After an invoice draft is created, the next steps are to review, finalize, and send it to your client—or transfer it to your accounting system.
In this article, we’ll cover how to finalize your invoices and which permissions are needed to finalize or send them.
Finalizing the Invoice
Once you’ve reviewed the draft and everything looks correct:
Click Finalize Invoice.
An invoice number will be assigned (manually or automatically, depending on your settings).
📌 Duplicate numbers: If you manually enter a number that’s already been used, you’ll see a warning, but you can still save it.
The invoice state changes from draft to finalized and becomes visible in the Invoices tab within the budget.
Sending or Copying to Accounting
After finalization, you can:
Send the invoice directly to the client.
The email content is prefilled based on your document template, but you can click Edit to adjust it.
Additional email options (via checkboxes at the bottom):
Send a copy to the invoice sender
Save the current email as the new default for the template
Attach a PDF of time entries (timesheet)
Automatically add a payment reminder sequence
Remove Productive branding from the email
If you're not sending the invoice through Productive, click Mark as Sent in the upper left.
📌 The invoice must be marked as sent to add payment reminders or record incoming payments.
Copy the invoice to an integrated accounting tool (e.g., QuickBooks).
📌 If you select Copy to Accounting on a draft, it will be finalized automatically.
Editing the Invoice
You can still make changes to a finalized invoice. For example, you can update:
Invoice date (issue date)
Due date (payment deadline)
Delivery date (when the service or product was delivered)
Line items—add, remove, or adjust as needed
Just remember to click Save Changes to apply your edits.
If the invoice has already been copied to accounting, you’ll need to re-sync it.
Hover over the Invoice Copied badge and choose whether to update the existing invoice or create a new one.
If you sent the invoice to a client or manually marked it as sent, you won't be able to edit it further. However, you can mark it as unsent if needed.
Invoicing Permissions and Roles
Only users with the right permissions can finalize and send invoices. These can be customized by your admin via the Permission Builder.
Here’s how roles usually break down:
1) Invoice Preparer
Can create and edit drafts
Cannot finalize or send invoices
📌 Example: Project Managers who prepare the invoice but don’t handle billing.
2) Invoicer
Can review, finalize, and send invoices
Can edit or delete finalized invoices
📌 Example: Account Managers or Finance team members responsible for billing.
3) Accounting Contact
Can do everything the Invoicer can do
Can also transfer invoices to accounting tools
Can manage payment reminders
📌 Example: Finance team members who manage both invoicing and payment tracking.
For full details, see the Custom Invoicing Permissions article.
Default Permissions and Custom Roles
Admins and full-access Managers and Profitability Managers can manage all invoicing and payments by default.
Restricted Managers can only manage invoices for budgets they’re assigned to.
Custom roles can be created to suit your internal processes.
Monitoring Finalized Invoices Through Reports and Dashboards
Once invoices are finalized, you can continue tracking them using custom reports or dashboard widgets.
Whether you need to monitor payment statuses, totals, or invoice timelines, reports give you a clear overview of your invoicing progress.
Learn more in Monitoring Invoice Drafts and Finalized Invoices.