WHMCS generates most invoices automatically from recurring services, but you will often need to create a one-off invoice, record a bank transfer, give a refund or fix a mistake. This guide covers the everyday invoice tasks in the WHMCS admin area.
Before you start
- An administrator account with billing permissions.
- Payment gateways configured, including any offline method such as Bank Transfer.
Find an invoice
Go to Billing → Invoices. Filter by status (Unpaid, Overdue, Paid, Cancelled, Refunded) or search by number, client or amount. You can also open the Invoices tab in any client's profile.
Create a manual invoice
- Open the client profile and click Create Invoice (or go to Billing → Create Invoice and choose the client).
- Set the Invoice Date, Due Date and Payment Method.
- Add line items: description, amount and whether each is taxed.
- Click Save Changes. The invoice is created as a Draft in recent versions.
- Click Publish (or Publish and Send Email) to make it visible and notify the client.
Edit an invoice
Open the invoice. You can change item descriptions and amounts, add or delete lines, change the due date and payment method, and add notes. Avoid editing paid invoices; in many jurisdictions issued invoices should be corrected with a credit note or refund instead.
Record an offline payment
- Open the invoice and click the Add Payment tab.
- Enter the Date, Payment Method (for example Bank Transfer), Transaction ID (bank reference), Amount and any fees.
- Tick Send Email to send a payment confirmation.
- Click Add Payment.
When the total is covered, the invoice becomes Paid and WHMCS runs the usual actions, such as unsuspending or provisioning the service.
Apply credit
If the client has account credit (from overpayments or refunds to credit), open the invoice, enter an amount under Apply Credit and click Go. You can add credit manually in the client profile under Billing → Add Credit (or Manage Credits).
Refund a payment
- Open the paid invoice and go to the Refund tab.
- Choose the transaction and amount.
- Choose the refund type: Refund through Gateway (PayPal, Stripe), Manual refund (you send the money yourself) or Add to client's credit balance.
- Click Refund.
Other useful actions
- Merge: in the invoice list, tick several unpaid invoices of the same client and click Merge so the customer pays once.
- Cancel: mark an invoice Cancelled if the order will not go ahead. The related service will not be activated.
- Download PDF: click Download PDF on the invoice page.
- Mass pay: clients can pay multiple invoices at once from the client area.
Troubleshooting
- Service not activated after payment: the product is set to activate manually, or provisioning failed – check the Module Log.
- Wrong tax: the client's country or tax exemption is set incorrectly; see tax configuration.
- Duplicate invoices: a service has the wrong next due date. Correct it on the service page.