Understanding Invoice Types in Buildern
Buildern supports three invoicing methods, allowing you to choose the billing workflow that best matches your business processes.
Progress Payments - Progress Payment invoicing is designed for fixed-price projects where invoices are generated based on predefined payment schedules or project milestones. This method is ideal when billing occurs at specific stages throughout the project.
Schedule of Values - Schedule of Values invoicing is designed for fixed-price projects where invoices are generated based on the percentage of work completed. Each invoice reflects the progress made against the project's Schedule of Values, making it ideal for projects that require ongoing progress billing.
Cost Plus - Cost Plus invoicing allows you to bill clients based on actual project costs, including bills, expenses, timesheets, and markup. This method is commonly used when project costs are variable and need to be passed directly to the client.
Create a Client Invoice
Navigate to the desired project.
Select Client Invoices from the project menu.
Click Invoice.
Select Create Invoice.
Complete the Invoice Details
When creating an invoice, complete the available fields to define the invoice information and the items being billed.
General Information
Name - Enter a name for the invoice. This name is used to identify the invoice throughout Buildern and is visible to the client.
Invoice ID - The unique invoice reference number. This field is generated automatically based on your invoice numbering settings and helps track invoices internally and externally.
Invoice Date - The date the invoice is issued to the client.
Due Date - The date by which payment is expected from the client.
Period To Date - Defines the billing period covered by the invoice. This field is optional and is commonly used when invoicing for work completed during a specific period.
Introduction Text - Allows you to add a message that appears at the beginning of the invoice. This can be used to provide project updates, payment instructions, or other information for the client.
Add Invoice Items
Use this section to define the amounts and costs that will be billed to the client. The available options depend on the project's invoicing method.
Progress Payments
For Progress Payment projects, invoice amounts are based on the project's contract value and approved changes.
Contract Price - Select contract items to include in the invoice. This section displays the total contract value, amounts previously invoiced, and the remaining balance available for billing.
Change Orders - Include approved change orders or variations in the invoice.
Allowances - Include allowance adjustments that need to be billed to the client.
Custom Lines - Add manual invoice items that are not linked to contract items, change orders, or allowances.
Amounts Are - Determines whether invoice amounts are calculated as tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive.
Schedule of Values
For Schedule of Values projects, invoice amounts are based on the progress completed for individual Schedule of Values line items.
Contract Price – Displays the contract value available for invoicing.
Show by Cost Code – Groups contract items by cost code to simplify progress-based invoicing and tracking.
Cost Plus
For Cost Plus projects, invoices are created from actual project costs.
Bills - Select project bills to include in the invoice.
Timesheets - Include approved labor costs recorded through project timesheets.
Custom Lines - Add manual invoice items that are not linked to bills or timesheets.
Amounts Are - Determines whether invoice amounts are calculated as tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive.
Accept Payments
The Accept Payments section allows you to enable online payments for the invoice.
If online payments have not yet been configured for your Buildern account, click Go to settings to review details.
This will redirect you to Buildern Company Settings → Accept Payments, where you can complete the payment setup process by providing the required business information, payment processing details, bank account information, and verification documents.
Once the payment setup has been completed and approved, the Accept Payments section on the invoice will display the available payment methods.
Accept Credit/Debit Card - Allows clients to pay the invoice using a credit or debit card.
Accept ACH Bank Transfer - Allows clients to pay the invoice using a bank transfer.
Enable the payment methods you would like to make available to the client. The selected payment options will appear when the client views the invoice.
ℹ️ Note - After the invoice has been sent and payments have been received, all payment transactions can be viewed in the invoice's Payment History section.
As invoice items are added, Buildern automatically calculates the invoice totals and displays them in the Summary section. This includes markup, subtotal, tax amounts, total invoice value, and the remaining balance due.
Sync with Xero and QBO
If your Buildern account is connected to Xero/ QBO, enable the Send to Xero/ QBO option to automatically synchronize the invoice with your accounting records after it is created.
👉 Learn more about :
Add Additional Information
Closing Text - Allows you to add a message that appears at the bottom of the invoice.
Attachments - Allows you to upload supporting documents that will be included with the invoice.
Terms and Conditions - Defines the terms and conditions that apply to the invoice and are presented to the client.
Record Payments
The Payment History section allows you to record and track payments received against the invoice.
To record a payment, click Record Payments.
A confirmation window will appear notifying you that recording a payment will automatically change the invoice status to Approved.
After confirming the payment, enter the payment Date, Amount, Payment Method, Account, and any optional Notes, then click Save to record the transaction.
Once all required information has been entered, click Record Payment to save the payment.
If a payment was recorded incorrectly, click Void to cancel the payment record and restore the invoice balance.
Comments
The Comments section becomes available after the invoice has been created and can be used to track invoice-related communication and activity.
All comments are stored directly on the invoice record and remain available for future reference.
ℹ️ Note - Comments are internal and are not visible to the client unless specifically included in the invoice content.
Finalize the Invoice
Before sending the invoice, click Preview to review how the invoice will appear to the client. If you need to modify the invoice layout, branding, or displayed information, refer to the article below.
👉 Learn more about How to Edit a Client Invoice Preview in Buildern
Once you've reviewed the invoice:
Save – Saves the invoice as a draft, allowing you to continue editing it later.
Send – Finalizes the invoice and sends it to the client for review and payment.
We hope this article has helped you better understand how to use this feature in Buildern.
Happy Building!