Glossary of invoicing terms
Last updated · InvoiceStamp 1.1.0 for iPhone and Android
The words an invoice uses, in plain English, and where each one appears in InvoiceStamp. In the guides, a term underlined with dots links here: hover over it or tap it to read its definition without leaving the page.
Accent color
The main color of a design, used for its headings, totals and lines.
In InvoiceStamp, pick it on a design's preview under Accent color, or set your own brand color with Color on the editor's Design card. The first swatch, split in two, keeps the design's own colors. See Choose a design and color.
Currency code
The three-letter code for a currency, from the ISO 4217 standard: USD for the US dollar, EUR for the euro, GBP for the pound, MAD for the Moroccan dirham.
The currency pill in the editor shows the document's code. See Invoice a client in another currency.
Discount
An amount taken off a price, either as a percentage (10% off) or as a fixed amount (20 off).
In InvoiceStamp, discounts sit on line items. Add Discount under the subtotal applies one to every line: a fixed amount is shared between the lines in proportion to their value. See Add tax and discounts.
Document number
The unique number that identifies a quotation, sale order or invoice, such as INV-0001. It's made of a prefix, a counter and an optional suffix.
Each document type has its own counter, starting at QUO-0001, SO-0001 and INV-0001. A number is never used twice, even after its document is deleted. See Change how documents are numbered.
Due date
The date by which the client should pay an invoice. On a quotation, you can use it as the date your offer ends.
In InvoiceStamp, a new document is due 30 days after its issue date. Shortcuts such as Net 14 set it for you. See Fill in a document, section by section.
Exchange rate
What one currency is worth in another, such as 1 euro = 1.08 US dollars.
InvoiceStamp doesn't use exchange rates: changing a document's currency keeps the amounts you typed. See Invoice a client in another currency.
IBAN
International Bank Account Number: a code of up to 34 letters and digits that identifies a bank account for transfers, used across Europe, the Middle East and many other countries.
Add yours under Bank Info so clients can pay you by transfer. See Add a signature, QR code, bank details and notes.
Invoice
A document asking a client to pay for goods or services you've delivered: what they owe, and by when.
In InvoiceStamp, invoices are numbered INV-0001 and up, and they're the only documents you record payments on. See Quotation, sale order or invoice.
Issue date
The date a document is made out. On an invoice, it's the invoice's own date.
In InvoiceStamp, a new document is dated today. Tap Issue date in the editor to change it.
Legal identifier
A registration number, other than a tax ID, that some countries require on invoices, such as SIRET in France, ICE in Morocco or EORI for customs in Europe.
InvoiceStamp offers 20 types under Additional Details → Add Legal Identifier, for your business and for each client. See Show your tax IDs on invoices.
Line item
One row of a document: a product or service with its quantity, unit, unit price, and any discount and tax.
Add them on the Products & Services screen, from your saved products or as one-off Custom lines. See Add line items to a document.
Overdue
An invoice that isn't fully paid by its due date.
InvoiceStamp shows Overdue on the invoice in your lists from the day after its due date. See Record a full or partial payment.
Partial payment
A payment for part of an invoice's total, with the rest still to come.
In InvoiceStamp, record one with Pay partially: the invoice shows Partial and the amount still due. See Record a full or partial payment.
Payment QR code
A QR code printed on a document that holds a payment link or bank details. Your client scans it with their phone's camera to pay.
Add one under Additional Options → QR Code. See Add a signature, QR code, bank details and notes.
Payment terms
The conditions for paying an invoice: when it's due, and how. "Net 30" means the full amount is due 30 days after the issue date.
In InvoiceStamp, Net 7, Net 14, Net 30 and Net 60 are due-date shortcuts. Write any other conditions under Notes & Terms → Payment Terms.
Quotation
A document that tells a client what a job would cost, before they agree to it. Also called a quote or an estimate.
In InvoiceStamp, quotations are numbered QUO-0001 and up. See Quotation, sale order or invoice.
Reference
An outside number that ties a document to something else, such as the client's purchase order (PO) number, a contract number or a job number.
Add it with + Reference at the top of the editor; it prints on the PDF.
RIB
Relevé d'identité bancaire: the bank account details used for transfers in Morocco and France. In Morocco, it's the 24-digit account number.
Add it under Bank Info with your other bank details.
Sale order
A document confirming what a client has ordered and its price, sent after they accept and before you deliver.
In InvoiceStamp, sale orders are numbered SO-0001 and up. See Quotation, sale order or invoice.
Section
A heading row between line items, such as Design or Development, that groups the lines under it. It has no price.
Add one with Section on the Products & Services screen. See Add line items to a document.
Subtotal
The amount of a document's lines before discounts and without tax.
You'll find it on the Products & Services screen, above Add Discount and the tax row.
Supply date
The date the goods were delivered or the work was done, also called the tax point or the time of supply. Some VAT rules require it when it differs from the issue date.
Add it with + Add Supply Date in the editor. See Fill in a document, section by section.
SWIFT / BIC
The code that identifies a bank in international transfers, 8 or 11 letters and digits long. SWIFT code and BIC (Bank Identifier Code) are two names for the same thing.
Add it under Bank Info, in the SWIFT field.
Tax excluded and tax included
Two ways to state a price. Tax excluded (Excl.): the tax is added on top, so 100 with 20% tax comes to 120. Tax included (Incl.): the price already contains the tax, so 120 is 100 plus 20 of tax.
Set it on the tax row of the Products & Services screen, and as a default on each saved product. See Add tax and discounts.
Tax ID
The number a tax authority gives a business or a person to identify them for tax, such as an EIN in the United States or a VAT number in Europe. Invoices usually show yours, and your client's when they're a business.
In InvoiceStamp, Tax ID is a field in your business details and on each client. See Show your tax IDs on invoices.
Total due
The amount the client has to pay: every line after discounts, plus the tax added on top.
InvoiceStamp shows it as Total due on the Products & Services screen, and as the big total at the top of the editor.
Total in words
The total written out in words as well as in figures, which some countries expect on invoices.
Designs that show it print it in English from the whole amount and the currency's name, such as one hundred fifty-six Dollars. Cents aren't written out.
Trading name
The name a business trades under, which can differ from its registered legal name.
In InvoiceStamp, Trading Name is the business name printed at the top of your documents. See Edit your business profile.
Unit of measure (UOM)
What a line's quantity counts: pieces, hours, days, kilograms, square meters. Also written UOM.
InvoiceStamp has 25 built-in units, such as Piece, Hour and Square Metre, and Custom… in the unit list lets you type your own. Most print as a short symbol, such as pc or h. See Add line items to a document.
Unit price
The price of one unit of a line item: one hour, one piece, one day. The line's amount is the unit price times the quantity, less any discount.
Set it as Unit Price on a line, or as Price on a saved product, in the document's currency.
VAT
Value-added tax: a tax on sales, collected at each step from producer to buyer. It's called TVA in French and IVA in Spanish, and similar taxes go by GST or sales tax.
On InvoiceStamp PDFs, each line's tax prints as VAT with its rate, such as VAT 4%. See Add tax and discounts.
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