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Create and Manage an Invoice

This guide creates a draft invoice, adds the correct project work or budget amount, and moves the invoice through review and payment. Start from Open Items for a straightforward invoice or use the manual wizard when you need more control.

Prerequisites
  • You need write access to Billing invoices.
  • The invoice recipient must exist as a Stakeholder.
  • Budget-based invoices need compatible Service Revenue settlement settings and a Billing Profile.

Choose The Right Creation Path​

Choose the creation path based on the work you need to invoice.

PathUse it when
Create invoice from Open ItemsThe selected budgets use one Billing Profile, one basis, one currency, and need no manual conversion.
Create New Invoice in BillingYou need individual costs, individual positions, currency conversion, a changed budget suggestion, or manual lines.

Both paths create a draft first. A draft is the safe working copy where you can review the recipient, dates, taxes, and lines before issuing the invoice.

Create A Draft From Open Items​

Use this path for the fastest budget-first invoice.

  1. Open Billing -> Open Items.
  2. Stay on By budget.
  3. Select one or more compatible budgets.
  4. Click Create invoice.
  5. Open the new draft and review its details and lines.

For an Actual Costs budget, COMPASS adds the selected open Invoice Positions and reserves them. For a Budgeted Amounts budget, COMPASS adds one line based on the remaining approved amount.

If the selected budgets conflict, the button explains whether they span several Billing Profiles, invoice bases, or currencies. Narrow the selection instead of creating an invoice that mixes different commercial rules.

Step 1: Start A Manual Invoice​

Open Billing and click Create New Invoice. The wizard begins with Invoice Details.

The manual flow is useful when you need to choose the exact work, include ready work without a Budget Item, or invoice in a different currency.

Step 2: Select The Invoice Scope​

Under Invoice Scope, choose Invoice a Budget or Invoice individual costs. The second option is for customer-billable Timesheet fees and Trip costs that do not have a Budget.

Choose the related project or projects next. When you invoice a Budget, select the compatible Service Revenue Budgets that belong on the invoice. One budget-based invoice must stay within one Billing Profile, one basis, and one currency.

Step 3: Confirm The Billing Profile​

For Invoice a Budget, select or confirm the required Billing Profile. COMPASS uses it to keep the selected Budgets, recipient, currency, and commercial terms together.

For Invoice individual costs, the Billing Profile is optional. Select one when you want COMPASS to fill in the recipient, currency, VAT setting, and payment terms.

If the correct profile is missing for a budget invoice, stop and create it under Billing -> Billing Profiles. Do not use a different recipient as a temporary substitute.

Step 4: Enter Dates, Tax, And Notes​

Enter the Performance Period, Due Date, and Value Added Tax (VAT) settings. Add invoice notes or internal notes when your process requires them.

The performance period also narrows which unallocated work is offered later. Use the dates that describe the work being invoiced, not only the day the invoice is created.

Check The Invoice Preview​

While you complete Invoice Details, the Invoice Preview summarizes the selected projects, Billing Profile, invoice currency, billing basis, performance period, and Budgets. For each selected Budget, it shows the available open amount or a warning when that amount cannot be derived safely.

This is a scope check, not the final line-item list. Open amounts cover all recorded dates. The next step applies the performance period and lets you select the exact positions or amounts for this invoice.

Step 5: Create The Draft​

Click Next Step after the Invoice Details are valid. COMPASS creates the draft before you add invoice lines. This lets it reserve selected positions safely and prevent another draft from taking the same work.

If another user reserves a position while you are working, COMPASS refreshes the list. Remove the unavailable position and select from the current results.

Step 6: Add Invoice Items​

Use the invoice item choices that match the source.

  • Invoice Positions adds open, billable actual-cost work. These lines keep their source amount and cannot be repriced.
  • Individual costs adds customer-billable Timesheet fees and Trip costs that have no Budget. COMPASS checks that the same source is not invoiced twice.
  • Budget Amount Suggestions shows approved, invoiced, draft, remaining, and suggested amounts for Budgeted Amounts budgets.
  • Manual line lets you enter a line that is not backed by one of the prepared sources.

For Budgeted Amounts, the suggestion is guidance. You can change the description and amount or ignore the suggestion. COMPASS warns when the total exceeds the approved amount, but the person invoicing makes the final commercial decision.

Individual costs show their source amount and the invoice amount. When the invoice uses another currency, COMPASS converts the cost using the invoice exchange rate when you add it. Review the converted line before submitting the invoice.

Step 7: Review And Submit The Invoice​

Review every line, tax value, total, related project, performance period, recipient, and currency. Then use Review Invoice and Submit Invoice according to your workspace process.

Submitting commits the selected positions to the invoice. Their status changes from Reserved to Invoiced. The invoice then continues through the issued, sent, and payment stages.

Step 8: Send, Download, Or Record Payment​

Open the saved invoice to use the actions available for its status.

  • Download Invoice creates the available invoice document or export.
  • Mark the invoice as sent records that it was sent outside COMPASS.
  • Record Payment records a full or partial payment.
  • Cancel Invoice stops the invoice and asks what should happen to each source-backed line.
  • Delete Invoice removes an allowed draft or invoice according to permissions and status rules.
caution

Cancelling or deleting an invoice changes the commercial record. When cancelling, choose Release only for work that can return to Open Items and be billed again. Keep work consumed when it must not return. COMPASS does not send a credit note or undo an action in another finance system for you.

Result​

The invoice now has a traceable recipient, currency, project scope, budget scope, and source lines. Open Items reflects the new draft or invoiced amounts without changing the underlying Actual Cost Ledger.

Common Mistakes​

  • Problem: A position is no longer available.

    Fix: Another draft reserved it. Refresh the list and open the related invoice if shown.

  • Problem: The recipient or currency is wrong.

    Fix: Correct the Billing Profile or select the right profile before continuing.

  • Problem: Cross-currency quick creation is disabled.

    Fix: Use the manual wizard. Select the correct invoice currency and exchange rate, then review the converted individual-cost line.

  • Problem: A Timesheet or Trip cost has a value but no Invoice Position.

    Fix: If it has no Budget Item, make a decision in Billing -> Open Items. After choosing Invoice customer, select it as an individual cost in the manual wizard.

  • Problem: A Budgeted Amounts line is higher than the approved amount.

    Fix: Review the warning, earlier invoices, drafts, and the commercial agreement before submitting.