A one-time invoice bills a tenant once, for example a repair charge, a fee or a single month's rent. In DigitalTenant, invoices are called Receivables. This article shows you how to create one, send it, and change it later.
Before you start
- Permissions: team members need the Accounting payments permissions to create, edit or cancel invoices. The account owner can turn these on under Settings then User Roles.
- The tenant must be assigned to a property and unit. You can only invoice a tenant who is linked to a unit.
- To collect online, the property needs a connected payout bank account. Set this up first under Accounting, then the Bank Accounts card. Without one, you can still send the invoice as Offline and record the payment yourself.
1. Open the invoice form
Use any of these:
- Accounting, then the Receivables card, open the Single Invoice tab and click Create New Invoice.
- Create New, then Receivables.
- A lease's page, Overview, then Create Invoice.
- A lease's page, Rent & Invoices tab, then Create New Invoice.
The form has six numbered sections on the left and a live Invoice Summary on the right.
2. Recipient
- Choose the tenant under Select Tenant.
- Choose the Property. Only properties this tenant is assigned to are listed.
- Choose the Unit.
If the unit has a lease, the form fills in the rent, schedule and late fee rule from the lease. You can change anything it fills in.
3. Payment Collection
Choose how your tenant will pay:
- Offline (the default): your tenant pays by check, cash or transfer, and you record the payment.
- Online payment: your tenant pays through DigitalTenant. This needs a connected bank account on the property.
When you pick Online payment, the form shows whether the property's bank account is Connected. If it shows Not connected or Connected account not found, the account needs to be set up first.
4. Invoice Type & Schedule
- Under Invoice Category, click One Time Invoice.
- Set the Invoice Date. It defaults to today. It can be in the past, but not in the future. Click Today to reset it.
- Set the Due Date. It cannot be before the invoice date.
5. Charge Details
Add one line for each charge. Each line needs:
- Category: Rent, Repairs & Maintenance, Tenant Fees, Deposits, Utilities, Tenant Services, Insurance, Legal & Compliance, Security & Access or Miscellaneous.
- Subcategory: unlocks once you pick a category. Rent has Monthly Rent, Annual Rent, Late Fee and Other.
- Amount: must be more than $0.
- Memo (optional): text shown on the invoice.
Click Add Item for another line, or Remove to delete one. To charge a late fee by hand, use Rent then Late Fee.
6. Late Fees and Message (optional)
- Apply Late Fees: set to Yes to add a late fee rule, then fill in Charge Late Fee On (Day #), Frequency and Amount ($ or %).
- Message to tenant: a note your tenant sees on the invoice.
7. Check the summary and send
The Invoice Summary shows the invoice number, the tenant, the property, the dates, each line and the Total. You can also add:
- Other Amount: an extra charge added to the total. Click the label to rename it.
- Discount: taken off the total. It cannot be more than the invoice amount.
Click Send Invoice. Your tenant receives an email with a payment link. The invoice then opens in a preview with Print and Download options.
What your tenant sees
- Online invoices: your tenant clicks Pay Now and chooses Bank transfer (ACH) or Credit or debit card. A processing fee is added on top, and the window shows the payment amount, the fee and the total before they pay. Bank transfers take 3 to 5 business days. Card payments are confirmed straight away. When the payment goes through, the invoice is marked paid.
- Offline invoices: your tenant sees that they need to pay you directly. When they do, record the payment on the invoice.
Managing your invoices
Go to Accounting, then the Receivables card, and open the Single Invoice tab. Cards at the top show Total Invoices, Paid Invoices, Unpaid Invoices and Overdue Invoices. Click a card to filter the list.
The ⋯ menu on each row gives you these options:
| Option | When you can use it |
|---|---|
| View | Always |
| Edit Invoice | Unpaid or Overdue |
| Record Payment | Unpaid or Overdue |
| Mark as Unpaid | Paid invoices where you recorded the payment yourself |
| Print, Download as PDF | Always |
| Archive / Unarchive | Always. Archived invoices only show under the Archive status filter. |
| Cancel | Unpaid or Overdue |
| Delete | Only once it is Paid or Cancelled. This cannot be undone. |
Tick several rows to Archive, Unarchive or Delete them together.
Send a payment reminder
- Open the invoice.
- Click Send Reminder.
- Choose who to send it to under Send To and add an optional Message (up to 1,000 characters).
- Click Send Reminder.
Edit an invoice you already sent
You can edit invoices that are Unpaid or Overdue. Click Edit on the invoice page, or Edit Invoice in the row menu.
- The invoice number, type, date, tenant, property and unit cannot be changed.
- You can change the Due Date, the charges, the late fee, the message, the other amount and the discount.
- Click Save Changes, or Discard Changes to go back to the saved version.
- Your tenant is told when an unpaid invoice changes.
Good to know
- The form may switch to Recurring Invoice on its own when the unit has a lease. For a one-time charge, click One Time Invoice in the schedule section.
- Check the rent label. A rent line filled in from a lease may show Other as the subcategory. Pick Monthly Rent if you want that label.
- Check percentage late fees. If your lease late fee is a percentage, the form may fill it in as dollars (for example 5% shows as $5.00). Check the $ / % switch before you send.
- Set up the bank account before you start. Clicking Connect or Connect a bank account on the form leaves the page, and what you typed is lost.
- If Send Invoice does nothing, you may have reached your plan's invoice limit. Check Settings then Subscription.
- "The invoice date cannot be in the future." Use today or an earlier date. To bill on future dates, set up a recurring invoice.
- "Required." or "Enter an amount greater than 0." A charge line is not complete. Fill it in or click Remove.
- If an edit page says "No invoice was selected.", open the invoice from Receivables and click Edit there.
- If your tenant sees "Payment Unavailable", the property's payout bank account is not connected. Fix it under Accounting, then the Bank Accounts card. Your tenant cannot fix this.
- Online payments cannot be reversed from the invoice. A refund is needed instead. Contact our support team and we'll help you with a refund.
Need help?
Email us at support@digitaltenant.com, or use the Help button in the bottom-right corner of your dashboard.