Invoicing

OpenBoxes includes invoicing features to help you track vendor invoices, match them against purchase orders, and maintain financial records alongside your supply chain operations.

Overview

Invoicing in OpenBoxes connects your procurement and financial workflows. When you receive goods against a purchase order, you can create or link an invoice to record the financial obligation. This gives you a single system for tracking both the physical movement of goods and the financial transactions behind them.

Vendor Invoices

Vendor invoices represent bills from your suppliers for goods or services delivered. Each invoice contains:

  • Invoice number — The supplier's reference number
  • Vendor — The supplier who issued the invoice
  • Invoice date — When the invoice was issued
  • Due date — Payment deadline
  • Currency — The billing currency
  • Line items — Products, quantities, and prices

Creating an Invoice

To create a new vendor invoice:

  1. Navigate to Invoicing > Create Invoice
  2. Enter the invoice number from the supplier's document
  3. Select the vendor (supplier)
  4. Set the invoice date and due date
  5. Choose the currency
  6. Save to create the invoice in draft status

You can create invoices independently or generate them from existing purchase orders.

From a Purchase Order

The most efficient approach is to generate an invoice directly from a PO:

  1. Open the received purchase order
  2. Click Create Invoice
  3. OpenBoxes pre-populates the invoice with:
    • Vendor information from the PO
    • Line items matching the received quantities
    • Unit prices from the PO
  4. Adjust quantities or prices to match the supplier's actual invoice
  5. Save the invoice

Tip: Always match invoices to POs. This three-way match (PO, receipt, invoice) is the foundation of procurement integrity. Discrepancies between what was ordered, received, and billed should be investigated.

Invoice Items

Each invoice contains line items detailing what is being billed:

  • Product — The item being invoiced
  • Quantity — Number of units billed
  • Unit price — Price per unit
  • Total — Calculated line total (quantity x unit price)
  • PO reference — Link to the corresponding purchase order line

When adding items manually:

  1. Click Add Item on the invoice
  2. Search for and select the product
  3. Enter the invoiced quantity and unit price
  4. Link to a purchase order line item if applicable
  5. Save

You can also add non-product line items for shipping charges, taxes, or other fees.

Prepayment Invoices

Some procurement arrangements require payment before delivery. OpenBoxes supports prepayment invoices for these cases:

  1. Create an invoice with type Prepayment
  2. Add the items and amounts to be prepaid
  3. Link to the purchase order
  4. Process payment

When the goods eventually arrive and a final invoice is issued, the prepayment is applied against the total. This keeps your financial records accurate and prevents double-payment.

Tip: Flag prepayment invoices clearly with a note in the description. This helps your finance team distinguish between prepayments that have been settled and those still awaiting final invoicing.

Invoice Lifecycle

Invoices progress through these stages:

Status Meaning
Draft Being prepared, not yet finalized
Submitted Invoice reviewed and confirmed
Approved Authorized for payment
Paid Payment has been made

Depending on your organization's approval workflow, invoices may require one or more levels of authorization before payment.

Viewing and Managing Invoices

The invoice list view (Invoicing > Invoices) provides:

  • Filter by status — See draft, pending approval, or paid invoices
  • Filter by vendor — View all invoices from a specific supplier
  • Filter by date range — Find invoices within a period
  • Search — Look up by invoice number or PO reference

Each invoice detail page shows the full history of the invoice, including who created it, approval timestamps, and any linked purchase orders or receipts.

Reconciliation

Regular invoice reconciliation ensures your records match reality:

  1. Compare PO vs. invoice — Check that billed amounts match what was ordered
  2. Compare receipt vs. invoice — Verify billed quantities match what was received
  3. Flag discrepancies — Investigate price differences, quantity mismatches, or unexpected charges
  4. Resolve and approve — Once verified, approve the invoice for payment

Tip: Schedule monthly reconciliation sessions. Reviewing all open invoices at a regular interval prevents backlogs and catches errors before they become difficult to resolve.

Best Practices

  • Enter invoices when received — Do not let supplier invoices pile up; enter them promptly to keep payables current
  • Always link to POs — Unlinked invoices are difficult to verify and audit
  • Verify totals — Check that line item totals match the invoice grand total before approving
  • Track payment terms — Use due dates to avoid late payment penalties and maintain good supplier relationships
  • Archive supporting documents — Attach scanned copies of paper invoices to the OpenBoxes record for a complete audit trail
  • Separate prepayments — Keep prepayment invoices distinct from final invoices to avoid confusion during reconciliation