5. Invoices

Creating a New Invoice

Switch to the Invoices area and click New Invoice. In the invoice dialog:

1. Select the customer from the dropdown list
2. Add items - manually or from the catalog
3. Check net, VAT and total amount
4. Save the invoice

In the focused start, this is the second core step. As soon as the first invoice is saved, the first-steps card points you to payment capture.

Discounts can be entered directly in the dialog:

• line discounts per item as a percentage or fixed amount
• an additional document discount for the entire invoice
• automatic proposal of the customer's default discount

The totals block shows line discount, subtotal, document discount, VAT amount, and grand total separately. PDF export and eBill/ZUGFeRD use the same final totals.

When saving, HIVE automatically assigns a unique year-based invoice number in the format INV-YEAR-SEQUENCE, for example INV-2026-0001. Credit notes use the same mechanism with the CN prefix.

Invoice layout, logo position and footer text can be customized individually.

Swiss QR Invoice

HIVE automatically creates Swiss QR invoices according to the Swiss standard. When exporting to PDF, the QR code with all payment information is generated. Your customer can pay the invoice directly via mobile banking or at the counter.

For correct QR invoices, IBAN and QR-IBAN must be stored.

Right-Click Actions

Sending via WhatsApp

For free WhatsApp delivery, store a WhatsApp number on the customer record. Then right-click an invoice, quote, or reminder and choose Send via WhatsApp. HIVE opens the chat with a prepared message and highlights the generated PDF in Explorer so you can attach it manually in WhatsApp.

Multiple Selection

Select multiple invoices with Ctrl+Click. The context menu then offers bulk actions: Send all by email, export all as PDF or mark all as paid.

Recording Payment

The Record Payment function connects invoicing and accounting:

1. Right-click on an invoice, then Record Payment
2. The dialog shows invoice amount and outstanding balance
3. Enter the payment amount and date
4. Select an accounting category
5. Click Book Payment

What happens automatically:

• The invoice is marked as paid or partially paid
• An accounting entry (income) is automatically created
• For partial payments, you can record additional payments

You can manage and extend the accounting categories yourself.

Understanding Color Coding

Recurring Invoices

For regularly recurring services (e.g., subscriptions, maintenance contracts, rent), you can set up automatic invoice templates.

Creating a new recurring invoice:

1. Switch to the Invoices area
2. Click Recurring in the header
3. In the overview dialog, click New Recurring Invoice
4. Select the customer and add items
5. Set the interval (weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually)
6. Set the start date and optionally an end date
7. Optionally activate Send automatically for direct email delivery

Management:

Automatic Creation: When opening the application, HIVE automatically checks whether due recurring invoices need to be created. You will be notified about newly created invoices.

If a recurring template contains discounts, they are carried over unchanged to each generated invoice.

You can deactivate recurring templates at any time and reactivate them later.

Quick Invoice

With the Quick Invoice, you can create a simple invoice in just a few clicks:

1. Open the quick search with Ctrl+K or use the menu entry
2. Select an existing customer from the dropdown list
3. Activate the required favorite items and adjust the quantity if needed
4. Check the automatically calculated total. Any saved customer default discount is applied immediately and shown below the customer selector
5. Click Create Invoice

The invoice is saved immediately and can then be exported as PDF or sent by email as usual.

eBill and ZUGFeRD

HIVE supports exporting invoices in electronic format:

• eBill: Swiss standard for electronic invoices. Your customers receive the invoice directly in e-banking and can pay it with one click.
• ZUGFeRD: European standard for hybrid invoices. The PDF file contains embedded XML data that can be automatically processed by accounting software.

Both formats are available via the context menu (right-click) for any invoice.

Credit Note (Reversal)

If you need to reverse services or cancel parts of an invoice, you create a credit note.

How to create a credit note:

1. In the Invoices tab: Right-click on the original invoice
2. Select Create Credit Note
3. In the dialog you see all items from the original invoice with checkboxes
4. Check the items you want to credit
5. If needed, adjust the quantity (column "Credit Quantity") for partial credits
6. Review the displayed credit amount (negative, e.g. − CHF 125.50)
7. Click Create and confirm

What happens automatically:

• A new invoice of type "Credit Note" is created (e.g. GS-2026-0001)
• All quantities are stored as negative amounts
• The original invoice remains unchanged
• An accounting entry is automatically generated

Partial credit notes:

You can partially credit the same invoice multiple times. Previously credited quantities are automatically taken into account — you can only credit the remaining quantity.

Example: Invoice for 5 chairs at CHF 50 (total CHF 250). The customer returns 2 chairs. You create a credit note for 2 chairs = − CHF 100. Later they return 1 more chair — you can then create another credit note for up to 3 chairs.

Credit notes appear in the Invoices tab and can be filtered using the "Credit Notes" filter. They can be exported as PDF and sent like regular invoices.

Installment Payments

Split open invoice amounts into 2–12 monthly installments — ideal for larger orders or customer retention.

Create a new installment plan:

1. In the Invoices tab: Right-click on an open invoice
2. Select Create Installment Plan
3. Configure the plan:

• Number of installments (2–12, default: 3)
• First installment due on (select date)

1. The preview table automatically shows all installments with amount and due date
2. Optional: Add a note
3. Click Create

What happens automatically:

• Installments are distributed evenly (e.g. CHF 333.33 + 333.33 + 333.34)
• The last installment includes any rounding correction
• Each installment has a monthly due date

Manage installment plan:

1. Right-click on the invoice → View Installment Plan
2. The overview dialog shows:

• Total amount, already paid, open and progress percentage
• Table of all installments with status and color coding

1. Colors: Green = paid, Yellow = open, Orange = overdue, Gray = cancelled
2. Click Pay Installment for the next due installment
3. If needed, you can cancel the entire plan via Cancel

Example: Customer invoice for CHF 600, installment plan with 3 installments:

• Installment 1/3: Due 15.01.2026, CHF 200
• Installment 2/3: Due 15.02.2026, CHF 200
• Installment 3/3: Due 15.03.2026, CHF 200

An installment plan can only be created for invoices that are not yet fully paid or cancelled.