Documentation

System Requirements

• Windows: Windows 10 or later
• macOS: macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
• Storage: 200 MB free disk space
• Internet: Not required (needed only for email and online payments)

Installation

1. Download OwnInvoice Desktop from your purchase email or the success page after checkout.
2. Run the installer. On macOS, drag the app to your Applications folder. On Windows, follow the setup wizard.
3. Launch OwnInvoice Desktop. The application will create a local database on first run.
4. Enter your license key when prompted to activate the full version.

Initial Setup

After launching OwnInvoice for the first time, head to Settings to configure your company information:

1. Enter your company name, address, email, and phone number. This information appears on all invoices.
2. Upload your company logo. It will be displayed on invoices and quotes.
3. Set your tax rate and currency under Tax & Currency settings.
4. Configure your invoice numbering format (prefix, starting number).
5. Set up email (SMTP) if you want to send invoices and reminders by email.

The Dashboard is the first screen you see when opening OwnInvoice. It provides an overview of your invoicing activity.

Stats Cards

Click any stat card to jump directly to the Invoices list filtered by that status.

Recent Invoices

The dashboard shows your 5 most recent invoices with quick-action buttons to Edit or View each one.

Navigation

Use the sidebar on the left to navigate between sections. The sidebar can be customized in Settings to show, hide, or reorder tabs.

Creating an Invoice

1. Click New Invoice from the Invoices page or press Ctrl+N.
2. Select a client from the dropdown or create a new one inline.
3. The invoice number is auto-generated based on your numbering settings.
4. Set the invoice date and due date.
5. Add line items with description, quantity, rate, and optional discount per item.
6. Optionally add shipping costs, adjustments, and notes.
7. Click Save to save as a draft, or Save & Send to email it to the client.

Line Items

• Description — What you're billing for
• Quantity — Number of units
• Rate — Price per unit
• Discount — Per-item discount (percentage or fixed amount)
• SKU — Stock keeping unit for inventory tracking
• Unit of Measure — Each, Hour, Day, Meter, Kilogram, etc.

Invoice Statuses

Batch Operations

Select multiple invoices using the checkboxes to perform bulk actions:

• Mark as Paid — Update selected invoices to paid status
• Archive — Move selected invoices to the archive
• Delete — Permanently remove selected invoices

Quotes work just like invoices, with a few differences:

• Quotes have a separate numbering system (e.g., QT-0001)
• Quotes include an expiry date instead of a due date
• Quotes use statuses: Draft, Sent, Accepted, Rejected

Converting a Quote to an Invoice

When a client accepts your quote, click the Convert to Invoice button. OwnInvoice will create a new invoice with all the quote's details pre-filled. The original quote is marked as accepted.

Credit notes are used to issue partial or full refunds, correct billing errors, or provide credits to clients. Each credit note is linked to a specific invoice.

Creating a Credit Note

1. Navigate to Credit Notes and click New Credit Note.
2. Select the invoice the credit applies to.
3. Choose a reason (refund, return, adjustment, billing error, etc.).
4. Add the items being credited with quantities and amounts.
5. Save as draft or issue immediately.

Adding a Client

• Name (required) and Email (required)
• Phone number, Address (street, city, state, zip)
• Website, Industry, Company Size
• Contact person and title, Secondary contact
• Tax ID and tax exempt status
• Notes for internal reference

Credit Management

• Credit Limit — Maximum outstanding balance allowed
• Payment Terms — NET 30, NET 60, Due on Receipt, etc.
• Default Discount Rate — Automatic discount for this client

Multiple Addresses

Each client can have multiple billing and shipping addresses. Label them (Main, Warehouse, Branch Office, etc.) and mark one as default.

CSV Import

Import clients in bulk from a CSV file. OwnInvoice validates the data and reports any errors before importing.

Saved Items are a library of products and services you frequently bill for. Instead of typing item details every time, select from your saved items when creating an invoice.

Item Fields

• Description — Name/description of the product or service
• Rate — Default selling price
• Category — General, Consulting, Development, Design, Marketing, Support, or Other
• SKU — Stock Keeping Unit for tracking
• Unit of Measure — Each, Hour, Day, Meter, Kilogram, Liter, etc.
• Cost Price — Your cost (used for markup calculation)
• Markup % — Desired markup percentage
• Taxable — Whether tax applies to this item

Setting Up

1. Navigate to Recurring Invoices and click New Recurring Invoice.
2. Select a client and give the template a name.
3. Choose a frequency: Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly.
4. Set the start date and optional end date.
5. Add your line items and click Save.

How It Works

OwnInvoice automatically checks for due recurring invoices every hour and on app startup. When a recurring invoice's next generation date arrives, a new invoice is created automatically with status set to Pending.

You can also click Generate Now to immediately create an invoice from any template.

OwnInvoice includes three default reminder templates:

• Payment Due Soon — Sent 3 days before the due date
• Payment Overdue — Sent 7 days after the due date
• Second Reminder — Sent 14 days after the due date

Template Variables

OwnInvoice automatically checks for invoices needing reminders every 6 hours. Each template is only sent once per invoice to prevent spam.

Charts

• Monthly Revenue Chart — Revenue over the past 12 months
• Revenue by Client — Pie chart showing top clients by revenue

CSV Export

• Monthly Revenue CSV — Month-by-month revenue breakdown
• All Invoices CSV — Complete invoice list with all details

Recording a Payment

1. Open the invoice and click Record Payment.
2. Enter the amount, select payment method, and add a reference number.
3. Click Save. The invoice auto-updates to Paid when fully paid.

An invoice can have multiple partial payments.

Payment Gateways

OwnInvoice integrates with 5 payment gateways. Configure them in Settings > Payment Gateways:

Authorize.Net is also supported with API Login ID and Transaction Key. Each gateway supports sandbox/test mode.

SMTP Configuration

Configure your SMTP settings in Settings > Email Configuration:

• SMTP Host — Your email server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
• SMTP Port — Usually 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
• Username — Your email address or SMTP username
• Password — Your email password or app-specific password
• From Name / From Email — What appears in the "From" field

Open any invoice and click Download PDF. OwnInvoice generates a professionally formatted PDF with your branding.

PDF Customization

• Page Size — Letter, A4, Legal
• Margins — Small, Normal, Large
• Logo — Show or hide your logo on invoices
• Border Style — Subtle, Bold, or None

Invoice Template Styles

• Template — Modern, Classic, and more
• Header Style — Left-aligned, centered, or right-aligned
• Table Style — Striped, gridded, or plain
• Fonts — Separate heading and body font selection
• Colors — Invoice accent color, header color, text colors

Company Information

Set your company name, address, contact details, tax ID, and business registration number. Upload your logo for use on invoices.

Invoice Numbering

• Prefix — Text before the number (e.g., INV-)
• Suffix — Text after the number
• Starting Number — Where numbering begins

Tax & Currency

• Tax Rate and Tax Label (Tax, VAT, GST, etc.)
• Currency Symbol and Currency Code
• Number Formatting — Decimal and thousand separators
• Date Format — MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, etc.

Theme & Appearance

• Dark Mode — Off, On, or follow system preference
• Color Palette — Primary, secondary, accent colors

Database

OwnInvoice uses SQLite by default (no setup required). For advanced use, you can connect to MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server.

Automatic Backups

• Schedule — Daily, weekly, or monthly
• Time — What time of day to run the backup
• Retention — How many days to keep old backups
• Location — Choose where backup files are saved

Manual Backup

Create a backup at any time by clicking Backup Now in the Backup settings.

Restoring from Backup

Click Restore and select a backup file. This replaces your current database with the backed-up version.

Archive invoices and quotes you no longer need in your active lists. Archived items won't appear in your main views or dashboard stats.

Archived items can be restored at any time from the Archive section. You can also permanently delete items from the Archive.

Global Search

Press Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to search across invoices, clients, and saved items simultaneously.

Invoice Filtering

• Status Tabs — Filter by All, Draft, Pending, Paid, or Overdue
• Search Bar — Search by invoice number or client name
• Client Filter — Show invoices for a specific client