Frequently asked questions
Short answers to common questions. Each links to a fuller guide.
Getting started
Do I have to set everything up before I can invoice? You need a default organisation with an address, and — to issue an invoice — your accounting settings configured. The set-up checklist walks you through the recommended order.
What's the difference between a billing account and an organisation? A billing account holds your subscription and members; it can contain several organisations, each with its own books, customers and settings.
Invoices and documents
Why can't I edit my invoice? Because it has been issued. Create a credit note or void it instead.
What's the difference between voiding and writing off an invoice? Voiding reverses an invoice raised in error (including its VAT). Writing off records a genuine sale the customer won't pay as a bad debt (keeping the VAT).
Do quotes, estimates and proforma invoices affect my accounts? No. They are pre-sale documents with no accounting effect until you convert one to an invoice and issue it.
Can I change a quote after I've sent it? Not directly — a sent document is fixed. Create a revision, which supersedes the original.
My invoice numbers aren't increasing automatically.
Automatic numbering follows the standard prefix pattern (for example INV- followed by digits). If you type a custom, non-standard number, the next invoice won't be auto-calculated from it, and you may be told a number is "already in use" — choose a different number.
Payments
Can my customers pay online by card? Not in this version. Customers can view and download their invoice online, but they pay using the bank details / payment instructions shown on it. See Online payment availability.
I received money but haven't decided which invoice it's for. Record it on account and allocate it later.
Why has a small gain or loss appeared when I recorded a foreign-currency payment? That's a realised exchange gain or loss — the normal effect of the exchange rate moving between issuing the invoice and being paid. Sales Scribe records it for you.
Customers, suppliers and products
I can't delete a customer or supplier I've used. A customer that has invoices, or a supplier that has active products, can't be deleted — you'll be told to archive it instead. Archiving keeps the history intact while tidying your lists. Products can be removed, but doing so will block issuing any draft invoice that still uses them, so archiving is usually safer there too.
Why is a cost price of zero treated as "missing"? For a stock item, a zero cost price is the same as having none, because there would be no cost of sale to record. Enter the real cost, or turn off inventory tracking for that item. See Inventory and cost of goods sold.
Reports
Why do my sales figures differ between reports? Different reports answer different questions. Profit and Loss and Revenue by Customer are accrual (based on invoices issued); Payments by Customer is cash (based on money received). The VAT Summary also includes written-off invoices in Output VAT, whereas the revenue reports exclude them.
Are my reports in my customers' currencies? No — all reports are shown in your organisation's functional currency, converting foreign-currency documents at their captured rates.
Errors and access
I got a "Something went wrong" message with a reference. See I see a generic error with a reference — try again, and quote the reference to support if it persists.
Something says it's "not available" or "access denied". It may depend on your plan or your role/subscription status.