: for international and SEPA payments
  • Account number: for domestic transfers
  • Bankgiro/Plusgiro: for Swedish entities (see "How Do I Show a Bankgiro Number for Swedish Entities?" below)

How Do I Show a Bankgiro Number for Swedish Entities?

Bankgiro is commonly used for Swedish business-to-business payments, and Swedish customers often expect to see it on their invoices. If a Swedish entity has a Bankgiro number set on its bank account, Light displays it on invoices alongside the BIC/IBAN and account number fields.

To show a Bankgiro number on invoices:

  1. Set the bank account's country to Sweden in Settings (gear icon) → Bank accounts. This reveals the Bankgiro/Plusgiro field with a Bankgiro/Plusgiro selector. See Connecting Bank Accounts.
  2. Select Bankgiro and enter the number on the bank account.

Once the Bankgiro number is entered, Light automatically shows it on future invoices' payment details. No template changes are needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does "Additional text" only appear on invoice templates?

No. Additional text renders on every template type: Sales invoice, Customer credit, and Purchase order. It's the only content field shared across all three; the other invoice-specific fields (Reply-to email, CC emails, subject, message, Invoice pattern, Show contract period) are Sales invoice only.

What is a document template in Light?

A document template is a saved set of layout and email defaults, including name, logo, background color, and reply-to email, that can be applied to sales invoices and other accounting documents.

Does editing a template change invoices I've already sent?

No. Editing a template in Light only applies to future documents created with that template. Previously sent invoices are unaffected and keep their original layout and defaults.

Does a template control the payment section on an invoice?

No. The payment section, showing payments received, credits applied, and balance due, appears automatically on partially-paid and paid invoices, based on invoice state. It is not controlled by template settings.

Why isn't my Bankgiro number showing on an invoice?

Bankgiro only appears when the bank account's country is set to Sweden in Settings (gear icon) → Bank accounts, and Bankgiro is selected with a number entered in the Bankgiro/Plusgiro field on that account.

Where do I create or edit a document template?

In Light, go to Settings (gear icon) → Templates.

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