Billing & Invoicing

The Creavix Desk Billing module is an enterprise-grade commercial invoicing system. It streamlines client management, price quotations, professional PDF invoices, automated recurring subscriptions, credit adjustments, and multi-gateway invoice payment processing.

Invoices List in Creavix Desk — Creavix Desk — Company Desk → Invoicing → Invoices ledger with status badges, balance tracking, and PDF actions.

Important Distinction: The Billing / Invoicing module is for your company to invoice and collect money from your commercial clients. It is distinct from the Subscription menu (which is where your tenant company pays the central platform for its monthly or annual SaaS plan).

1. Module Activation & Prerequisites

Super Admin Activation: Verify that the Billing addon is marked Active in the Add-ons Manager (/superadmin/addons), and that the company's subscription plan permits Invoicing.
Company Staff Permissions: Under Company → Roles & Permissions, assign:
- billing.clients.manage — Add, update, and manage customer billing records.
- billing.quotes.manage — Generate estimates and convert to active invoices.
- billing.invoices.manage — Create, send, download PDF, and void commercial invoices.
- billing.payments.manage — Record full or partial payments received against invoices.

Access the Invoicing workspace from the sidebar:

Dashboard → Invoicing Dashboard: High-level financial KPIs: Total Invoiced Amount, Total Collections to date, Pending Unpaid Invoices, Overdue Aging analysis, and recent invoice activities.
Invoicing → Clients: Directory of commercial billing contacts with account balances.
Invoicing → Quotes: Price estimates and commercial proposals.
Invoicing → Invoices: Master invoice ledger managing all draft, sent, paid, and overdue bills.
Invoicing → Recurring: Automated recurring invoice templates for subscription retainers.
Invoicing → Credit Notes: Official credit adjustments applied against invoices.
Invoicing → Payments: Chronological ledger of all payments collected on invoices.
Invoicing → Reports: Sales reports, payments collected by date range, and client revenue audits.

3. Client Management

Clients are the legal entities or individuals billed for your services:

Client Attribute	Purpose & Usage
Primary Contact & Company	Individual contact name, registered legal entity name, email address, and phone number.
Tax Identification Number	VAT, GST, TIN, or Tax ID displayed on official PDF invoice headers.
Billing & Shipping Addresses	Complete postal address including street, city, state/province, postal code, and country.
Opening Balance	Historical pre-existing balance owed by the client upon onboarding.

4. Price Estimates & Quotations

Issue detailed, professional price proposals before commencing billable work:

Draft Quote: Select the Client, Quote Date, and Expiration Date. Add line items from your Product & Service Catalog or enter custom descriptions, quantities, unit prices, discounts, and applicable tax rates.
Send Proposal: Email the quotation directly to the client or download a formatted PDF.
1-Click Conversion: When the client approves the estimate, open the quote and click Convert to Invoice. The system instantly generates an active invoice retaining identical line items and pricing without re-typing.

5. Invoices & PDF Generation

5.1 Invoice Creation & Line-Item Math

Invoice Numbering: Automatically sequenced using your configured prefix (e.g. INV-0001, INV-0002) customizable under Company → Settings.
Line Items: Supports both physical inventory items and professional hourly services. Line-item calculations automatically compute subtotal, compound tax rates (e.g. GST 18%, VAT 20%), and custom discount percentages.
Terms & Bank Instructions: Pre-fill standard payment terms, wire transfer bank instructions, and notes on the invoice footer.

5.2 Invoice Lifecycle & Statuses

Status	Meaning & Allowed Operations
Draft	Under preparation; editable by staff, not yet sent to the client.
Sent	Delivered to client via email or link; awaiting payment.
Partially Paid	Partial deposit or installment recorded; remaining balance tracked.
Paid	Full invoice amount collected; receipts generated automatically.
Overdue	Due date passed with outstanding balance; payment reminders triggered.

5.3 Public Payment Link

Every invoice includes a secure public link. Clients can open their invoice in any browser, review line items, download a PDF copy, and pay immediately using PayPal or Stripe (Credit Card / Apple Pay) if configured by your company.

6. Recurring Invoices (Retainers)

Automate recurring retainer billing for managed services, software maintenance, or rental fees:

Frequency: Configure weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual billing cycles.
Execution Schedule: Set start date, end date, and execution day of the month.
Automated Cron Execution: When the server cron runs (php artisan schedule:run), Creavix Desk automatically generates new invoices for due retainers and sends email notifications to clients.

7. Recording Payments & Receipts

Record customer settlements against invoices with flexible payment allocation:

Multi-Tender Support: Accept Cash, Bank Wire, Credit Card, PayPal, Stripe, or Cheque.
Partial Payments: Clients can pay in milestones; the system computes remaining balance automatically.
Instant Receipt: Once recorded, an official payment receipt is generated with payment reference number and timestamp.

8. Credit Notes

If an invoice was overbilled or a customer returned merchandise, issue a Credit Note linked to the original invoice. This deducts the credited balance from the client's Accounts Receivable ledger without deleting or corrupting historical invoices.