Set the currency on an invoice

Where the currency comes from

An invoice does not start blank on currency. It picks one up automatically, and where it comes from depends on who you are billing.

• A saved client. The invoice locks to the currency saved on that client. You cannot change it on the invoice. This keeps every invoice and quotation for that client in one consistent currency.
• A brand-new lead. When you send an invoice to someone who is not a client yet, there is no saved currency, so you pick one on the invoice itself. It starts on your firm's own currency.

Your firm's own currency is the default, so if you never touch it, the invoice is raised in the currency your books run in.

For a saved client, set the currency on the client

Because a saved client's invoice is locked to their currency, the place to set or change it is on the client, not on the invoice.

1. Log in to your workspace.
2. In the left menu, under Clients, click Companies.
3. Open the client, or add a new one with Add company.
4. In the Currency field, pick the currency this client pays in.
5. Save.

From then on, every invoice and quotation you raise for that client uses this currency. On the invoice builder you will see it as a small, non-editable currency box next to the totals.

For a brand-new lead, pick the currency on the invoice

When you raise an invoice for a new lead, the currency box is a dropdown, not a locked box. It sits on the same row as the Invoice date and the optional note, below the totals.

1. Log in to your workspace.
2. In the left menu, under Finance, click Invoices, then open New invoice, and choose the option to send to a new lead.
3. Add the recipient and your line items.
4. Find the currency dropdown below the totals, on the Invoice date row.
5. Open it and choose the currency you want. Your firm's own currency is first and pre-selected, followed by the common currencies (US Dollar, Euro, British Pound and so on).
6. Preview the invoice. The subtotal, tax and total now show in the currency you chose.
7. Send when it looks right.

You choose from a fixed list of supported currencies. You do not type a free three-letter code.

Editing an invoice never changes its currency

If you edit an invoice that already exists, the currency box is locked, the same as for a saved client. Editing changes the lines, dates and notes, but the currency stays as it was raised.

Billing in a currency that is not your firm's own

When the invoice currency is different from your firm's own currency, the builder shows an Exchange rate field, and it is required.

The rate is not just for show. It is how the invoice is recorded in your own books. Your client sees the invoice in their currency, and your accounts record the same invoice in your firm's currency, worked out at the rate you enter. If you leave the rate blank, the invoice cannot be raised.

The full walkthrough, including what happens when the client pays, is in Bill a client in their own currency.