Setting up Invoicing

Before entering invoices, you need to make sure you've set up your invoice defaults. Some of these also apply to Sales Orders (SOP), but this section just deals with how they're applied to Invoicing.

When you first configured Sage 200, you could choose:

• Whether your stock item prices are inclusive or exclusive of VAT.
• Whether to allow payments to be entered with orders and invoices
• The starting numbers for your invoices and credit notes.

Use VAT inclusive pricing

You must choose whether your selling prices are inclusive or exclusive of VAT. This is set to exclude VAT by default.

If you want to use VAT inclusive pricing, you must choose this in Invoice and Order settings, before entering any invoice or sales order.

Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > Invoice and Order Settings | Invoice and Order Entry.

Set invoice and credit note numbers

If you haven't already done so, choose the starting numbers for invoice and credit notes. These can only be numbers, you can't use alpha-numeric references.

You set this in the Invoice and Order settings.

Numbers are assigned to invoices and credit notes created in Invoicing, when the invoice or credit note is saved.

Invoice numbers are used by both Invoicing and Sales Orders (SOP), so your invoice numbers are assigned to each one in order. For example, if you create an invoice from the Invoicing module, this has invoice no 1. If you then create an invoice from a sales order, this has an invoice number of 2.

Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > Invoice and Order Settings | Document numbering.

Use free text lines

You can use free text lines to add one-off lines with a value. These can be used for things you don't want to keep track of, or don't want to create stock record for. By default, invoices and sales orders are set to only use standard items only (stock items).

If you want to use free text lines, you set this in the Invoice and Order settings. A free text line can be added to an invoice, by selecting Free text as the Line type.

If you only want to use free text lines on invoices, then you can also turn off the use of standard items (stock items) at the same time.

Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > Invoice and Order Settings | Invoice and Order Entry.

See Invoice and sales order settings and defaults.

Record payments with invoices

You can record the receipt of a payment at the same time as entering an order or invoice. To do this:

• Turn on Allow payments to be recorded during invoice and order entry in Invoice and Order Settings | Invoice and Order Entry. Turning this on will add a Payment tab to the invoice.
• If you want to print text other than Paid in Full on these invoices, enter your own text in the Invoice and Order Settings | Invoice Printing.
• Set up Payment Methods. This sets the bank account the payment is taken from.
• If you want to take card payments directly in Sage 200 using Opayo, turn on Enable card processing in the Invoice and Order Settings | Invoice and Order Entry. See Take card payments using Opayo (formerly Sage Pay).

Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > Invoice and Order Settings.

See Invoice and sales order settings and defaults.

If you never take payments with orders then you don't need to use these settings.

Set an account for cash sales

You can set up a generic account to record cash sales. Using a generic account means you don't have to set up individual customer accounts for one-off sales or for every quote. These accounts can't be used as regular accounts, so they don't show on the drop-down list when entering orders, invoices and quotes.

You can only use one cash account and this is used for both Invoicing and Sales Orders (SOP).

To do this:

1. Create a customer account for your cash sales.
2. Specify that this is the Cash account in the Invoice and Order Settings.

Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > Invoice and Order Settings | Invoice and Order Entry.

Set invoice and order user permissions

You can set up Sage 200 so that you can control which users can see or edit certain parts of your invoices and orders. Users who have admin access have these permissions tuned on by default.

You don't have to set any of these permissions. If they're not set, the users can't see profit and discounts, override prices, etc. Any permissions you do set apply to both invoicing and sales orders.

You can choose to allow users to:

• See the amount of profit made for each invoice or orders and item line.

  This enables the Profit buttons when:

  • Enter and amending sales orders, pro formas and quotes.
  • Viewing invoices.

• View details of all discounts that have been used to make up the total for the order or invoice line.

  This could be a combination of a quantity discount, line discount and customer discount. This adds a Discounts button to the Edit item line screen.

• Override putting an order or invoice on hold when the customer's account is over their credit limit.
• Change the price or discount of stock item.
• Change the cost price of a stock item (only for items that use the FIFO costing method).

This cost price is only used to calculate the profitability of the order or invoice.

The cost price stored on the stock item is not affected. The stock history and reports use the cost price set on the stock item for their calculations.

• Set a default warehouse for a user.

  When this user enters an order or invoice, they can only choose stock items from this warehouse by default, although they can change this. This is useful if a user needs to select products from a specific warehouse or branch first.

Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > User Permissions.

See Invoice and order user permissions.

Set defaults for carriage and other charges

You can add charges to invoices and orders for such things such as carriage and insurance. If these are just a one-off cost, then you can just add them 'on the fly'. If you have charges that you use regularly, then set them up as an additional charge record, so that it's quicker to enter them and it'll make sure the charges are applied consistently.

These additional charge records are used for invoices and sales orders.

Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > Additional Charges.

See Create charge defaults.

Set up invoice and credit note layouts

You can use different invoice and credit note layouts for different customers, or set up a layout for printed documents and another for sending documents by email.

If you're happy to use the default layout without any changes, you don't need to anything.

To use a different layout, you must:

• Create the layout you want to use, using Report Designer (Sage's report writing tool). We recommend that you make changes to the default layout.
• Set the new layout as the default for all customers, or set the layout you want to use on each customer account.

See Use custom layouts.

Set up analysis codes

Analysis codes are custom fields that you can associate with invoices and sales orders. You can use them to filter or group invoices on reports and workspaces. For example, you could use analysis codes to specify which sales person has sold the goods, or to specify which branch or region placed the sales. For example, you could use analysis codes to specify school or department is responsible for the sale, or which class the a school uniform sale is for. You use the same analysis codes for invoicing and sales orders and you can have up to 20 analysis codes.

Each analysis code has two parts: a Code for the type of information and a set of Values that can choose for each invoice. For example, a Sales person analysis code could have a set of values; Ann, Tim and Chris. You choose a Value for each relevant analysis code. If an analysis code is not to be used, leave the value blank.

Analysis codes can be added to the:

• Whole order or an invoice - using the Analysis Codes tab.

• Individual items on an order - using the Analysis Codes button on the item.

Open: Settings > Organisational and Financial > Analysis Codes.

See Use analysis codes with invoices and sales orders.

Create invoice and order items

Invoice and order items are just records of things you want to sell, but don't want to create a stock record for. You only need to set up invoice and order items if you need to use them.

You would generally use them if you're not using Stock Control. You can use them to keep a record of free text lines you regularly add to invoices and sales orders. These items can't be added to purchase orders.

Each item has a code, price, notional cost, default VAT rate and default nominal code. They are added to invoices and sales orders as stock items.

To use invoice and order items:

1. Make sure you choose to use Both standard and free text items in the Invoice and Order settings.

2. Create your invoice and orders items:

   Open: Settings > Invoicing and Sales Orders > Sales Order Items.

See Create invoice and order items.