This guide shows you how to create and send invoices in Programa so you can bill clients accurately for design fees, projects, time entries, and product items.
Creating your invoice
You can easily create invoices in Programa to send to your clients.
Navigate to Invoices from the left-hand navigation menu and click the Create Invoice button in the top-right of the page.
Select the project you would like to bill for from the dropdown, or select + New project if you have not set one up yet.
Choose your client from the Client dropdown, or select + Add new client if they are not already in your Address Book. If two contacts share the same name, hover over a name to see a tooltip showing their email address so you can distinguish between them.
Enter an Invoice name (optional) to help your client identify the invoice.
Select your Payment term from the dropdown. The invoice due date will be automatically calculated based on today's date plus the number of days in the selected payment term (e.g. selecting "Net 30" sets the due date to 30 days from today). Payment terms can be managed in your invoicing settings - see [How to set up your Invoicing settings].
Select the Tax rate to apply to the invoice. This sets the default tax rate for the invoice - any items you add after selecting a rate will automatically inherit it. Items already on the invoice will keep their current tax rate. Tax rates can be added and managed in your settings - see [How to set up and manage tax rates].
Add any Notes you would like your client to see. Notes appear on the invoice PDF above the line items.
Add any Details to the footer of your invoice. This text can be customised per invoice, or set up as a default in your invoicing settings - see [How to set up your Invoicing settings].
Note: Your invoice saves automatically every few seconds. Look for the save indicator at the top of the page.You can safely navigate away and return without losing your work.
Adding items to your invoice
You can add items in three ways: from your project schedules, from time entries, or as custom line items. You can mix and match all three on the same invoice.
Adding items from a Schedule
Click Add from Schedule to open the panel on the right.
Select the schedule you would like to pull from using the Schedules dropdown.
Use the filter options to narrow your selection:filter by item status, brand, supplier, or section.
Check the box next to each item you want to include, then click Add Products to confirm.
Note: When you add products from a schedule, the tax rate configured at the project level is automatically applied to each line item. If a specific tax rate has been set on individual schedule products, that rate takes priority. You can still override the tax rate on any line item after it has been added to the invoice.
Adding time entries
Click Add time entry to open the time panel on the right.
Filter by date range or team member to find the entries you need.
Click Add Entries to confirm.
Note: Time entries will be aggregated and added as a single item. If team members have different billable rates, combine entries with matching rates into the same line item.
Adding custom line items
Click Add custom item.
Enter a Description, Qty, and Amount. Decimal quantities are supported (e.g. 1.5 hours).
Click Save to confirm.
You can reorder line items at any time by clicking the six-dot handle to the left of any row and dragging it into position.
Top Tip: You can enter a negative unit price on any line item to apply credits or adjustments to the invoice. For example, enter -500 as the amount to apply a $500 credit. In doing so though, you must ensure the total invoice amount must not be negative.
Changing tax rates
Each line item can carry its own tax rate, which overrides the invoice-level default.
To change the rate on a specific line item, select the applicable rate from the Tax dropdown on that line
To remove tax from a line item entirely, click the item to edit it and toggle off Taxable?
Assigning items to QuickBooks or Xero
If you have connected QuickBooks or Xero, an invoice is created in your accounting platform at the same time as it is created in Programa.
This applies to draft invoices as well as sent invoices. An invoice will appear in QuickBooks or Xero as soon as you create it in Programa, not only when it is sent.
QuickBooks
When syncing to QuickBooks, each invoice line item is mapped to one of four standard product/service categories based on its type (e.g. products, services, time entries, custom items), rather than creating an individual named product in QuickBooks for every item. The income accounts configured in your QuickBooks settings are selected by default for each line item. To override the default for a specific line item, select the correct account from the QuickBooks field on that line.
Xero
When creating an invoice, select the relevant account code for each line item from the Xero field. Account codes are pulled directly from your connected Xero account.
Tax rate matching for accounting sync
When you sync an invoice to QuickBooks or Xero, the tax rates on each line item are matched to the corresponding rate in your accounting platform.
If you have synced Quickbooks or Xero, you will only be able to select tax rates in Programa that have been synced from your connected accounting platform (shown with a QuickBooks or Xero icon in the tax rate dropdown). This ensures the tax treatment carries across correctly and avoids your accounting platform substituting its own rates.
See here for more information on Tax.
💡Tip: When an invoice is synced to QuickBooks or Xero, the client's full address and contact details are included alongside the invoice data - not just the client name. Make sure your client's details are up to date in your Address Book for accurate accounting records.
For more information on connecting your accounting platform, see [How to connect QuickBooks] or [How to connect Xero].
Applying a discount
To apply a discount to the invoice, toggle on Discount at the bottom of the invoice. Choose between a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of the invoice total. If you have QuickBooks or Xero connected, discounts applied to your invoice will sync automatically to your accounting platform as a line item.
Previewing your invoice
Before sending, click Preview PDF to see the exact PDF your client will receive. The preview includes your studio logo, invoice number, product images, line item details, notes, details footer text, and the total breakdown. Review this before sending to make sure everything looks right.
Sending your invoice
Once your invoice details are set up, you can go ahead and send the invoice to your client.
Click Send Invoice to open the sending panel.
Enter a subject line for the invoice email (required).
Write a message to your client (optional).
Add up to 5 CC recipients in the CC field if needed.
In the Payment method field, you'll see any payment instructions you've already saved in your invoicing settings by default. You can edit these before sending if needed. If you have Programa Pay set up, bank transfer and card payments are automatically enabled for your client through their payment link - you don't need to manually add those details here.
(Optional) Toggle on Pass on transaction fee to client to add the processing fee to the invoice total. See [Transaction fees explained] for more detail on how fees work and how to decide whether to pass them on. Check your local tax rules to confirm whether passing on transaction fees is permitted in your jurisdiction.
(Optional) Toggle on Split payments to break the invoice into instalments; see the section below for setup steps.
Click Send to issue the invoice to your client.
Note: Bank transfer payments are available in the US (ACH), Australia (BECS). Credit and debit card payments are accepted globally
Setting up split payments
Split payments allow you to break a single invoice into up to 6 named instalments, each with its own due date and amount.
Toggle on Split payments in the sending panel.
Click Add payment to create each instalment.
Name each instalment (e.g. "Deposit", "Milestone 1", "Final Payment"), set the amount or percentage, and assign a due date.
Repeat until all instalments are added and the total accounts for the full invoice amount.
Your client will receive automated email reminders 24 hours before each instalment is due. You can track paid vs outstanding amounts per instalment from the invoice detail view.
To change the default split payment format (amount or percentage), go to Settings > Invoices > Split payments. See [How to set up your Invoicing settings] for more detail.