Creating Invoices and Packing Slips for Shipments

Overview

An invoice is a record of the receipt of payment for an order, making it a permanent record of an order. Payment can be automatically received during invoice generation, or payment can be handled later, depending on your store settings and which payment method was used during order creation. Multiple invoices can be created per order, because invoices aren’t required to include all line items or quantities in the order.

To create an invoice and packing slip for a shipment:

1. From the Admin panel, select Sales > Orders.
   
2. From the Orders list, select the order for which you want to create an invoice by checking the checkbox in the far left column of its row.
3. In the Action column on the right side of the list, click View.
4. Click Invoice at the top right of the Order page to create an invoice. The new invoice page looks similar to the image shown here.

   Note: For orders with online payment methods where you have chosen “Authorize and Capture,” this button does not appear. A new invoice page looks very similar to a completed order page, with some additional fields that can be edited.

5. If your items are ready to ship, you can create a packing slip for the shipment at the same time you create the invoice. To do this, select the Create Shipment box located in the Shipping Information area.

   Tip: You can add a shipment tracking number here for your customer’s convenience.

   
6. Specify whether you want to invoice the entire order or only specified line items or quantities.
   
7. With some payment methods, you can generate an invoice immediately. If an online payment method was selected for the order, you see an Amount drop-down menu in the order totals box, and you select which option to use for creating the invoice.
   

   Note: The payment method that was used for payment when the order was created determines which options you can select to create the invoice.

   • Capture Online: Upon invoice submission, the system captures the payment from the third-party payment gateway. You have the ability to create a credit memo and void the invoice.
   • Capture Offline: Upon invoice submission, the system does not capture the payment. It is assumed that the payment is captured directly through the gateway, and you no longer have the option to capture this payment through Magento Go. You have the ability to create a credit memo, but you do not have the option to void the invoice. (Even though the order used an online payment, the invoice is essentially an offline invoice.)
   • Not Capture: When the invoice is submitted, the system does not capture the payment. It is assumed that you will capture the payment through Magento Go at a later date. There is a Capture button in the completed invoice. Before capturing, you are able to cancel the invoice. After capturing you are able to create a credit memo and void the invoice.
     

     Note: Do not select Not Capture unless you are certain that you are going to capture the payment through Magento Go at a later date. You will not be able to create a credit memo until the payment has been captured using the Capture button.

8. To notify customers by email when an invoice is generated, do the following:
   
   1. Mark the Email Copy of Invoice checkbox on the invoice creation page.
   2. Type any comments you would like to include in the Invoice Comments field. These comments can be included in the invoice notification email by marking the Append Comments checkbox.
      

      Tip: Email notifications can be completely customized from the Admin panel by going to System > Transactional Emails. For more information, see Customizing Transactional Emails.

   3. To send a copy of the invoice email to yourself, fill in your designated email address in the Send Invoice Email Copy To field. The status of an invoice email is displayed in the completed invoice (either sent or not sent), next to the invoice number.
9. When finished, click Submit Invoice at the bottom of the page. The order status changes from Pending to Complete.

See also:

Printing Invoices

Printing Packing Slips for Shipments

Batch Printing Invoices, Packing Slips, and Credit Memos

Creating Credit Memos