Create An Invoice

You can control how invoices are handled for your appraisal orders. Choose from three modes to match how your practice bills clients — whether you skip invoicing entirely, let the system create them automatically, or prefer to create each one yourself.

Choosing an Invoice Creation Mode

1. Navigate to Settings > Invoices

2. Find the Invoice Creation section at the top

3. Click the Invoice Creation Mode dropdown

4. Select one of the three options:

   

Invoices Disabled

The default for new accounts. Invoice features are turned off entirely. You can still track payment by setting a Paid Date directly on each appraisal's Engagement tab.

• The Accounting menu is hidden (unless you have existing invoices)

• Invoice-related cards are hidden from the activity feed

• The Paid Date field appears on the Engagement tab for manual tracking

Automatically Create One Invoice Per Appraisal

A draft invoice is created automatically whenever an appraisal's fees are set. This is the simplest option if you bill one invoice per appraisal and don't want to manually create them.

• A Draft invoice is created when an appraisal is added or updated with a fee

• The invoice amount matches the appraisal's total fees (report fee + additional fees)

• If you change the fee while the invoice is still in Draft, the invoice amount updates to match

• The invoice number is generated automatically based on your Invoice Number settings - see how to configure that here: Invoice Number Configuration

• Marking an invoice as "Paid" requires adding payments to the invoice matching the total fee

Tip: Auto-created invoices always start as Draft. If you change the fee after sending, the invoice amount is locked to protect the amount your client received.

Manually Create Invoices

You create invoices yourself, either from the appraisal's activity feed or from the Invoices view. This gives you full control over when invoices are created, which client is billed, and how line items are set up.

• A Create Invoice card appears in the activity feed's Upcoming section for appraisals with fees but no invoice yet

• You can also create invoices from the full Invoices view for more complex cases (e.g., bill for multiple appraisals on the same invoice, additional line items for non-appraisal work like consulting, etc)

• Like with automatic invoice creation, marking an invoice as paid requires adding a payment.

Note: Existing accounts that were using invoices before this feature was introduced are set to Manually create invoices by default, so nothing changes about your current workflow.

Choosing Which Client to Bill

If your appraisal has both an Ordered By client and a different Addressed To client (like in an AMC - Lender scenario), you can choose which one to bill when creating an invoice. The Create Invoice form shows radio buttons at the top to pick between the two clients.

When both clients are the same (or only one is set), you don't need to select a client.

Recording a Payment

Click the ADD PAYMENT button on any invoice card in the activity feed to open the payment form. You can record either a full or partial payment:

• Pay in full — Records a payment for the full remaining balance. The amount field is pre-filled and locked.

• Other amount — Lets you enter a custom amount for a partial payment. Useful when clients pay in installments.

The form also includes:

• Description — Optional notes or a reference number for the payment (e.g., check number)

• Payment Type — Defaults to your preferred payment method from invoice settings or client invoice settings (e.g., Check, ACH, Credit Card)

• Payment Date — Defaults to current date but can be changed

• Amount — Pre-filled based on your selection above

  
  

Paid Invoice

When an invoice is fully paid (when total payments equal total fees), the card moves from the Upcoming section into the activity timeline at the date it was paid, showing the paid amount.

Tip: When you record the final payment that fully pays an invoice, you'll be prompted to optionally mark the appraisal as complete — saving you a step.

How Invoices Appear in the Activity Feed

When invoice creation is set to Automatic or Manual, the appraisal's activity feed shows invoice-related cards in the Upcoming section. What you see depends on the invoice state:

No Invoice Yet (Manual Mode Only)

If the appraisal has fees but no invoice, a Create Invoice card appears with a CREATE INVOICE button. Clicking it opens a quick form pre-populated with the appraisal's details — file number, address, fee amount, and your default invoice settings, which can be modified.

Draft or Unpaid Invoice

Once an invoice exists (whether auto-created or manually created), an invoice card appears showing:

• The invoice number (clickable link to the full invoice)

• The status and amount (e.g., "Draft - $750.00")

• The due date (editable inline by clicking)

• An ADD PAYMENT button to record payments without leaving the appraisal

  

Notes & Tips

• Switching modes: You can change modes at any time. Existing invoices are preserved — only future behavior changes. Switching to disabled doesn't delete any invoices you've already created.

• The Accounting menu stays visible if invoices exist: Even in disabled mode, if your account has existing invoices, the Accounting menu remains accessible so you don't lose access to them.

• Fee changes sync to Draft invoices: In automatic mode, if you adjust the fee while the invoice is in Draft, the invoice updates to match. Once sent, the invoice amount is locked.

• Invoice numbers: Auto-created invoices use whatever numbering method you've configured in your settings (pattern-based, simple increment, match appraisal file number, or manual entry) - see Invoice Number Configuration.

• Who can see invoice cards: Invoice cards in the activity feed are only visible to team members with financial access. Team members without fee access won't see invoice-related cards or the Accounting filter.