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In this video, you'll learn how to bill a customer for the first time in Harborline Invoicing.

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We'll add the customer, build the invoice, send it by email and record the payment.

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The whole job takes about five minutes.

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First, a quick check.

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You need the Owner or Bookkeeper role, because Viewers can open invoices but can't create or send them.

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Confirm your business details under Settings, Company, since they print on every invoice.

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And have the customer's billing email ready.

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The process has four steps.

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Add the customer, which you only do once per customer.

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Create the invoice by choosing the customer and adding what you're charging for.

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Send it, so the customer gets an email with a link to view and pay.

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Finally, record the payment when the money arrives.

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Step one happens on the Customers page.

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Select New customer to open the form.

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Enter the billing email carefully, because invoices and reminders are sent there.

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Then choose the payment terms:

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Net 14 days means the invoice is due 14 days after you send it, and each new invoice takes its due date from this.

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Select Save customer when you're done.

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Next, open Invoices and select New invoice.

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Choose the customer, and the invoice number and due date fill in for you.

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Add a line for each thing you're charging for, with a description, quantity and unit price;

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the amount, tax and total are calculated automatically.

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Select Preview to check it, then Send invoice.

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When the preview looks right, you have two choices.

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Send invoice emails the customer a link to view and pay, sends you a copy, and changes the status from Draft to Sent.

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Not ready yet?

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Save draft keeps it without emailing anyone, and drafts don't count in your reports.

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It's easy to assume you can fix a sent invoice later.

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You can't.

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A Draft can be edited freely, but once it's sent, the number and customer are locked.

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To change it, cancel the invoice and create a new one, so your records stay complete.

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To track payments, open the Invoices list.

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The Status column shows where each invoice stands;

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this one is Sent.

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Online payments are marked Paid automatically, but for a bank transfer or cheque, select Record payment and enter the date and amount.

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If an invoice passes its due date, it becomes Overdue, and Send reminder emails a polite nudge with the same payment link.

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Every invoice moves through a few statuses.

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Draft is saved but not sent, so you can edit, send or delete it.

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Sent means emailed and not yet due.

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Overdue means past its due date and unpaid, so send a reminder.

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Paid means paid in full, and you can download a receipt.

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A few common fixes.

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If no email arrived, check the billing email, then open the invoice and select Resend, and ask them to check spam.

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If Send invoice is greyed out, add a line, or ask the owner to change your Viewer role.

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If the total is wrong after sending, cancel and create a new invoice.

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To recap:

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add each customer once with the right billing email and payment terms.

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Build the invoice line by line and preview it before sending.

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Remember that sent invoices are locked.

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Then watch the Status column, record offline payments and send reminders for overdue ones.