> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Send an invoice

> Send a draft invoice to your client in TimeTracker. What the client receives, who gets notified, and what changes once an invoice leaves draft.

Sending moves a draft to **Sent** and emails it to the client's billing contact with the invoice PDF attached.

## Before you send

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check the lines">
    Read the invoice document. This is what the client sees.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the totals">
    Subtotal, discount, tax and total. See [/invoicing/taxes-and-currency](/invoicing/taxes-and-currency).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the From block">
    Your company name, address and tax id. See [/invoicing/invoice-sender-details](/invoicing/invoice-sender-details).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the Bill to block">
    The client name and the billing contact's email. The email is the **first contact** on the client record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the due date">
    It came from your payment terms and can still be edited while the invoice is a draft.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Sending is not reversible. There is no unsend. Once an invoice is sent you correct it with a credit note, a write-off, or by voiding it.
</Warning>

## How to send

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="From the invoice">
    Open the invoice and click **Send invoice**. The button appears only on a draft, and only if you hold `invoice.manage`. You see *"Invoice INV-000042 sent."*
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="From the builder">
    In the builder, click **Send invoice** instead of **Save draft**. The invoice is created and sent in one step. In edit mode the button reads **Save & send**.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## What the client receives

An email to the client's billing contact containing:

| Part       | Contents                                                                              |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Subject    | Names the invoice and the work, for example *Invoice INV-000042 for Website Redesign* |
| Body       | The invoice number, the amount, the currency and the due date                         |
| Link       | A link to the invoice in the client portal, if the portal app is on                   |
| Attachment | The invoice PDF – the same document you can download                                  |

The billing contact is the **first contact** on the client record. If the client has no contact with an email address, no client email is sent and nothing fails – the invoice is still marked as sent.

<Note>
  A client contact is not a login. They receive the email whether or not they have portal access. See [/clients/client-contacts](/clients/client-contacts).
</Note>

## Who else is notified

Your workspace owners and admins get an internal notification that an invoice was sent. The person who clicked send is not notified about their own action.

On the due date, if the invoice is still unpaid, your owners and admins get an internal overdue notice. A paid or voided invoice fires nothing.

Neither of those notices reaches the client.

## What changes when you send

| Before                   | After                                          |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Status **Draft**         | Status **Sent**                                |
| **Edit** available       | **Edit** gone                                  |
| No payments accepted     | Payments, credit notes and write-offs accepted |
| No reminders             | **Send reminder** available                    |
| Not in the client portal | Visible to that client's portal contacts       |

The invoice number, the totals, the tax lines, the exchange rates and the sender block were all fixed when the invoice was created. Sending changes none of them.

## Sending a reminder later

If the invoice is `sent`, `viewed`, `partially_paid` or `overdue`, open the invoice, click **Actions**, then **Send reminder**.

The reminder goes to the same billing contact and names the outstanding balance. You see *"Reminder queued for Bluebird Coffee."*

The message says **queued**, not delivered. TimeTracker confirms it handed the reminder off, not that it landed in an inbox.

## Example

Daniel Okafor finishes the Bluebird Coffee March invoice.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Review">
    He opens the draft. Total \$2,332.80, due 30 April, terms Net 30.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the contact">
    The **Bill to** block shows Bluebird Coffee and `ruth@bluebirdcoffee.com`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    He clicks **Send invoice** and sees *"Invoice INV-000042 sent."*
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    The status chip changes to **Sent**. The **Edit** button disappears. **Record payment** appears.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Ruth Castillo receives the email with the PDF attached. Maya and Tom get an internal notice. On 30 April, if it is still unpaid, they get an overdue notice.

## Permissions

| Action          | Capability       | Default roles                          |
| --------------- | ---------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Send an invoice | `invoice.manage` | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Finance |
| Send a reminder | `payment.record` | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Finance |

Sending is a **Pro** feature (`invoicing`). See [/invoicing/invoice-permissions](/invoicing/invoice-permissions) and [/concepts/plans-and-features](/concepts/plans-and-features).

## What happens next

1. The client can pay you by whatever method you agreed.
2. You record what arrives – see [/invoicing/record-a-payment](/invoicing/record-a-payment).
3. The status becomes **Partially paid** or **Paid** from the ledger.
4. If nothing arrives, send a reminder or write the balance off.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I unsend an invoice?">
    No. Void it and raise a new one – see [/invoicing/void-an-invoice](/invoicing/void-an-invoice).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I choose who receives it?">
    Not from the send action. It goes to the first contact on the client record. Reorder or edit the contacts to change the recipient.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I send to several contacts?">
    The send email goes to one billing contact. Other people can be given portal access to see the invoice.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if the client has no email address?">
    The invoice is still marked as sent, and no client email goes out. Download the PDF and send it yourself.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I add a message to the email?">
    Not on the send action. Anything the client should read goes in the line descriptions or in your **bill from** block.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does sending change the issue date?">
    No. The issue date was set when the invoice was created.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Message                                                                      | Meaning                                                            | Fix                                                           |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "Couldn't send this invoice. Try again."                                     | The send was refused                                               | Reload and check the status is still Draft                    |
| "This invoice has already moved on since the page loaded."                   | Someone else sent or voided it                                     | Reload the invoice                                            |
| The **Send invoice** button is missing                                       | It is not a draft, or you lack `invoice.manage`                    | Check the status and your capability                          |
| "A reminder goes out only once an invoice has been sent. This one is draft." | You tried to remind on a draft                                     | Send it first                                                 |
| "Couldn't queue this reminder. Try again."                                   | The reminder was refused                                           | Check the status, then retry                                  |
| The client says they never got it                                            | The client record has no contact email, or the mail did not arrive | Check the contact, then download the PDF and send it yourself |
| An upgrade prompt appears                                                    | Your plan lacks `invoicing`                                        | Upgrade to Pro                                                |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Record a payment" icon="hand-holding-dollar" href="/invoicing/record-a-payment">
    What to do when the money arrives.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Invoice statuses" icon="signal" href="/invoicing/invoice-statuses">
    What sending changes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Download an invoice PDF" icon="file-arrow-down" href="/invoicing/download-an-invoice-pdf">
    The document the client receives.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Invoice sender details" icon="building" href="/invoicing/invoice-sender-details">
    The From block on the document.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Void an invoice" icon="ban" href="/invoicing/void-an-invoice">
    Correcting a sent invoice.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Client contacts" icon="users" href="/clients/client-contacts">
    Who the invoice goes to.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>