> ## 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.

# Setting up invoicing

> Company details, bank details, tax rates, numbering and PDF branding — the setup to do before your first invoice.

Twenty minutes here saves you from reissuing invoices later. Everything you configure flows into
every document you produce.

## Company details

Open **Invoicing → Settings → General**.

| Field                   | Why it matters                                                        |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Legal name**          | Appears on every invoice. Must match your PACRA certificate           |
| **Trading name**        | What customers recognise, if different                                |
| **TPIN**                | Required on invoices and for ZRA Smart Invoice                        |
| **Registration number** | Your PACRA number                                                     |
| **Address**             | Your trading address as it should appear                              |
| **Phone and email**     | How customers reach you about a bill                                  |
| **Logo**                | Appears on PDFs. Upload a clean version with a transparent background |

## Bank details

These appear on invoices so customers know where to pay. Getting them wrong is the single most
expensive typo in invoicing.

| Field          | Notes                        |
| -------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Bank name      | The full name                |
| Branch         | Branch name and code         |
| Account name   | Exactly as the bank holds it |
| Account number | Check it twice               |
| Sort code      | Where applicable             |
| SWIFT code     | For international payments   |

You can also add mobile money details if you accept payment that way.

<Warning>
  Check the account number character by character against a bank statement, not from memory. An
  invoice with the wrong account number sends your customer's money somewhere else, and you will
  not find out until you chase the payment.
</Warning>

## Tax rates

Configure the rates you actually charge.

| Rate                         | Typical use                               |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Standard rated VAT — 16%** | If you are VAT registered                 |
| **Turnover tax — 4%**        | Where applied at point of sale            |
| **Zero rated — 0%**          | Exports and specified zero-rated supplies |
| **Exempt**                   | Supplies outside the scope of VAT         |

Set a default rate so it applies automatically to new lines. You can still change it per line.

<Note>
  If you are not VAT registered, do not configure or charge VAT. Charging VAT you are not
  registered to collect is a serious problem, not a rounding error.
</Note>

## Invoice numbering

| Setting             | What it does                                     |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| **Prefix**          | Text before the number — for example `INV-`      |
| **Starting number** | Where the sequence begins                        |
| **Padding**         | How many digits — `INV-0001` rather than `INV-1` |

Separate sequences run for invoices, quotes, credit notes and purchase documents.

<Warning>
  Do not change your numbering mid-year. Gaps and restarts in an invoice sequence are exactly what
  a ZRA audit questions. Set it once, at the start.
</Warning>

## Default terms

| Setting                  | Effect                                                |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Payment terms**        | The default due date — for example 30 days from issue |
| **Currency**             | Usually ZMW                                           |
| **Footer text**          | Appears at the bottom of every document               |
| **Terms and conditions** | Your standard terms, printed on the invoice           |

Setting realistic payment terms matters. Terms of 30 days when you actually expect payment in 7
means your aging report tells you nothing useful.

## PDF template and branding

Open **Invoicing → Settings → Invoice Template**.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose a template style">
    Three are available:

    | Style       | Character                     |
    | ----------- | ----------------------------- |
    | **Classic** | Traditional, formal, dense    |
    | **Modern**  | Clean, spacious, contemporary |
    | **Minimal** | Stripped back, plain          |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose what appears">
    Toggle the logo, tax columns, shipping address and payment instructions on or off.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set your colours">
    A primary and an accent colour, applied across all documents. Use your actual brand colours,
    and keep them dark enough to read when printed in black and white.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add default footer and terms">
    Standard text for every document.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preview and save">
    Generate a test PDF and look at it properly. Print one. Check the logo is not stretched, the
    colours are legible, and the bank details are correct.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Changes apply to future PDFs. Documents already generated keep the design they were issued with.

## ZRA Smart Invoice

If you are required to transmit invoices to ZRA, set this up before you start invoicing — not
after you have issued fifty invoices that need retrospective transmission.

See [Smart Invoice](/invoicing/smart-invoice) for the full setup.

## Setup checklist

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Before your first invoice">
    * Legal name and TPIN entered
    * Bank details verified against a statement
    * Tax rates configured, with a default
    * Numbering set and never to be changed
    * Payment terms set to what you actually expect
    * Logo uploaded and a test PDF printed
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Before you invoice at volume">
    * Customers loaded — see [Customers and vendors](/invoicing/customers-and-vendors)
    * Products and services in the catalogue — see [Products and prices](/invoicing/products-and-prices)
    * ZRA Smart Invoice registered and active, if it applies to you
    * Recurring invoices set up for anything you bill every month
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Test before you go live">
    * Create an invoice to a test customer
    * Generate the PDF and print it
    * Email it to yourself and open it on a phone
    * Record a payment against it and check the status changes
    * Void or delete the test
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  Next: [Customers and vendors](/invoicing/customers-and-vendors).
</Note>