Apply a discount
You can reduce the amount of an invoice with an invoice-level discount — a single reduction applied to the whole invoice. This is separate from the per-line Discount % you can set on each line.
Before you begin
- A discount is part of the invoice, so you can add or change it only while the invoice is a Draft. Open the draft and, if needed, select Edit.
Steps
- In the invoice's Totals card, find the discount fields.
- Enter the discount in whichever way suits you:
- Discount Percent — a percentage of the invoice (for example 10%), or
- Discount — a fixed amount in the invoice currency.
- The Total and Amount Due update as you type. Save the draft.
To discount individual lines instead of the whole invoice, use the Discount % column on each line.
What happens next
The discount reduces the invoice's net (the amount before tax). When you issue the invoice, the discount is spread proportionally across the revenue accounts of the lines, so each revenue account is reduced in line with its share of the sale. The discount appears as its own line in the invoice totals.
Important notes
Note: A discount can never push an invoice below zero. A percentage is capped at 100%, a fixed amount is capped at the invoice's subtotal, and the total is floored at zero — so the most a discount can do is bring the invoice to nil.
- A discount only affects your accounts once the invoice is issued; on a draft it is just a calculation.
- Discount and tax interact in the order shown in the Totals card: the discount reduces the net, and tax is then calculated on the discounted amount.