Creating tax invoices

Note:
If you are unsure whether you need tax invoices for your business, please, consult with advisors or tax authorities in your country.

In your store, you have the option to utilize the built-in feature to automatically or manually generate tax invoices and send them to your customers.

When tax invoices are enabled, you can additionally set them up and customize the template to the needs of your business. It is possible to print or download individual tax invoices – or you can download all the invoices for a certain time period in bulk.

Enabling tax invoices

You can enable tax invoices if you want to use the built-in feature for the invoices in your store. These invoices will have unique numbers and are legally compliant.

To enable tax invoices:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices.
2. Scroll down to the Tax invoices section and click on it:
   

   

3. On the opened page, click Enable Tax Invoices.
4. Set up your invoices as you like in the Settings section.

You can set how and when your invoices are generated and sent. You can also customize the default tax invoice template and the tax invoice numbers used in your store.

Note:
To preview an invoice that can be generated in your store, go to your store admin, Settings → Taxes & Invoices → Tax invoices → Contents of tax invoice.

Once you enable tax invoices for your store, a special Tax invoices section will appear on the pages of the individual orders in My Sales → Orders.

Please note that enabling tax invoices in your store does not automatically transmit the data to your country's revenue service or any other relevant authority. It is your responsibility to handle tax reporting and compliance. Keep reading to understand how tax invoicing functions in your store.

Disabling tax invoices

If you opt to use a third-party system to manage your tax invoices, or if tax invoices are unnecessary for your business, you have the option to disable the invoices for your store.

To disable tax invoices:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices.
2. Scroll down to the Tax invoices section and click on it.
3. On the opened page, find and click Disable tax invoices:
   

   

After you do this, you will no longer see the list of settings for tax invoices. The Tax invoices section will disappear from the pages of your orders in My Sales → Orders.

Creating tax invoices for orders

There are two types of tax invoices available in your store: regular invoices for your sales and cancellation invoices to provide a refund for the order. By default, regular invoices are automatically generated and sent to your customers when the order is placed. Cancellation invoices are created and sent only manually.

Note:
You can change the default settings for your regular tax invoices and set when they are automatically generated or choose to create and send them yourself.

Regardless of the settings, both types of invoices can always be created manually from your store admin.

To create a tax invoice for an order:

1. From your store admin, go to My Sales → Orders.
2. Click the order.
3. Click the Create tax invoice link in the Tax invoices section:
   

   

4. On the opened page, choose Regular (Sale) or Cancellation (Refund) and choose if you want to automatically send this invoice to the customer by email.
5. Click Create Tax Invoice.

You can create any number of invoices for any order at any time.

All the invoices that have been created for a particular order (including the autogenerated ones) are available in the Tax invoices section on the page of this order. You can print the invoice or download it in PDF to send to your customers by email or any other way. You can always delete invoices if you need to.

Customers can access all the existing tax invoices in their customer accounts (by clicking More Actions next to an order).

Note:
You can also create regular tax invoices when placing an order manually in My Sales → Order Editor. For that, tick the Generate tax invoice upon order placement checkbox.

Autogenerating the regular tax invoices

Regular tax invoices for your sales can be automatically generated when the order is placed (this is the default option), paid, or shipped. Optionally, you can choose to attach these invoices to your order confirmation emails.

To set up automatic generation for regular tax invoices:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices → Tax invoices.
2. Scroll down to Settings.
3. Click the Autogenerate tax invoice section.
4. In the Generate tax invoices automatically dropdown, select the option that suits you: Autogenerate when order is placed, Autogenerate when order is paid, or Autogenerate when order is shipped:
   

   

5. (optional) Enable the Attach tax invoices to Order Confirmation email toggle so that the generated invoices are sent to your customers automatically.
6. Click Save.

Now, all regular tax invoices for the orders in your store will be autogenerated. If you opt to attach tax invoices to the order confirmation emails, the invoices will be automatically emailed to your customers. In case you choose not to attach tax invoices to the order confirmation emails, you will need to send invoices to your customers yourself, or customers can download invoices in their accounts.

Once the tax invoice is generated for the order, you will see it in the Tax invoices section on the page of this particular order in My Sales → Orders.

Note:
You can always create additional invoices manually – if you need them – in My Sales → Orders.

Creating the regular tax invoices manually

You have the option to disable automatic generation for your regular tax invoices and instead create invoices for the orders in your store manually.

To enable manual creation for regular tax invoices:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices → Tax invoices.
2. Scroll down to Settings.
3. Click the Autogenerate tax invoice section.
4. In the opened menu, select I create tax invoices manually:
   

   

5. Click Save.

Now all the tax invoices in your store will be created only manually. You will be able to create regular tax invoices for the existing orders on the pages of individual orders in your store admin.

Creating cancellation invoices

Once created, regular tax invoices cannot be further edited. In case you want to make a refund for an order, you need to manually issue a special cancellation (refund) invoice. The difference between cancellation and regular tax invoices is the negative totals and subtotals. Note that cancellation invoices have their own unique numbers that do not correspond to the number of the regular tax invoice for the order.

Note:
Cancellation tax invoices are issued for all the products in your order. If you want to make a partial refund or correct a mistake in your invoice, you can issue a special correction tax invoice manually outside of your online store.

To create a cancellation invoice:

1. From your store admin, go to My Sales → Orders.
2. Click the order you want to make the refund for.
3. In the Tax invoices section, click Create Another Tax Invoice.
4. On the opened page, choose Cancellation (Refund) and choose if you want to automatically send this invoice to the customer by email:
   

   

5. Click Create Cancellation Tax Invoice.

Once the invoice is generated, you will see it in the Tax invoices section on the page of this order. You can print the invoice or download it in PDF to send to your customers by email or any other way, if needed. Cancellation invoices are also available for download in customer accounts.

Issuing correction invoices

If there is an error in your tax invoice or it needs to be updated, you can create a special correction invoice. Correction invoices are issued manually, outside of your store admin. You can use a third-party system for that or create an invoice based your template (fill it out according to your regular tax invoice template and make the necessary changes).

Note:
If you want to provide a full refund, please, use cancellation tax invoices.

Sending tax invoices to your customers

In case you choose to attach your automatically generated tax invoices to the order confirmation emails, then the regular tax invoices will be emailed to your customers automatically.

Note:
Invoices that are automatically generated after the order is paid or shipped will be attached to the Order Status Changed emails.

If you opt not to attach the autogenerated tax invoices to the order confirmation emails, you will need to send the invoices to the customers manually. You can access all the tax invoices that have already been created for an individual order on the page of that specific order in your store admin, and easily email them to the customers from there.

You can access all the tax invoices that have already been created for an individual order on the page of this order in your store admin.

To email invoices for an order:

1. From your store admin, go to My Sales → Orders.
2. Click the order.
3. Click Email Tax Invoice for a corresponding invoice in the Tax invoices section:
   

   

You can also print your tax invoices or download them in PDF and send them to your customers by email or any other suitable way.

Optionally, customers can access all the existing tax invoices in their customer accounts (by clicking More Actions next to an order).

Note: 
You can also find regular tax invoices attached to the New Order Placed email notifications that you received (if you enabled them for your store in Settings → Notifications and if your tax invoices are automatically generated). In case invoices are generated after the order is paid or shipped, they can be attached to the Order Status Changed emails.

If needed, you can also download all the invoices for a certain time period in bulk.

Downloading tax invoices in bulk

You have the option to request an archive containing all the tax invoices available for a certain time period in your store. This archive can be useful, for instance, when presenting the invoices to the tax office as required in your country.

To request invoices for bulk download:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices → Tax invoices (or My Sales → Orders).
2. Scroll down to the Get all tax invoices at once section at the bottom of the page and click it.
3. Set the time period for which you want to download your tax invoices:
   

   

4. Click Get Tax Invoices.

After initiating the request, you will receive a message at the email address you use for admin notifications. This message will contain the tax invoice archive available for download in .zip format, with the invoices themselves in PDF format. The download link provided will be valid for 48 hours.

Deleting tax invoices

In case you have created a tax invoice for an order by mistake, you can delete it.

To delete a tax invoice:

1. From your store admin, go to My Sales → Orders.
2. Click the order for which you want to delete an invoice.
3. Click “...” in the Tax invoices section, then click Delete:
   

   

4. In the opened popup, click Yes.

The tax invoice will be deleted permanently. You can create a new one in its place, if you need.

If you delete the order in My Sales → Orders, all the tax invoices for it will also be deleted.

Note:
You may need to make changes in the future tax invoice number if you want to keep the numeration of your tax invoices uninterrupted.

Customizing the tax invoice number

You have the flexibility to modify the numbers of your tax invoices to align them with your business processes and your country's legislation. For instance, you can add a special code in the prefix. Additionally, changing the future tax invoice number may be necessary if you have deleted an erroneous invoice or created some of your invoices outside of your online store.

Numbers of the tax invoices in your store do not depend on the order numbers and use sequential ascending numbering. This means that every next tax invoice number directly follows the preceding one. By default, numeration starts with “1”, but you can personalize the numbers of your tax invoices and set the number of the future invoice to any positive integer.

Tax invoices can have any prefix or suffix added to the numeric part. You can also set the minimum number of digits in your invoice (zeros will be added in the beginning if the actual number is smaller).

Note:
Please, keep the default settings if you want the numbers of the tax invoices in your store to start with a simple “1”.

To set up your future invoice number:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices → Tax invoices.
2. Scroll down to Settings.
3. Click the Next tax invoice number section, click Edit Number → Edit Number Format.
4. In the opened menu, enter prefix and suffix (if needed), then enter tax invoice number in the Counter section (that is the number of the next invoice to be created in your store), and the minimum number of digits for your invoice.
5. Click Save.

It's important to note that any changes made will impact future tax invoices exclusively. The numbers of the tax invoices already issued will remain unchanged.

Example: Let’s say you have created invoice #123 by mistake. Even if you delete it right away (as well as the order), the next invoice in your store will be #124. To keep the sequence of invoice numbers uninterrupted, enter “123” in the Counter section. This way, the next invoice that is created in your store will be #123.

You can also reset the tax invoice counter. For example, to start a new financial year or to change tax invoice numbering for other business reasons. If you reset the tax invoice number, your next tax invoice number will start with "1".

To reset the tax invoice counter:

1. From your store admin, go to Settings → Taxes & Invoices → Tax invoices.
2. Scroll down to Settings.
3. Click the Next tax invoice number section, click Edit Number → Reset Counter.
4. (optional) Enter prefix and suffix (if needed).
5. Click Reset Counter.

Example: Let’s say that every year you keep the following invoice numeration in your store: year-number of the invoice-name of your store. When 2023 starts, you want to reset the numeration. This is how your settings should look in the menu:

This way, the future tax invoice number will be “2023-0001-Store Name”, where Store Name is the name of your store.

Customizing tax invoices

You can customize the contents and template of your tax invoices on the Settings → Taxes & Invoices → Tax invoices → Contents of tax invoice page in your store admin:

• Upload a company's logo to personalize your invoice
• Change the invoice title, e.g., to make it legally compliant
• Add the taxpayer identification number
• Provide additional information about your company (such as bank account details)
• Add extra details to the invoice footer
• Or make even deeper changes in the tax invoice HTML template