Creating & Editing Invoices¶
Build an invoice from a customer's completed orders, set its terms, status and tax, then print it, export it as EDI 210, edit it or delete it.
Overview¶
An invoice in UTX Freight is a header (customer, terms, date, status, tax) plus the completed orders you tick in the Invoice Orders list. The money on the invoice always comes from those orders.
- One customer per invoice -- pick the Company first, then tick its orders
- Completed orders only -- an order can be invoiced once it is Completed, is not already on an invoice, and its delivery date is on or after the Order Start Date in Settings
- Due date is automatic -- calculated from the Invoice date and the Terms every time you save
- Totals are automatic -- the sum of the order totals, plus GST and QST from the selected Tax
- Print opens a printable invoice; EDI 210 downloads a CSV (if your account has EDI invoicing turned on -- ask UTX support)
- Delete releases the orders so they can be invoiced again
Related pages
This page covers building and maintaining an invoice. For the Invoices list, filters and exports see Invoices. For emailing invoices and recording payments see Invoice Email & Payments. For how an order's total is built see Order Rates, Charges & Expenses.
Quick Start¶
- Go to Invoices in the left menu.
- Click Add a new Invoice (top right).
- Choose the Company. Its name goes into the Filter orders box, so the order list below narrows to that company.
- Check the Terms, Invoice date, Invoice Status and Tax.
- In Invoice Orders, tick the orders to bill (or click Select All).
- Click Save Invoice. You return to the Invoices list with the message Invoice was successfully created.
Access & Permissions¶
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| Admin | Full access -- create, edit, print, EDI 210, delete |
| Manager | Full access, for invoices of the offices they belong to |
| Accountant | Full access, for invoices of the offices they belong to |
| Dispatch / Customer Service | No access -- the Invoices menu is not shown |
| Customers, drivers and garage users | No access |
How to get there:
- Invoices (left menu) > Add a new Invoice -- create an invoice (page title New Invoice)
- Invoices > Actions menu on a row > Edit -- edit an invoice (page title Edit Invoice)
Multi-office
An invoice belongs to the office you are working in, and the Invoice Orders list only shows that office's orders. Customers are shared between offices when the multi-office add-on is on, so the Company list shows every customer; without it, only the current office's customers are listed. Switch office first if you need to invoice another office's orders. See Multi-Office.
The Invoice Form¶
The New and Edit pages use the same form, in three parts: Invoice Information, Payment Information and Invoice Orders.
Invoice Information¶
| Field | Required | Default (new invoice) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | Yes | Blank | The customer being billed. A new invoice lists active customers only; the Edit page also lists inactive (but not deleted) customers so older invoices still show theirs. Choosing a company also filters the order list to it (see below) |
| Terms | -- | Default Terms from Settings (Invoice group); on the Edit page, the invoice's saved terms | Payment terms, in two groups. Most Common: Due on Receipt, 30 Days, 10 Days, 45 Days. Other: 15 Days, 21 Days, 60 Days, 90 Days |
| Invoice date | Yes | Today | The date printed on the invoice. Pick it from the date picker |
| Invoice Status | -- | new | One of new, Invoiced, Paid, Partially Paid. If you save an invoice as Paid with no payment recorded, today's date is stored as its paid date |
| Tax | No | Blank | One of the taxes set up in UTX Freight (the same list in every office). Leave blank for no tax. See Charge Types & Taxes |
Next to the date, an info note reads: INFO: The due date is automatically calculated based on the invoice date and the terms.
Status changes on its own when you email
You rarely set Invoiced by hand: emailing an invoice whose status is new switches it to Invoiced automatically. See Invoice Email & Payments.
Payment Information¶
Below the header fields, Payment Information lists the payments recorded on the invoice. Click (+) Add payment to add a line with Paid date, Check number and Amount (required), or (-) Remove payment to drop one. The same payments can be recorded from the Record a payment action on the Invoices list, which opens a smaller Edit Invoice window (status and payments only, plus a Balance Paid In Full button when the invoice is not already Paid) and does not change the invoice's orders. Payments are covered in Invoice Email & Payments.
Saving¶
- Click Save Invoice. The button reads Please wait... while the invoice saves.
- A new invoice returns you to the Invoices list with Invoice was successfully created.
- An edited invoice returns you to the list with Invoice 00123 was successfully updated. (with your invoice number).
- Cancel returns to the Invoices list without saving.
If Company or Invoice date is missing, the form stays open with the error, and the orders you had ticked stay ticked.
Picking Orders (Invoice Orders)¶
The Invoice Orders section lists every order you can put on this invoice, one checkbox per order, sorted by customer name, then delivery date, then order date.
Which orders are listed¶
An order appears in the list when all of these are true:
- its status is Completed,
- it is not already on another invoice,
- its delivery date is on or after the Order Start Date in Settings (Invoice group),
- it belongs to the office you are working in.
On the Edit page, the orders already on this invoice are listed too.
Orders with no delivery date
An order with no delivery date is never listed, because it cannot be compared with the Order Start Date. Add the delivery date on the order, then come back to the invoice.
Find what still needs billing
On the Orders page, Admin and Manager users have two extra tabs. Not Invoiced lists Completed orders with no invoice and a delivery date on or after the Order Start Date -- the same rules as this list, except that orders created before the Order Archive Cutoff Date in Settings are also left out. Late Invoicing narrows that to orders delivered before the end of the week two weeks ago. See Orders.
How each order reads¶
Each checkbox label shows, separated by dashes:
Order # - Customer - Container # - Reference # - Delivery date - Receiver - Status
For a transfer, the Receiver part shows the customer's name.
If the order has no scanned signed POD and no driver signature (delivery or pickup), the label ends with - MISSING PDF. This is a warning only -- you can still invoice the order -- but there is no signed POD on file to send with the invoice. See Order Documents & POD.
Filtering the list¶
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| All | Clears the filter and shows every listed order |
| Selected Orders | Shows only the ticked orders. The Edit page opens with this filter on, so you first see what is on the invoice |
| Selected Company | Puts the name of the customer chosen in Company into the Filter orders box, so the list shows orders whose label contains that name |
| Filter orders box | Type any text from the order label -- order number, customer, container number, reference, date, receiver -- to narrow the list |
The active button is highlighted. Choosing a Company puts its name into the Filter orders box automatically.
Under the box: You can filter by entering any text included in the order name including the dates and container number. Regardless of your filter, the selected orders will always show up.
Ticked orders never hide
Whatever you type, ticked orders always stay visible. What goes on the invoice is every ticked order, not only the ones matching your filter.
Select All and the selection counter¶
Select All ticks every order currently shown by the filter. Hidden orders are not touched.
- It is greyed out until you choose a Company, so you cannot select every customer's orders by accident.
- When every shown order is already ticked, the button changes to Deselect All and unticks them.
- On the Edit page, Deselect All asks first: Deselect all N shown orders? -- They will be removed from this invoice when you click Save Invoice. You can click Select All to re-select them. Click Yes, deselect all or Cancel.
The text next to the button tells you where you stand:
| Counter text | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Choose a company first to select its orders | No Company chosen yet; Select All is disabled |
| No orders to select | The filter shows no orders |
| 3 of 5 shown orders selected | Ticked vs shown, for the current filter |
| 3 of 5 shown orders selected — 7 selected in total, including hidden orders | Other ticked orders are hidden by the filter. All 7 go on the invoice |
Review the selection before saving
An invoice is for one Company. The company filter matches text in the order label, so it can also show an order whose receiver or reference contains the same name. Click Selected Orders to review exactly what is ticked before you click Save Invoice.
Due Date¶
The due date is recalculated from the Invoice date and Terms every time the invoice is saved:
| Terms | Due date |
|---|---|
| Due on Receipt (or no terms on an older invoice) | Same as the invoice date |
| 10 Days, 15 Days, 21 Days, 30 Days, 45 Days, 60 Days, 90 Days | Invoice date plus that many days |
There is no separate due-date field. To change the due date, change the Invoice date or the Terms and save. The due date drives the aging shown on the Invoices list and the Aged Receivables reports.
Invoice Numbers¶
Invoice numbers are assigned automatically when you save a new invoice. They are sequential and cannot be edited. Depending on how your account is configured, the number is shown in one of two formats:
| Format | Example | How it is built |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | 00123 |
The invoice number padded to 5 digits |
| Decorated | A26 - 00123 |
First letter of the customer's name, the last two digits of the invoice date's year, then the 5-digit number |
Decorated numbers follow the invoice
In the decorated format, the letter and year are read from the current Company and Invoice date. If you change either on an existing invoice, the prefix changes too; the 5-digit part stays the same.
Searching by number
On the Invoices list, search with the digits only (for example 123), not the decorated prefix.
Totals and Taxes¶
The invoice has no line items of its own. Its amounts are calculated from the attached orders:
| Amount | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Subtotal | Sum of the attached orders' totals (each order's Base rate plus its charges) |
| GST | Subtotal × the selected Tax's GST %, rounded to the cent |
| QST | Subtotal × the selected Tax's QST %, rounded to the cent |
| Total | Subtotal + GST + QST. With no Tax selected, the total is the subtotal |
- An invoice with no orders shows a blank Total and Balance on the Invoices list, and — instead of an order count.
- There is no "regenerate" button. The invoice total always follows its orders: when an attached order's total changes (for example you edit its base rate or add a charge), the invoice total changes with it.
- Automatic charges are not recalculated on orders that are Completed or invoiced. A change to a terminal's default rate or to the fuel schedule does not reach orders that are already completed. To change their amounts, edit the order's charges by hand. See Order Rates, Charges & Expenses and Fuel Surcharge.
Editing an Invoice¶
- Go to Invoices and find the invoice.
- Click the Actions menu on its row > Edit.
- The Invoice Orders list opens on Selected Orders. Click All or Selected Company to see orders you can add.
- Change any field, tick orders to add them, untick orders to remove them.
- Click Save Invoice.
What happens on save:
- Ticked orders not yet on the invoice are attached.
- Unticked orders are removed from the invoice and become available to invoice again.
- The due date, totals and taxes are recalculated.
Already-sent invoices
Editing does not re-send the invoice. If the customer already has it, email it again -- later sends are marked REVISED. See Invoice Email & Payments.
Printing an Invoice¶
On the Invoices list, open the Actions menu > Print. The printable invoice opens in a new browser tab; use your browser's print or save-as-PDF.
Most accounts use this layout:
| Area | Contents |
|---|---|
| Header | Your logo, Invoice Number, Invoice Date, Payment Due (the due date) |
| FROM | Your company name, address and Tel |
| BILL TO | The customer's name and address, followed by the Message from Settings (Invoice group) |
| Order sections | Orders grouped by order type, one section each: CONTAINER IMPORTS, CONTAINER EXPORTS, CONTAINER TRANSFERS, DRY VAN MOVES. Within a section, orders are sorted by delivery date, then order date |
| Taxes | When a Tax is selected: GST (x%) and QST (x%) lines, next to your GST Number and QST Number from Settings (Invoice group) |
| Totals | The N.I.R number (NIR Number from Settings, POD group) and TOTAL. If the invoice is not Paid but has payments: Invoice Total, Paid to Date and Amount Due |
| Footer | THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT |
Each order row shows the order number (with PO: underneath when the order has a delivery PO number), the container or trailer number (with From: / To: terminal for imports and exports), reference (plus booking and seal numbers for exports and transfers), the receiver (or the two terminals for transfers), the date (the delivery date; for dry van moves, the closing date), then one line for Base rate and one per charge, with their Price, and the order Total. Amounts are shown in the customer's default currency.
| Section | Columns |
|---|---|
| CONTAINER IMPORTS | POD · Cont.# · Reference# · Client · Delivery · Charge · Price · Total |
| CONTAINER EXPORTS | POD · Cont.# · Ref#/ Booking#/ Seal# · Client · Pickup · Charge · Price · Total |
| CONTAINER TRANSFERS | POD · Cont.# · Ref#/ Booking#/ Seal# · Terminals · Pickup · Charge · Price · Total |
| DRY VAN MOVES | POD · Trailer# · Reference# · Client · Pickup · Charge · Price · Total |
Layout can differ by account
The invoice layout is set per account by UTX. Some accounts use an older layout with the same orders, charges, taxes and totals, arranged differently: the header shows Invoice #, Date and Client ID (no Payment Due), the customer's TERMS appear in a box next to the Message, each section has an extra date column (Return or Delivery), amounts are shown with a $ sign instead of the currency code, and the remaining amount is labelled BALANCE. A few accounts use a customised layout.
EDI 210 Export¶
When EDI invoicing is enabled for your account, the Actions menu on each invoice has EDI 210. If you don't see it, EDI invoicing is not turned on for your account -- ask UTX support.
Clicking it downloads a CSV named EDI210_<invoice number>_<YYYYMMDD>.csv (the date is the download date). The file has a header row and one row per order on the invoice. Dates use the dd/mm/yyyy format and amounts have no thousands separator or currency sign.
| Column | Value |
|---|---|
DOC TYPE |
Always INV |
INVOICE-NUMBER |
Invoice number, as displayed |
ITEM NUMBER |
1, 2, 3... one per order |
MSC PO |
The order's delivery PO number |
TERMS |
Terms in days (0 for Due on Receipt) |
INVOICE-DATE / INVOICE-DUE DATE |
Invoice date and due date |
CURRENCY |
The customer's default currency |
BASE RATE |
The order's base rate |
PRE-PULL, STORAGE, FUEL |
Always 0.00 |
OTHER |
Sum of all the order's charges (including terminal fee and fuel surcharge) |
INVOICE TOTAL |
The whole invoice total with taxes (repeated on every row) |
WAYBILL-NUMBER |
The order's reference number |
WAYBILL-DATE |
The order's waybill date |
VESSEL / VOYAGE NUMBER |
From the order |
UNIQUE-SHIPMENT-ID |
Container number |
EQUIP-INITIAL |
First four characters of the container number |
DESTINATION - UNLOC |
The receiver's UN/LOCODE, when set |
NOTES |
Always * |
These columns are present but always empty: BOND CHARGES, CHASSIS DETENTION, DROP CHARGES, GENSET COST, OVERWEIGHT, SPECIAL PERMIT, WAITING TIME COST, DEAD RUN, OVERDIMENTION, SCALING, HAZMAT, RESERVATION FEE, EQUIP-NUMBER, ORIGIN-UNLOC, ORIGIN-PROV, DESTINATION-PROV, WEIGHT, UOM, EQUIP-SIZE, EQUIP-TYPE.
Charges are reported together
All of an order's charges are reported in OTHER, including the fuel surcharge. FUEL, STORAGE and PRE-PULL are always 0.00.
Deleting an Invoice¶
- On the Invoices list, open the Actions menu > Delete.
- Confirm Are you sure?.
The invoice disappears from the list. Its orders are released: they are no longer invoiced, appear again in Not Invoiced on the Orders page, and can be put on a new invoice.
Deleted invoices cannot be restored from the app
There is no undo button. If you deleted an invoice by mistake, contact UTX support. UTX support can restore a recently deleted invoice (within the last 12 months), provided its customer and office still exist. The invoice comes back with its original number, date, terms, status and tax, and its orders are re-attached if they have not been put on another invoice since. Check the restored invoice's orders afterwards.
What Invoicing Does to Orders¶
Once an order is on an invoice:
| Effect | Details |
|---|---|
| Cannot be deleted | Delete Order is greyed out. Remove the order from the invoice first (Edit the invoice and untick it) |
| Cannot be transferred | In multi-office accounts, Transfer to Office is greyed out as Transfer (Invoiced) |
| No automatic charge updates | Terminal fee and fuel surcharge are no longer recalculated (this already applies once the order is Completed) |
| Total still flows to the invoice | Editing the order's base rate or charges by hand updates the invoice total |
| Invoice icon on Orders | Admin, Manager and Accountant see a Get order invoice button in the order's invoice column. It opens the Invoices list searched to that invoice. Customer Service sees the order total but not the button |
| Status unchanged | The order stays Completed -- being invoiced is not an order status |
Removing an order from an invoice (untick and save, or delete the invoice) undoes all of this.
FAQ / Troubleshooting¶
Can't create an invoice -- the order isn't in the list¶
Solution
The order must be Completed, not already on an invoice, and have a delivery date on or after the Order Start Date in Settings (Invoice group). It is the delivery date that counts, not the date the order was completed. Also check that you are in the right office, and that the filter (Filter orders box, Selected Orders, Selected Company) is not hiding it -- click All.
Select All is greyed out¶
Solution
Choose a Company first. Select All is also disabled when the current filter shows no orders (No orders to select).
An order shows MISSING PDF¶
Solution
The order has no scanned signed POD and no driver signature. You can still invoice it, but there is no signed POD on file for it. Upload the signed POD on the order first if the customer needs it. See Order Documents & POD.
Invoice shows wrong amounts¶
Solution
Invoice amounts come from the orders. Edit the order's Base rate or charges; the invoice total updates by itself. Completed and invoiced orders do not recalculate the Terminal Fee or fuel surcharge automatically, so adjust those charges by hand. If taxes are wrong, edit the invoice and check the Tax selected.
The invoice total is blank in the list¶
Solution
The invoice has no orders. Edit it and tick its orders, or delete it.
The due date is wrong¶
Solution
The due date is calculated from the Invoice date and Terms. Edit the invoice, correct either one, and click Save Invoice.
I can't delete an order¶
Solution
The order is on an invoice. Use Get order invoice on the order row to find the invoice, edit it, untick the order and save. Then delete the order.
I deleted an invoice by mistake¶
Solution
Contact UTX support with the invoice number and customer. UTX support can restore invoices deleted within the last 12 months, with the same number and, where they can still be found, its orders. Check the orders on the restored invoice afterwards.
There is no EDI 210 option¶
Solution
EDI invoicing is an account option that UTX turns on. Ask UTX support if you need it.
Best Practices
- Set the Order Start Date in Settings to the day you started invoicing in UTX Freight, so older work doesn't clutter the order list.
- Always pick the Company first, then use Select All -- it only works on the shown orders of that company.
- Watch the counter: if it says including hidden orders, click Selected Orders to see everything that will be billed.
- Resolve MISSING PDF orders before invoicing, so a signed POD is on file for every order you bill.
- Check rates on the order before invoicing -- completed orders do not recalculate automatic charges.