Configure Finance Numbering And Defaults
Set invoice, estimate, and credit-note defaults before sending documents.
Finance defaults control the starting values used when creating invoices, estimates, and credit notes.
Configure these values before sending live finance documents. Changes can affect customer-facing document numbers, tax display, due dates, and terms.
Treat numbering and default terms as finance-controlled settings. They affect customer documents and accounting review, so changes should be intentional and documented.
Configure Invoice Defaults
- Open Settings.
- Go to Finance.
- Review invoice currency, document locale, due date behavior, theme color, tax display, tax registration fields, and default terms.
- Save settings.
Before Changing Defaults
Check whether invoices, estimates, recurring invoices, checkout links, and templates rely on the current defaults. A default change can affect new documents immediately even when old documents stay unchanged.
Configure Numbering
Review numbering for invoices, estimates, and credit notes. Numbering can include prefix, suffix, padding, and pattern fields.
Set numbering before sending finance documents so customers see consistent document numbers.
Avoid changing numbering after customers have already received invoices unless your finance process requires it. Gaps or changed prefixes can make accounting reconciliation harder.
Before changing numbering in an active workspace, review the last issued invoice, estimate, and credit note numbers. Confirm the next number will not duplicate an existing document or break your accounting sequence.
Use separate prefixes for different document types when your customers or
accounting process need quick recognition, such as INV-, EST-, and CN-.
Keep padding consistent so document lists sort cleanly.
Configure Estimate Defaults
Review estimate currency, document locale, tax breakdown display, and estimate branding. Estimate defaults apply when creating new estimates.
Estimate defaults should match the sales process. If estimates usually expire or need signature approval, verify those settings and customer-facing instructions before the sales team sends live quotes.
Document the Change
When numbering or terms change, record the effective date and last old number. This helps finance explain gaps, prefixes, and new due-date behavior later.
Test Defaults
Create a draft invoice, estimate, and credit note after changing defaults. Confirm numbering, currency, locale, terms, tax display, and branding before sending anything to a customer.
Also test document previews after changing finance templates or organization details. Numbering and defaults are part of the customer-facing finance experience, not just internal settings.
Change Management
When changing finance defaults in an active workspace:
- note the last issued numbers before saving
- create one draft document for each type
- compare the preview with a previous sent document
- confirm taxes, terms, due dates, and payment instructions
- tell finance users when the new numbering starts
- update any external accounting notes if numbering changed
Do not edit old sent documents just to match new defaults unless your finance process requires a formal correction.
Numbering Safety Checks
Before saving numbering changes:
- Record the last issued number for each document type.
- Confirm the next generated number will not duplicate an existing document.
- Check recurring invoices and workflow-created finance documents.
- Create a draft document and preview it.
- Tell finance users when the new pattern starts.
Avoid Number Collisions
Check imported legacy documents, recurring invoices, workflow-created drafts, and manually edited document numbers before resetting a sequence. Invoice, estimate, credit note, and payment records may use separate sequences, so review each one separately.
Do not reset an active sequence just to make numbers shorter. If a correction is needed, document the last used number and confirm the next generated draft cannot duplicate an existing finance document.