Invoice Tab

From WHMCS Documentation


The Invoicing tab allows you to configure how WHMCS generates and sends invoices and applies late fees.

You can access this tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings or, prior to WHMCS 8.0, Setup > General Settings.

Continuous Invoice Generation

Enabling this will continue to generate invoices for a product each billing cycle even if the previous invoice is unpaid. Use this when the product has a minimum term and the client must pay all invoices.

  • When you enable this, all active or suspended products will continue to generate invoices regardless of the status of previous invoices. Pending, completed, cancelled, or terminated services will not generate invoices.
  • If you disable this, the system will not generate additional invoices until the unpaid invoice is paid.

For more information, see Invoicing Setup.

Enable Metric Usage Invoicing

Enabling this will bill any enabled billing metrics for a given product at the time of service renewal. Each metric generates a line item that reports the total usage value and a breakdown of the system's calculation of the billed amount.

  • The line item's description will vary based on the pricing scheme type, the pricing brackets, and the incurred usage.
  • All possible descriptions are available for translation via the language file system.

Only the Bandwidth metric type is aggregate. For example, an annual service can have 11 stored snapshots of usage on a renewal invoice. Other metric types like Disk Space will only have a snapshot of the usage at the time of renewal invoice generation (the current month).

Service termination triggers the creation of a one-time usage invoice for current snapshot metrics and unbilled usage to date. This will look similar to the standard renewal invoice excluding the service.

For more information, see Usage Billing.

Enable PDF Invoices

Enabling this attaches a copy of the invoice to invoice notification emails as a PDF file.

PDF Paper Size

Enabling this allows you to change the size of the individual pages of a PDF invoice. For example, the A4 paper size is slightly larger than a standard letter, allowing you to include more information per page.

TCPDF Font Family

Enabling this allows you to select the font to use in PDF invoices and quotes. By default you can choose either Helvetica or Freesans, but you can also upload and specify other fonts.

For more information, see Additional Fonts.

Store Client Data Snapshot

Enabling this causes the system to save clients' name, addresses, and custom field data (for example, VAT numbers) during invoice generation, Both Client Area and PDF invoice views will display the name and address information as it was at the time of initial creation. Editing the client or billing contact only causes future invoices to change; existing invoices will keep their current addressees.

After you enable this, the system will begin to fix invoice data. This setting does not apply to existing invoices.

Enable Mass Payment

Enabling this allows clients to pay several invoices in one transaction using the options in the Due Invoices section of the Client Area Home Page.

For more information, see Mass Payment.

Clients Choose Gateway

Enabling this adds a menu to the invoice allowing customers to choose which gateway they use to pay each invoice. If you disable this, each invoice will use the gateway the client chose upon signup.

Group Similar Line Items

Enabling this automatically groups identical line items into a quantity x description format.

For more information, see Group Similar Line Items.

Cancellation Request Handling

Enabling this causes the system to cancel any unpaid invoices for a service automatically when a client submits a cancellation request.

If the invoice for the service renewal includes other items, this only removes the cancelled item and any related discounts or group discounts from the invoice.

Automatic Subscription Management

Enabling this causes the system to automatically cancel PayPal and 2Checkout Subscriptions in the following circumstances:

  • The client or an admin submits a cancellation request.
  • An admin cancels the order or sets it to fraud via the Admin Area.
  • The API passes cancelsub=true in order to cancel the order or set it to fraud.
  • The client or an admin submits an upgrade order for the service.

Automated PayPal subscription cancellation is supported for subscription profiles that start with an "I". PayPal's explains the difference as follows: A subscription profile starts with "S" if it is created before 2009, and it is not possible to cancel or manage their profiles via API call. Subscription profiles that are created after 2009 will start with "I" and these can be managed by using API call.

Enable Proforma Invoicing

Enabling this option will cause invoices to display Proforma invoice while unpaid and Invoice while paid. For more information, see Proforma Invoicing.

This functionality requires sequential paid invoice numbering, so enabling this also automatically checks Sequential Paid Invoice Numbering and prevents you from disabling it before you disable this setting.

Sequential Paid Invoice Numbering, Sequential Invoice Number Format and Next Paid Invoice Number

Enabling this causes the system to give paid invoices a different number from unpaid invoices. For more information, see Proforma Invoicing.

Late Fee Type

Enabling this allows you to choose whether the one-time fee on late payments is a percentage or a fixed amount.

Late Fee Amount

Enter an amount to charge to customers who fail to pay an invoice by the due date.

Set this to 0 to disable late fees.

Late Fee Minimum

Enter the minimum amount to charge for late fees. For example, if the late fee is $0.50 and this value is $1.00, the system will charge the client for $1.00 instead.

Accepted Credit Card Types

Choose the types of credit cards to accept via your payment gateway. Hold Ctrl and left-click to select multiple cards.

Issue Number/Start Date

Enabling this prompts customers to enter the issue number and start date required from some card types.

Invoice # Incrementation

Enter the amount by which each invoice number will increase. For example:

  • Entering 1 would cause the first four invoice numbers to be 1, 2, 3, and 4.
  • Entering 2 would cause the first four invoice numbers to be 1, 3, 5, and 7.

In WHMCS 8.9 and later, this setting has a maximum value of 999.

Invoice Starting #

Enter a custom number to use for the next generated invoice.

  • Only enter numbers that are greater than the most recent invoice's number.
  • Do not enter a number unless you specifically want to change the invoice numbering.

When the page reloads the field will be empty, but the change will have occurred.

In WHMCS 8.9 and later, this setting has a maximum value of 499,999,999.