This guide will walk you through setting up your invoices template and how to create and manage invoices.
How to get started
In Nutshell, go to Sales > (Revenue) Invoices
Set up your invoice template
Before sending your first invoice, you’ll need to set up your company’s invoice template. This controls how your invoices look and what default information they include.
Go to Invoices > Template to:
Upload your company logo
Add your company address and contact details
Choose the invoice fields you’d like included i.e. Purchase order #, job #, customer #, reference number *
Customize your product table columns
Include notes
Add payment methods and terms (like “Payment due in 30 days”) *
Add information in the footer, like general terms and conditions
*Only available in the Invoice template
This template is usually set up once by an admin and used across your whole company. It’s also pretty similar to setting up the Quotes template, if you’d like some more in depth details with screenshots, check out our Nutshell Quotes Guide for a step by step guide to create a template.
Creating a new invoice
If you’re familiar with creating quotes in Nutshell, making an invoice will feel very similar.
You can create an invoice in three ways:
+ Add new button at the top of the app: Choose Invoice
Lead pages: Add an invoices directly from a lead page
Accepted quote: Create an invoice directly from an Accepted quote
If you’re creating an invoice from the global Add new menu
Click + Add new and select Invoice
You can search for a lead, choose from a recent list, or create a new lead if needed
Once your lead is selected, the invoice dialog will open.
Note: The Prepared for and some of the Details sections will be automatically added when the invoice is generated.
These sections will be populated based on the information available in Nutshell.
Prepared for:
Company name
Lead name
Company address
Contact details
Invoice details:
Invoice number (automatically generated and not editable)
Prepared by
Date issued
Due date
If you selected the optional invoice detail fields like Purchase order # or Reference #, you can manually add those numbers by clicking in the ‘Details’ section
3. If you had products added to your lead, these would show up in the Products table, alternatively, you can add products directly
4. Include any discounts, taxes, shipping fees, or other adjustments
5. Set a due date for your invoice and hit Save
6. View the invoice - To view the invoice as a customer, click View. You can choose to:
View as customer: Preview the invoice exactly as your customer will see it
Copy link to invoice: Generate a shareable link to send directly to your customer
Download PDF: Download a PDF version of the invoice to share via email or print
Understanding invoice states
Each invoice moves through four different states as it progresses i.e. Draft, Ready, Sent, Paid. You'll also see the date and timestamp of each state as it progresses. Here’s what each state means and how it works:
Draft: The initial state where the invoice is still editable. A Draft watermark will appear across the invoice until you mark it as Ready
Ready: Once you’re done editing, mark the invoice as Ready. This removes the draft watermark and indicates that the invoice is finalized and ready to be sent to the customer. Note: After marking an invoice as Ready, editing is no longer possible. You can mark the invoice as Void, but if you want to keep working on it, simply make a copy and continue from there
Sent: Once your invoice is ready, click on the Send invoice button in the top right corner
You can choose from:
Mark as sent
Copy link to invoice
Download PDF
Send via email
If you choose the Send via email option, you'll need to click the Insert invoice link button at the bottom of the email composer. The invoice you created will be added to the body of your email as a clickable link.
Once you've sent it, you can mark the quote as Sent, allowing you to track when the invoice has been shared.
Paid: If the customer settled the invoice, you can mark the invoice as Paid in the top right corner.
You can also add optional comments when doing so.
Invoice notifications
Stay on top of your invoices with helpful notifications that keep you in the loop. Head to Your settings > Notifications to set this up for your account.
Track invoices on the lead's timeline
Easily keep track of every step in the invoice process right from the lead’s timeline. You’ll see when an invoice is:
Marked as ready, signaling that it’s finalized and ready to send
Viewed
Marked as paid
Manage all your invoices in one place
Admins can easily view and manage invoices from the Overview page. Here's how:
Go to Sales > Invoices> Overview
This will open the page where you can see all your invoices.
Filter and sort
You can filter invoices by Status or Owner and sort them by any column, simply click the column heading to sort by ascending or descending.
View, Download, or Copy a link
You can click the three-dot menu to view a quote, download it, or copy a link to share it.
Access the Lead page
Click on any lead name to go directly to the lead page.
Note: Admins can view all invoices, while non-admins can only manage their own invoices.
FAQs
Is invoices included in my plan?
Invoices is part of the Quotes & Invoices add-on, available for $67/month.
Can I create an invoice without a lead?
No. Invoices are always connected to a lead in Nutshell.
Can my customers pay through the invoice?
No, Nutshell doesn’t support payment gateways. You can include payment instructions like wire transfer or mailing address, and then mark the invoice as paid once you receive payment.
Can I make changes to an invoice after I send it?
No. Once an invoice is marked Ready or Sent, it’s locked. You can make a copy if you need to send an updated version.
How do I mark an invoice as paid?
Open the invoice and click Mark as paid. You can add a comment with payment details for your records.
Can I spot Overdue invoices?
Yes, you’ll see a red banner above an invoice that is overdue, and you'll see an Overdue label on the lead page. Additionally, you can also filter by Overdue.
Does this include payment processing?
No, this add-on is for invoice management only. It doesn’t include a payment gateway, so customers won’t be able to pay directly through the invoice. You can add your own payment instructions and mark the invoice as paid once you’ve received payment.