> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bumara.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Invoicing overview

> Your whole billing cycle in Bumara — quotes, invoices, payments, purchases and ZRA Smart Invoice.

Invoicing covers everything from quoting a customer to getting the money in, plus the purchase
side: vendor bills, purchase orders and what you owe.

It also feeds your compliance work. Approved sales invoices become your turnover figures for
[turnover tax](/regulators/zra/turnover-tax), and with Smart Invoice enabled they go to ZRA as
you issue them.

## What is here

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Sales" icon="file-invoice-dollar">
    Invoices, quotes, credit notes, delivery notes, customers and statements.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Purchases" icon="cart-shopping">
    Vendor bills, purchase orders, debit notes, vendors and statements.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payments" icon="money-bill-transfer">
    Record money in and out, allocate it to invoices, and void mistakes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reports" icon="chart-line">
    Revenue, aging, tax summary, and your dashboard figures.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## The sales cycle

<Steps>
  <Step title="Quote">
    Prepare an estimate for a customer. Optional — many businesses invoice directly.
    See [Quotes and orders](/invoicing/quotes-and-orders).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invoice">
    Create the invoice, as a draft you can still change. See
    [Create and send an invoice](/invoicing/create-and-send-an-invoice).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    Email it as a PDF, or download and send it yourself. The status moves to Sent.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Transmit to ZRA">
    If Smart Invoice is set up, the invoice goes to ZRA. See
    [Smart Invoice](/invoicing/smart-invoice).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get paid">
    Record the payment and allocate it to the invoice. See
    [Recording payments](/invoicing/recording-payments).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Chase what is late">
    Use the aging report and statements. See
    [Reports and statements](/invoicing/reports-and-statements).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Document types

### Sales — money coming in

| Document               | What it is                                                        |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Sales invoice**      | A demand for payment for goods or services supplied               |
| **Quote**              | An estimate. Converts to an invoice in one action when accepted   |
| **Credit note**        | Reduces what a customer owes — a return, a discount, a correction |
| **Delivery note**      | Documents goods dispatched, without charging for them             |
| **Customer statement** | Every transaction with one customer, with aging                   |

### Purchases — money going out

| Document             | What it is                                                        |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Purchase invoice** | A bill received from a vendor                                     |
| **Purchase order**   | Your order to a vendor. Converts to a purchase invoice on receipt |
| **Debit note**       | Reduces what you owe a vendor — a return or a claim               |
| **Vendor statement** | Every transaction with one vendor                                 |

### Mining exports

If you export minerals, a separate chain applies — commercial invoices before export, then
provisional and final invoices as the price settles. See
[Mining and export invoices](/invoicing/mining-and-export-invoices).

## Document statuses

| Status             | Meaning                          | Can you edit it?                   |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| **Draft**          | Not finalised                    | Yes — edit or delete freely        |
| **Sent**           | Delivered to the customer        | No — correct it with a credit note |
| **Viewed**         | The customer has opened it       | No                                 |
| **Partially paid** | Some payment received            | No                                 |
| **Paid**           | Fully settled                    | No                                 |
| **Overdue**        | Past due date and not fully paid | No                                 |
| **Void**           | Cancelled                        | No                                 |

<Warning>
  Once an invoice leaves draft you cannot edit it. This is deliberate — the customer has a copy,
  and changing your version behind their back destroys the point of an invoice. Correct with a
  credit note and reissue.
</Warning>

## Payment methods

| Method        | Notes                                                         |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Cash          | Record the receipt number                                     |
| Bank transfer | Record the bank reference                                     |
| Mobile money  | MTN, Airtel and Zamtel. Record the transaction ID             |
| Cheque        | Record the cheque number. Do not mark as paid until it clears |
| Card          | Record the authorisation reference                            |

## Your dashboard

| Figure            | Meaning                                       |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Total revenue** | Invoiced in the period                        |
| **Outstanding**   | Invoiced and not yet paid                     |
| **Overdue**       | Past due and unpaid — the number that matters |
| **Paid**          | Collected in the period                       |

Below these sit a revenue trend and a breakdown by status.

## Where to start

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Set up invoicing" icon="gear" href="/invoicing/setting-up">
    Company details, bank details, tax rates, numbering and templates. Do this first.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Add your customers" icon="address-book" href="/invoicing/customers-and-vendors">
    Contact details, billing addresses, TPINs and payment terms.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Build your catalogue" icon="tags" href="/invoicing/products-and-prices">
    Products and services with prices and tax rates, so invoicing is a few clicks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Raise your first invoice" icon="file-circle-plus" href="/invoicing/create-and-send-an-invoice">
    The full flow from draft to sent.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Navigation

| Section       | Contains                                                  |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Dashboard** | Overview and charts                                       |
| **Sales**     | Invoices, quotes, credit notes, delivery notes, customers |
| **Purchases** | Purchase invoices, purchase orders, debit notes, vendors  |
| **Payments**  | Record and allocate payments                              |
| **Products**  | Your catalogue of goods and services                      |
| **Recurring** | Automated repeating invoices                              |
| **Reports**   | Aging, revenue, tax summary                               |
| **Settings**  | Company details, invoice template, ZRA Smart Invoice      |