Once a customer has signed, Powerlily lets you bill them and track what they owe. You can turn a quote into an invoice in one step, add or edit line items, record payments as they come in, and send the customer a branded invoice with a shareable link. This article covers the whole flow.
Creating an invoice
An invoice belongs to a quote, and there are two ways to create one:
Generate it from the quote. This is the fast path. Powerlily reads the quote and builds the line items for you, one per panel, inverter, and equipment item, plus any adders, the installation cost, and any discounts (droppers) as negative lines. It sets an issue date of today and a due date 30 days out.
Build it manually. Create a blank invoice and add your own line items.
Either way, each line item has a name, an optional description, a quantity, and a unit price, and the line total is the quantity times the unit price. You can reorder items, and the invoice subtotal updates as you go.
Tax and totals
Tax comes from your company's tax rate. The subtotal is the sum of the line items, tax is applied on top, and the two together make the invoice total. The tax rate you set at the company level flows into every invoice automatically.
Invoice numbers
Invoices are numbered automatically using your company's settings: a prefix (such as INV-), an optional year, and a zero-padded sequence. For example, the first invoice of the year might be INV-2026-0001. You can also set the number yourself if you prefer.
Recording payments
As the customer pays, record each payment against the invoice. A payment has:
- Amount. It cannot exceed the remaining balance.
- Payment date. It cannot be in the future.
- Payment method. Cash, check, credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, or other.
- Reference number (optional), for a check number or transaction ID.
- Notes (optional).
You can record multiple payments against one invoice. Powerlily tracks the total paid, the remaining balance, and the percentage paid, and marks the invoice fully paid once the balance reaches zero.
Invoice statuses
An invoice moves through these states, mostly on its own:
- Draft. Created but not yet sent.
- Sent. Emailed to the customer.
- Partially paid. Some payments recorded, but a balance remains.
- Paid. Fully paid.
- Overdue. Sent and past its due date without being paid.
- Cancelled. Voided.
Recording payments and passing the due date move the status automatically, so the list always reflects reality.
Sending and sharing
Send an invoice to email it to the customer (the email address on the quote) with a link to view it online. Sending moves a draft to sent. Every invoice also has its own shareable link that the customer can open without logging in.
Invoice templates
Invoices can be plain or branded. Invoice templates work just like the document builder used for proposals: a drag-and-drop layout with merge fields that fill in from the invoice. You can set page size and orientation, and mark one template as your company default so every invoice uses it unless you choose otherwise. There are starter templates (a classic and a modern layout) and a blank canvas to begin from.
Template merge fields cover the invoice number and dates, the totals (subtotal, tax, total, amount paid, balance due), the customer and company details, and a line-item table that lists every item automatically. See the related PDF Templates article for how the builder works, since it is the same idea.
Automations
Invoicing ties into your automation workflows. Marking an invoice paid fires an "invoice paid" event, and recording a payment fires a "payment received" event, so you can trigger follow-ups (a thank-you email, a stage move, a task) off those moments.
Quick reference
- Fastest start: generate the invoice from the quote and it fills in the line items.
- Track money in: record each payment; status and balance update themselves.
- Brand it: build an invoice template and set it as the company default.
- Get paid faster: send the invoice to email the customer a link, or share the link directly.
Related articles
- PDF Templates and the Proposal Builder. Invoice templates use the same builder.
- The Client Portal. Where customers can view what you share.
- Incentives, Rebates, and Discounts. How the quote pricing that seeds an invoice is built.
