Creating Invoices Manually

Most invoices in Pool Runs come from automated paths — the Invoice Generator, completed work orders, or approved quotes. But there's always a need for a manual invoice: a one-line trip charge, a custom-priced repair, an annual rebate, a credit-off bill. The manual invoice form is the most flexible entry point, and this guide walks through every field.

When to Create an Invoice Manually

If your situation isn't on this list, manual is fine. Just be aware: any line items you type by hand are marked as manual entries and aren't linked back to a route stop or work order, so Pool Runs can't auto-prevent later double-billing on those items.

Quick Steps (Standard Manual Invoice)

1. From the sidebar, go to Billing → Invoices.
2. Click + New Invoice in the top-right.
3. Search and select the Customer.
4. Optionally select a Property (required if the customer has multiple service addresses you want to itemize separately).
5. Confirm or change the Issued Date (defaults to today).
6. Pick Payment Terms (defaults to org default — Net 30 unless changed).
7. The Due Date auto-fills based on terms. Override if needed.
8. Click + Add Line Item for each charge:
   • Type a description, quantity, unit price, and toggle Taxable if applicable.
   • Or click the product picker to pull from the catalog.
9. Optionally add an Adjustment (fee or discount).
10. Optionally add a Customer Message and Internal Notes.
11. Click Save as Draft to keep editing, or Save & Send to email immediately.

That's it. Below is the long-form reference for each field.

The Form, Field by Field

Customer & Property

If the customer is marked Tax Exempt, a banner appears at the top of the form indicating tax will not be applied regardless of line-item settings. See Tax Zones & Tax Management.

Dates & Terms

Line Items

The line-items grid is where the dollars accumulate. Each line has:

Adding a line item:

• + Add Line Item — Free-form. Type description and price.
• Product Picker (search box at the top of the line item list) — Pulls from your catalog of:
  • Parts (e.g., filter cartridge, pump seal)
  • Chemicals (e.g., chlorine, muriatic acid)
  • Services (work order types — e.g., filter clean, acid wash)
  • Fees (late fee, trip charge, service-call fee)

When you select a catalog product, its description, unit price, and Taxable setting fill automatically. This is recommended over free-form entry because it keeps QuickBooks product and income-account mapping consistent. See QuickBooks Integration for why this matters.

Drag handle: Reorder lines by dragging the handle on the left. Order is reflected on the customer-facing PDF.

Adjustments (Fees & Discounts)

Adjustments are applied after line items but before tax (in most cases — see Invoice Adjustments for details). Common uses:

The Applies To dropdown lets you scope a percentage adjustment to a specific category (subtotal, labor, parts, chemicals, services). Most users leave it on subtotal.

Taxes

The Tax field is read-only on the form — it's calculated from line-item taxability and the resolved tax rate (flat or zone-based, see Tax Zones & Tax Management).

The form's totals sidebar shows:

Subtotal:    $135.00
Fees:         $5.00
Discount:    -$10.00
Taxable:    $125.00      ← items flagged taxable
Tax (8.25%): $10.31
─────────────────────
Total:      $140.31

If the customer is tax-exempt, the Tax line shows $0.00 and a small "Tax Exempt" badge appears.

Down Payment (Optional)

For invoices that need a minimum first payment before the rest can be paid:

• Mode: None / Percentage / Fixed
• Value: 20 (means 20% if percentage) or 250 (means $250 if fixed)
• Amount: Auto-calculated dollar amount

The customer's payment link will require at least the down-payment amount on the first attempt. Subsequent payments can be any amount up to the remaining balance.

This is most often set automatically when an invoice is created from a quote with a deposit. For manual invoices, leave it on None unless you specifically need a deposit-style requirement.

Customer Message & Internal Notes

The org-default invoice message and footer are set in Settings → Invoicing.

Save as Draft vs. Save & Send

You can promote a draft → generated → sent at any time. You cannot reverse those transitions — but you can void a generated or sent invoice and start over.

What Happens After You Save

The invoice now appears in the Invoices list and on the customer's profile.

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: One-line trip charge

Customer called for a "real quick chem check," tech drove out, dumped some chlorine, left. No work order, no quote. Bill them $50.

1. + New Invoice
2. Customer: select
3. Property: select
4. Line item: "Trip charge for chemical balance check", qty 1, price $50, taxable: yes (or no — your call)
5. Terms: Upon Receipt
6. Save & Send

Pattern 2: Re-invoicing a credit

You issued a $30 credit memo last month. This month they bought a $40 chemical. Net them out.

1. Invoice line 1: "Chlorine tabs (5lb)" — $40
2. Adjustment: Discount, Flat, $30, label "Account Credit Applied"
3. Total: $10

(Or use the customer's stored credit if you've enabled the auto-apply-credits feature in Settings.)

Pattern 3: Annual one-time inspection

Spring opening + inspection, no recurring service.

1. Customer: existing or create new
2. Line item via product picker: "Spring Open & Inspection" service ($350)
3. Add chemical line items used during the open
4. Save & Send

FAQ

Q: I added a line item without a service date — does it matter? A: Only for display on the PDF; some templates show a date for each line. For accounting, the invoice's issue date is what matters. Service dates are most useful when one invoice includes multiple visits.

Q: Can I copy an existing invoice as a template? A: There is no formal Copy invoice action. Use the Invoice Generator for repeatable bulk items, or build a reusable quote and convert it after approval.

Q: I made a typo in the invoice number prefix — can I change it after sending? A: The prefix is set for your organization under Settings → Invoicing. Changing it affects future invoices only. Already-issued invoice numbers cannot be changed; void and recreate an invoice if needed.

Q: What does the Generate action (without sending) actually do? A: It assigns a permanent invoice number, locks the line items, and moves the invoice to generated status. It does not email the customer. Use this when you want a finalized invoice number (e.g., to share internally or paste into a payment system manually) without sending.

Q: Can I PDF-download an invoice without sending it? A: Yes. From the invoice detail page, click Download PDF. The PDF reflects the current state including any adjustments and payments.

Q: Why is the Send button disabled? A: Three possible reasons: (1) the customer has no email on file; (2) the invoice is draft and needs to be generated first (some configurations require this); (3) Stripe is not connected and the payment link can't be generated (check Settings → Integrations).

Troubleshooting

The total is wrong by a few cents. Pool Runs rounds each line and the final total. With percentage adjustments and tax across multiple zones, fractions of a cent can accumulate. The PDF and invoice total always match, but a hand calculation can differ by $0.01–0.03 in rare cases. Open the invoice to confirm the final line-item totals.

Line item won't save — "Description is required" but I typed one. The description field validates after blur. Click outside the description input first, then click Save.

Customer dropdown shows no results even though I have customers. Check the search filter — by default the dropdown excludes archived customers. Toggle "Include archived" if you're billing a former customer for a final amount.

Tax shows 0% but I'm not tax exempt. Either: (a) the default tax rate is 0% — set a rate in Settings; (b) all line items have Taxable turned off; or (c) the property's ZIP does not match a configured tax zone. See Tax Zones & Tax Management.

Save & Send greys out after one click — I want to resend. After the first send, the button changes to Resend. The invoice keeps its current status, and Resend uses the same secure payment link.

Related Articles

• Invoices Overview — Lifecycle, line items vs. adjustments, status flow
• Invoice Generator — Bulk version of this same flow
• Invoices Overview: Sending Invoices — What happens after Save & Send
• Recording Payments — Marking the invoice paid
• Invoice Adjustments — Discounts and fees in depth
• Tax Zones & Tax Management — How tax is calculated
• Quotes — Quote-driven invoices
• Work Orders — Work-order-driven invoices

Need help? Check our troubleshooting guide or contact support.