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Quotes, estimates and proforma invoices

Create a proforma invoice

A proforma invoice is a pre-payment request that looks like an invoice but isn't a real one yet. It's commonly used to ask a customer to pay before you deliver. Unlike a quote or…

Create a proforma invoice

A proforma invoice is a pre-payment request that looks like an invoice but isn't a real one yet. It's commonly used to ask a customer to pay before you deliver. Unlike a quote or estimate, a proforma is send-only — there's no online accept or decline. Creating one has no effect on your accounts.

Before you begin

  • You need at least one active customer — see Add a customer.
  • If you want your bank details to appear automatically, set your organisation's default payment instructions first — see Payment instructions on your documents.
  • The Quotes feature must be switched on for your organisation, or you'll see a Feature Not Available message.

Steps

  1. Go to Sales → Proforma Invoices and select New Proforma Invoice.
  2. Choose the Customer.
  3. Set the Currency.
  4. Check the Date (defaults to today) and set the Valid Until date (required, defaults to 30 days ahead). The proforma expires automatically after this date.
  5. Add any Notes (optional).
  6. Review the Payment Instructions. If your organisation has a default, it's filled in for you; you can edit it for this document. Use it to tell the customer how to pay — for example the bank name, sort code, account number and a payment reference.
  7. Add your lines under Line Items — pick a Product or type a Description, then set the Quantity, Unit Price and, if needed, a Tax Rate. The Amounts are selector beside the heading chooses whether prices are net (Tax exclusive, the default) or gross with the VAT extracted (Tax inclusive); the choice is saved with the draft and carries onto the invoice when the proforma is converted.
  8. Select Create Draft.

[Screenshot required: New Proforma Invoice page showing the Payment Instructions field and Line Items]

What happens next

Your proforma is saved as a Draft with no number yet — the PF- number is assigned when you send it. From its details page you can Edit Draft, Send… or Delete Draft.

Important notes

  • Send-only. A proforma has no online Accept or Decline — you send it, and the customer pays by the instructions on it.
  • Your Payment Instructions appear on the proforma PDF and in the email, so the customer knows exactly how to pay.
  • The proforma PDF is labelled as a proforma and carries the note "This is not a VAT invoice" — a proforma is not a tax invoice, and no VAT is recorded until you turn it into a real invoice.
  • It doesn't touch your accounts. When the customer is ready to pay, use Record a payment on a proforma invoice, which creates and issues a real invoice first.
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