Invoice Management Manual
Complete usage guide for the Invoice Management feature in the Sales module of Swifto ERP. This document covers creation, editing, payment collection, credit note generation, and the complete lifecycle of a customer invoice.
Module overview
The Invoice Management section is the heart of customer invoicing in Swifto ERP. It lets sales and accounting teams create invoices from different origins, track their payment collection, and manage the entire document lifecycle through to closure.
Business goal
- Create invoices from 4 origin types
- Track full and partial payments
- Generate credit notes to correct invoices
- Export to PDF and Excel for accounting
- Send invoices by email directly to the customer
- Electronically sign invoices (optional)
Target audience
- Sales reps — Create customer invoices
- Accountants — Record payments received
- Sales managers — Track unpaid invoices
- ERP administrators — Configure settings
Functional scope
This manual covers Invoice Management exclusively. Quotes, purchase orders and delivery notes are documented in their own dedicated manuals. This document is designed as the direct continuation of the Quotes & Proforma Invoices manual.
Access and navigation
To access the Invoices section, follow the steps below from the Swifto ERP main page.
Authentication
Log in with your credentials. You are redirected to the main page showing all the active modules for the current company.
Access the Sales module
On the main page, click the Sales card or use the left-hand side menu to expand the Sales section.
Click "Invoices"
In the Sales module submenu (left-hand side menu), click the Invoices link. The list of active invoices is displayed with the default filters.
Default filtering
The list only shows invoices with a remaining to collect > 0, invoices in Draft, and, for companies using electronic signature, invoices not yet signed. Fully paid and cancelled invoices are hidden. Use Advanced Search to view them.
List of invoices
The main screen displays the table of active invoices. Each row represents an invoice with its key information and quick action buttons.
| Number | Date | Due date | Customer | Origin | Σ incl. tax | Remaining | Action(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SY000323 | 12/05/2024 | +12 d | Alpha SARL Co. | Direct sale | 3,200.000 TND | 3,200.000 TND | Original | ||
| SY000324 | 14/05/2024 | −3 d | Beta Corp | Quote: DV0152 | 1,500.000 TND | 750.000 TND | Original | ||
| SY000325 | 20/05/2024 | — | Gamma & Co. | Delivery notes | 800.000 TND | 800.000 TND | Draft |
Each row has an expand chevron that unfolds the item detail (item, quantity, unit price, discount %, VAT, Σ excl. tax, Σ incl. tax).
Table columns
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Number | Invoice number (filterable, sortable). |
| Date | Creation date (dd/mm/yyyy format). |
| Due date | Colored badge showing the number of days before/after the due date: green (upcoming), orange (near), red (overdue), grey (informational). |
| Customer | Customer code and/or name depending on the company's settings. |
| Origin | Source of the invoice: Direct sale, Quote: …, PO: … or Delivery notes. |
| Σ incl. tax | Total amount including tax, preceded by the currency symbol. |
| Remaining | Remaining to collect, shown in red as long as it is different from zero. |
| Status (badge) | Document nature badge: Cancelled, Duplicate, Original or Draft. |
Document status badges
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Original | Invoice finalized and printed for the first time (original document). |
| Duplicate | Invoice already printed before: any reprint is marked Duplicate (print traceability). |
| Draft | Invoice saved as a draft, not yet finalized. |
| Cancelled | Cancelled invoice. Kept for history, cannot be collected. |
No dedicated "Status" column
The financial status of the invoice (not collected / partially / fully collected) is not shown in a separate column: it is inferred from the Remaining column (red if > 0). Financial statuses, however, are used as filters in Search (Section 4).
Global action bar
The toolbar, located in the header of the Invoices panel, groups the global actions. The buttons are right-aligned; only New and Search show a label, the others are icon buttons (the label appears on hover). Whether each button is shown depends on the profile's privileges and the company's settings.
PDF language
Drop-down listFrench PDF / English PDF selector. Determines the language of the PDF documents generated from this page.
Print receipt
Icon onlyGenerates and prints the receipt corresponding to the invoices concerned.
Generates a PDF consolidating the invoices currently shown in the list (based on the current filter).
Excel
Icon onlyExports the displayed invoices to Excel format (.xlsx) for tracking and analysis.
Duplicate
Icon · Selection requiredCreates a copy of the selected invoice. Shown only if the company uses simple (non-advanced) stock management, and depending on the creation privilege.
Sign invoice(s)
If Company ID signatureLaunches the electronic signature of a set of invoices. Shown only for companies using the Company ID signature type. See Section 13.
New
Primary action · with labelOpens the form to create a new invoice. See Section 6.
Delete
Icon · ConfirmationOpens a confirmation dialog then deletes the selected invoice. Shown depending on the deletion privilege and for the default profile.
Search
With label · Filter popupOpens the search window to filter invoices and show all statuses, including Cancelled and Fully collected.
Invoice row actions
Each row in the table has quick action buttons for acting directly on the invoice concerned, without leaving the list. They appear in this order: Credit note, Send, Assignment (Purchase order origin), PDF, Payment received, Signature (if enabled) and Details.
Credit note
Popup requiredOpens a popup window to select the credit note type (commercial or goods return), the reason and the amount. See Section 12.
Send
Send by emailOpens a window to send the invoice by email: recipients, subject and message. The invoice PDF is attached automatically.
Purchase order assignment
PO origin onlyLets you review / reassign the purchase order that is the invoice's source. Shown depending on the edit privilege.
Immediately generates and downloads the invoice's individual PDF. Includes all customer information, item lines, taxes, terms and additional notes.
Payment received
Popup requiredOpens the payment window to record a full or partial payment: date, company account, payment type and amount. See Section 11.
Electronic signature
Activatable optionShown only for companies that have enabled electronic signature. The icon's color changes according to the signature status; an already-signed invoice lets you download the signed XML file. See Section 13.
Details
ReadOpens the invoice's full page: items, quantities, discounts, unit prices, totals, taxes, terms and notes. This is the entry point to edit an invoice (if no payment has been recorded).
Create a new invoice
Click the New button in the action bar to open the creation form. The form header (the "Invoice" panel) contains two icon buttons: Save (floppy-disk icon) and Cancel (back icon). A floating PDF Preview button remains accessible on the page.
| Article | Qty | Unit price excl. tax | Discount | VAT | Σ incl. tax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP ProBook 450 laptop | 2.000 | 1,200.000 | 5.00% | 19.00% | 2,719.200 |
Description of form fields
| Field | Mandatory | Default value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Optional | No | Yes/No toggle. When set to Yes, the invoice is saved as a draft (not finalized). |
| Date | Optional | Today's date | Invoice issue date. Editable before saving. |
| Domain | If multi-domain | — | Shown only if the company manages several domains. Determines the lists (customers, items, taxes…). |
| Origin | Required | --- (to choose) | Quote, Purchase order, Direct sale or Delivery note. Determines the rules for adding/editing lines. See Section 7. |
| Customer / Reseller | Required | — | Auto-complete by code or name. "+" button to create a customer on the fly. If the customer is VAT-exempt, a red label indicates it and the line VAT drops to 0%. |
| Currency | Required | Customer record currency | Pre-filled from the customer record. Editable if needed. |
| Stock | If stock management | — | Visible if the stock management option is enabled. Lets you choose the source warehouse. |
PDF preview available
Before saving, the floating PDF Preview button opens a preview of the document (layout, amounts, customer information) without permanently creating the invoice.
Invoice origins
The Origin field determines the source of the item lines and the editing rules allowed. Four origins are available:
Direct sale
Invoice created without a source document. The user manually adds the item lines. No restriction on items or quantities.
From a Quote
The quote's lines are imported automatically. The user can reduce quantities but cannot add items or exceed the quote's total amount.
From a Purchase Order
Same behavior as the quote. The PO's lines are imported, quantities can be reduced but no item can be added. Partial invoicing possible.
From Delivery Note(s)
The lines of the selected delivery notes are imported in read-only mode. No editing or addition is possible. The selected delivery notes switch to Closed status.
Origin comparison table
| Rule | Direct sale | Quote / PO | Delivery note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adding new items | ✔ Allowed | ✘ Not allowed | ✘ Not allowed |
| Editing quantities | ✔ Free | Reduction only | ✘ Fixed |
| Invoicing cap | None | Quote/PO total amount | Sum of the delivery notes' remaining balances |
| Partial invoices possible | N/A | ✔ Yes | ✔ Via several delivery notes |
| Delivery note created automatically | Auto (Closed) | Auto (Closed) | Existing delivery notes → Closed |
Lines & items
For invoices with a Direct sale origin, click the New button in the "Invoice lines" panel to open the line entry window.
Window — Add a line
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | Selection from the catalog. The name, unit and unit price are retrieved automatically from the item record. |
| Quantity | For Quote/PO origins: cannot exceed the quantity remaining available on the source document. |
| Unit Price excl. tax | Pre-filled from the item record. Editable according to the negotiated commercial terms. |
| Discount (%) | Discount percentage applied to this line's unit price. Optional field. |
| VAT (%) | Automatically set to 0% if the customer is marked VAT-exempt, regardless of the rate configured on the item. |
| Total incl. tax | Calculated automatically: Qty × Unit price × (1 − Discount%) × (1 + VAT%) |
VAT exemption — Automatic rule
If the customer record is marked VAT-exempt, the VAT field on all lines is automatically set to 0%, even if a rate is configured on the item record. Check the customer record before creating the invoice.
Taxes, terms & additional information
In addition to the item lines, the invoice form offers three important optional sections.
Additional taxes
Add one or more specific taxes applicable to the invoice as a whole (e.g., stamp duty, environmental tax). They are added to the final total incl. tax, outside of the line-by-line VAT.
Terms of sale
Enter or select the applicable commercial terms: payment deadline, late penalties, special conditions. This information is printed in the PDF document sent to the customer.
Additional information (Note)
The Additional information button opens a free-text field. The note entered is shown in the invoice's PDF and visible to the customer.
Withholding tax
Select the applicable rate. The corresponding amount is automatically deducted from the remaining to pay when the invoice is created.
Invoice details
The Details button opens the invoice's full page, showing all information and giving access to the Edit button under certain conditions.
| Article | Qty | Unit price excl. tax | Discount | VAT | Total excl. tax | Total incl. tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP ProBook laptop | 2 | 1,200.000 | 5% | 19% | 2,280.00 | 2,719.20 |
| Logitech MX mouse | 5 | 45.000 | 0% | 19% | 225.00 | 267.75 |
Strict editing rule
Editing an invoice is only allowed if no payment has been recorded (remaining = total amount incl. tax). From the first payment, even partial, the invoice is locked and the Edit button is disabled.
Payment received
Payment received records the settlement of an invoice, in full or in part. Click Payment received from the list. The window is organized in two columns: invoice information on the left, payment entry on the right.
Window — Payment received
Payment types
The list of payment types is configurable per company. Each type can activate specific fields:
| Type | Specific fields activated |
|---|---|
| Cash | Amount only. |
| Cheque | Number, date (or post-dated), bank, city. |
| Bank transfer | Number, bank depending on settings. |
| Meal voucher | Voucher, voucher amount, deduction %, count. |
| Credit note | Credit note selection, credit note invoice no., credit note amount. |
| Withholding tax | Withholding tax rate. |
Impact on invoice status
Credit note
The credit note lets you correct an existing invoice: commercial gesture or goods return. Click the Credit note button on the row of the invoice concerned (disabled if the invoice is cancelled or a draft).
Window — Credit note
| Credit note type | Description |
|---|---|
| Commercial credit note | Enter directly an amount to credit (capped at the maximum amount). Used for commercial gestures and price corrections. |
| Goods return credit note | Enter the returned quantities line by line in the table; the credit note amount is calculated automatically from the prices of the original invoice. |
Electronic signature
Optional feature
Electronic signature is only available for companies that have activated this option. On each row, a signature icon appears (its color reflects the signature status); once the invoice is signed, the icon lets you download the signed XML file. Depending on the signature type, signing is done per line (with an OTP code) or in a batch via the Sign invoice(s) button in the action bar.
Per-line signature (OTP)
For the individual signature type, the invoice is signed line by line: an OTP code is requested to validate each invoice's signature.
Batch signature (Company ID)
For the Company ID signature type (company certificate), the Sign invoice(s) button in the action bar lets you sign a set of invoices in a single operation.
Impact on the default list
For companies using electronic signature, invoices not yet signed remain visible in the default list even if their remaining to collect is zero. Signature is considered a mandatory step before closure.
🧾 Dematerialization — Electronic invoice
After it is issued, a sales invoice can be dematerialized and electronically signed in the standardized format (TEIF / TunTrust), then filed on the national El Fatoora platform. For the complete detail of this process, see the Electronic invoicing guide.
Invoice statuses & lifecycle
Swifto distinguishes two concepts: the document status (badge shown in the list) and the financial status of collection (used as a filter in Search). An invoice progresses from its creation to being fully settled.
Financial status (Search options)
| Status | Description | Visible by default |
|---|---|---|
| Not yet collected | No payment, remaining = total incl. tax | ✔ Yes |
| Partially collected | One or more partial payments (remaining > 0) | ✔ Yes |
| Fully collected | Fully settled, remaining = 0 | ✘ Hidden (via Search) |
| Cancelled | Cancelled invoice, kept for history | ✘ Hidden (via Search) |
Document status (list badge)
| Badge | Description | Main actions |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Invoice saved, not finalized | Edit, Delete, Duplicate |
| Original | Finalized invoice, 1st printing | Payment received, Credit note, PDF, Send |
| Duplicate | Invoice already printed (reprint) | Payment received, Credit note, PDF, Send |
| Cancelled | Cancelled invoice | Viewing, download cancellation document |
Important business rules
Functional constraints and automations to master for correct use of the module.
Automatic delivery note
Any invoice whose origin is not a delivery note automatically generates a delivery note with Closed status in the background. This delivery note traces the stock outflow associated with the invoicing.
Closed source delivery note — Payment not possible
When the origin is a delivery note, it switches to Closed status and can no longer be collected separately. Any payment must be made via the corresponding invoice.
Editing locked after payment
Editing is only allowed if no payment has been recorded (remaining = total amount incl. tax). From the first payment, partial or full, the invoice is permanently locked for editing.
Withholding tax deducted at creation
Withholding tax is deducted immediately from the remaining to pay when the invoice is created. It reduces the initial remaining amount before any payment.
Default currency = customer record
The currency proposed is the one configured on the customer record. It can be changed manually before the invoice is saved.
VAT exemption — Automatic application
If the customer record is marked VAT-exempt, all item lines will automatically have VAT = 0%, regardless of the VAT configured on each item.
Quote / PO invoicing cap
The sum of all invoices generated from a quote or a purchase order cannot exceed the total amount of the source document. Quantities can only be reduced.
Delivery note lines are read-only
For an invoice with a delivery note origin, the item lines are imported read-only: no editing of quantity or price, nor adding an item, is possible from the invoice form.
Usage scenarios
Practical cases covering the most common workflows encountered by users of the Invoices module.
Scenario 1 — Direct invoicing on a counter sale
Direct saleClick New
Select the customer and choose the Direct sale origin
Check the date and currency (pre-filled automatically)
Click New (Invoice lines panel) for each line
Check the PDF Preview then click Save
From the list, click Payment received to record the payment
Scenario 2 — Partial invoicing on a quote
QuoteCreate a new invoice, select the Quote origin
Select the source quote from the proposed list
The lines import automatically with the remaining quantities
Reduce the quantities for partial invoicing (e.g., 5 out of 10 units)
Save the invoice (1st partial invoice created)
Repeat to generate a 2nd invoice on the quote's remaining balance
Scenario 3 — Invoicing from a delivery note
Delivery noteCreate a new invoice, select the Delivery note origin
Select one or more delivery notes to invoice
The lines import in read-only mode — check the amounts
Save: the selected delivery notes automatically switch to Closed status
Collect payment for the invoice from the list (Payment received button)
Scenario 4 — Customer return and issuing a credit note
Credit noteLocate the invoice concerned (list or Search)
Click Credit note on the invoice's row
Select the type: Goods return credit note and a reason
Enter the returned quantities per item line
Click Confirm — a credit note invoice is created and linked to the original invoice
Scenario 5 — View a customer's collected invoices
Advanced searchClick Search from the invoice list
Set the period: e.g., 01/01/2024 → 31/12/2024
Select the customer and the Fully collected status
Click Search — all matching invoices are displayed
Use the Excel button to export the result
FAQ & Tips
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I edit an invoice?
Editing is blocked if at least one payment has been recorded on the invoice. The system locks the invoice from the first payment to guarantee accounting consistency. If a correction is needed, use a credit note to cancel or adjust the amount.
Why is VAT at 0% on all my lines?
Check the selected customer record. If the VAT-exempt box is checked, all item lines will automatically have VAT = 0%, regardless of the rate configured on the items. Edit the customer record if this exemption should not apply.
How do I find a fully collected invoice?
Fully collected invoices are hidden from the list by default. Use the Search button, set the period and select the Fully collected status. The list will then display all matching invoices.
Can I add items to an invoice from a delivery note?
No. For invoices with a Delivery note origin, the lines are imported read-only. It is not possible to add new items or edit quantities. To invoice additional items, create a separate Direct sale invoice.
Does the Excel export include all invoices or only the ones displayed?
The export only contains the invoices currently displayed in the list. To export a wider scope (e.g., all invoices for the year including collected ones), first run an advanced Search with the desired filters, then start the export.
💡 Tips for advanced users
Productivity — Templates via Duplication
Keep a "template" invoice in Draft status for each type of service. Duplicate it for each new need and adapt the customer, quantities and date.
Tracking unpaid invoices
The default list only shows invoices with a remaining > 0. This is your natural dashboard for unpaid invoices. Export it regularly to Excel to share with your accounting team.
Systematic preview
Always use the PDF Preview before saving an invoice. Once a payment has been made, editing is impossible — correcting via a credit note is more complex.
Traceability — Credit note rather than cancellation
Always prefer generating a credit note over deletion for corrections on partially collected invoices. This maintains traceability and the consistency of the accounting history.
Swifto ERP · Sales Module · User Manual v1.0
Invoice Management — Internal Documentation