Invoicing
Brother POS generates invoices for wholesale orders to help you track payments, manage accounts receivable, and maintain a clear financial record of your B2B transactions. Invoices are created automatically when orders are fulfilled, or they can be generated manually at any stage.
How Invoicing Works
Each wholesale order can have one associated invoice. The invoice lifecycle follows the order:
Wholesale Order delivered/picked up
|
v
Invoice auto-generated (status: ISSUED)
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v
Retailer makes partial payment
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v
Invoice status: PARTIALLY PAID
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v
Retailer pays remaining balance
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v
Invoice status: PAID
Invoice Generation
Automatic Generation
Invoices are generated automatically when a wholesale order is:
- Marked as Delivered -- The order has been delivered to the retailer.
- Marked as Picked Up -- The retailer collected the order in person.
If an invoice already exists for the order, a new one is not created.
Invoices are generated automatically when orders are marked as delivered or picked up. There is no explicit manual "Generate Invoice" action in the controller.
Invoice Details
Each invoice contains the following information:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Invoice Number | Auto-generated (format: INV-YYYYMMDD-XXXX) |
| Retailer Connection | The retailer or wholesale customer this invoice is for |
| Wholesale Order | The linked wholesale order |
| Subtotal | Total before tax |
| Tax Amount | Applicable taxes |
| Total | Final invoice amount |
| Amount Paid | How much has been paid so far |
| Balance Due | Remaining amount owed |
| Issued At | When the invoice was created |
| Due At | Payment deadline |
| Paid At | When the invoice was fully paid (if applicable) |
| Status | Current invoice status |
Invoice Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Draft | Invoice created but not yet issued to the customer |
| Issued | Invoice sent to the customer; payment expected |
| Partially Paid | Some payment received but balance remains |
| Paid | Invoice fully paid; no balance due |
| Overdue | Past the due date with outstanding balance |
| Cancelled | Invoice voided; no payment expected |
Managing Invoices
Viewing Invoices
- Navigate to B2B > Invoices.
- All invoices are listed with key information.
- Filter invoices by status:
- Outstanding -- Issued, Partially Paid, or Overdue invoices.
- Paid -- Fully paid invoices.
- Overdue -- Past-due invoices.
Invoice List Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Invoice # | Unique invoice number |
| Customer | Retailer or wholesale buyer |
| Order # | Linked wholesale order number |
| Total | Invoice total amount |
| Paid | Amount paid to date |
| Balance | Remaining balance |
| Due Date | Payment deadline |
| Status | Current status with color indicator |
Recording Payments
When a retailer makes a payment against an invoice:
Step-by-Step
- Navigate to B2B > Invoices.
- Open the invoice.
- Click Record Payment.
- Fill in the payment details:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Payment amount | $2,500.00 |
| Payment Method | How the payment was made | Bank Transfer, Check, Cash, E-Transfer |
| Reference Number | Transaction or check number (optional) | CHK-4521 |
| Notes | Any additional payment notes (optional) | "Partial payment for March order" |
- Click Save Payment.
What Happens When You Record a Payment
- An invoice payment record is created with the payment details.
- The invoice's amount paid is updated.
- The balance due is recalculated.
- The invoice status is updated:
- If fully paid: status changes to Paid and
paid_atis recorded. - If partially paid: status changes to Partially Paid.
- If fully paid: status changes to Paid and
- The retailer's credit balance is reduced by the payment amount.
Recording a payment reduces the retailer's current balance, freeing up credit for future orders. For example, if a retailer has a $5,000 credit limit and a $3,000 balance, paying a $1,000 invoice brings the balance to $2,000 and available credit to $3,000.
Multiple Payments
An invoice can receive multiple partial payments:
- First payment of $1,000 -- Status: Partially Paid, Balance: $1,500.
- Second payment of $1,000 -- Status: Partially Paid, Balance: $500.
- Third payment of $500 -- Status: Paid, Balance: $0.
Each payment is recorded separately and appears in the invoice's payment history.
Payment Terms
Default Payment Terms
When an invoice is auto-generated, the default payment term is 30 days from the issue date. This means the due date is set to 30 days after the invoice is created.
Auto-generated invoices use the default 30-day payment terms. The due date is calculated automatically from the issue date.
Overdue Invoices
Automatic Overdue Detection
Brother POS automatically identifies overdue invoices:
- An invoice is overdue when the current date is past the due date and the invoice is not fully paid.
- Overdue invoices are highlighted in the invoice list.
- You can filter the invoice list to show only overdue invoices.
Days Overdue
Each overdue invoice shows how many days past due it is:
Days Overdue = Today - Due Date
This helps you prioritize collection efforts for the most overdue accounts.
Handling Overdue Invoices
- Review the overdue invoices list regularly.
- Contact the retailer to arrange payment.
- Record any partial payments as they come in.
- Consider adjusting credit limits for retailers with frequent overdue invoices.
- Cancel the invoice if the debt is written off (this does not cancel the order).
Overdue invoice balances count toward a retailer's current balance. A retailer with overdue invoices may not be able to place new orders if they have reached their credit limit.
Invoice Numbering
Invoice numbers follow the format INV-YYYYMMDD-XXXX:
INV-- Prefix identifying the document as an invoice.YYYYMMDD-- Date the invoice was created.XXXX-- Sequential number for the day (starting at 0001).
Examples: INV-20260213-0001, INV-20260213-0002.
Invoice numbers are unique within your store and cannot be changed after creation.
Invoice Records
Invoices are permanent records. The invoice status is updated automatically based on payment activity (Issued, Partially Paid, Paid, Overdue). Invoice records remain in the system for audit purposes.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Invoice not generated on delivery | An invoice may already exist for the order. Check the order details. |
| Wrong invoice amount | The invoice amount comes from the wholesale order totals. If incorrect, cancel the invoice, adjust the order, and generate a new invoice. |
| Cannot record payment | Verify the invoice status is Issued or Partially Paid. Draft and Cancelled invoices do not accept payments. |
| Retailer's balance not updating | Payments are linked to the retailer connection. Verify the invoice has a retailer connection assigned. |
| Overdue invoices not showing | Invoices are only marked overdue when the due date has passed. Check the due date on the invoice. |
Best Practices
- Set appropriate payment terms. 30 days is standard, but adjust based on your relationship with each retailer.
- Record payments promptly. This keeps credit balances accurate and ensures retailers can place new orders.
- Review overdue invoices weekly. Catch payment issues early before they accumulate.
- Use reference numbers. When recording payments, include the check number or transfer reference for easy reconciliation.
- Adjust credit limits proactively. If a retailer consistently pays late, consider lowering their credit limit until the relationship improves.
- Keep invoices for audit. Cancel rather than delete invoices that are no longer needed.
What's Next?
- Distributor Features -- Complete guide to wholesale order fulfillment.
- Retailer Features -- The retailer's perspective on wholesale ordering.
- Wholesale Portal -- Set up web-based ordering for wholesale customers.
- B2B Wholesale Overview -- Review the overall B2B architecture.