Creating Invoices

Overview

Sixième Étoile generates invoices from confirmed orders or individual missions. The invoice inherits the line items, client details, and payment terms from the originating quote, so most fields are pre-populated and require only review before sending.

Invoices are accessible from the Invoicing section of the left navigation. The Invoice List (screen E-01) displays all invoices with their reference number, client, amount HT, amount TTC, issue date, due date, and current status.

Starting an Invoice

An invoice can be created in two ways:

1. From an order or mission — open the order detail and click Generate Invoice. The system pre-populates all line items from the accepted quote and assigns the next available invoice number.
2. From the Invoice List — click the New Invoice button (screen E-01), then select the originating order from the search dialog.

Both paths land on the Invoice Editor (screen E-02).

Invoice Line Editor

The line editor works identically to the quote cockpit. Each line carries:

Important: All stored amounts are HT (hors taxe — pre-tax). The TTC (toutes taxes comprises — tax-inclusive) total is derived at display time and is never stored separately. Never enter TTC values in the unit price field.

Adding a Line

Click + Add line at the bottom of the editor. A blank row appears with an empty description and a unit price of 0.00. Type the description or press / to open the slash menu for a preset from the fee catalog.

Fee Catalog Dialog (FR404)

Pressing / or clicking the Fee Type icon opens the fee type picker. This dropdown lists all fee presets configured in Pricing & Configuration → Fee Catalog, including:

• Standard transport rates by vehicle category
• Airport surcharges
• Night-rate supplements
• Parking, tolls, and waiting time
• Custom organization-specific fees

Selecting a preset fills in the description, default unit price, and VAT rate automatically. You can override any field after insertion.

Deleting and Reordering Lines

• Delete: click the trash icon on the right of any line.
• Reorder: drag and drop using the handle on the left of each row.

VAT and Totals

The invoice summary panel (bottom-right of the editor) shows a VAT breakdown grouped by rate:

Sub-total HT         €850.00
  VAT 10 %            €85.00
  VAT 20 %            €20.00
Total TTC            €955.00

VAT rates available on each line are drawn from the fee catalog. The standard VTC transport rate in France is 10 %. Ancillary services such as refreshments or accommodation may carry 20 %. Custom rates can be configured if your organization serves sectors with reduced or zero VAT.

Invoice Numbering

Sixième Étoile assigns a sequential invoice number when the invoice is first saved as a draft. The numbering series follows the format configured under Settings → Invoicing → Numbering Series, for example:

FAC-2026-0001
FAC-2026-0002
...

Numbers are assigned in order and are never reused, even after cancellation. A cancelled invoice retains its original number; a credit note receives a separate series (e.g., AV-2026-0001).

Invoice Statuses

Status transitions are automatic where possible:

• The system sets OVERDUE at midnight on the day after the due date if the balance is not fully covered.
• Recording a payment that covers the remaining balance moves the status to PAID immediately.
• Registering a partial payment moves the status from SENT to PARTIALLY_PAID.

Note: An invoice can only be edited while it is in DRAFT status. Once sent, create a credit note to correct amounts or cancel the invoice and re-issue if the client has not yet received it.

Invoice Detail View

The Invoice Detail (screen E-03) shows the rendered invoice as the client sees it: header with your organization's logo and address, client billing address, line items table, VAT summary, payment terms, and bank details.

From this view you can:

• Download PDF — generates a print-ready PDF and saves it to document storage.
• Send by email — opens the email composer pre-filled with the client's billing contact, subject line, and a link to the invoice PDF.
• Mark as Sent — manually moves a DRAFT invoice to SENT if you transmitted the PDF outside the platform.
• Register Payment — opens the payment registration dialog (see Registering Payments).
• Issue Credit Note — opens the credit note dialog (see Credit Notes).
• Cancel Invoice — voids the invoice and records a cancellation event in the audit trail.

PDF Generation

The PDF is generated server-side using your organization's letterhead template. It includes:

• Organization logo, name, address, SIRET, and VAT number
• Client billing name and address
• Invoice number, issue date, and due date
• Itemised line table with HT amounts, VAT rates, and TTC amounts
• VAT breakdown summary
• Total TTC and any previously recorded payments with the remaining balance
• Payment instructions (bank details or other configured methods)

PDFs are immutable once generated. If you need a corrected version, cancel the original invoice or issue a credit note, then generate a new document.

Practical Tips

• Review before sending: once an invoice moves to SENT, editing requires a credit note. Take 30 seconds to check amounts while the invoice is still a DRAFT.
• Payment terms: set the due date to match your contract terms (typically 30 days for B2B clients in France). The system will automatically flag overdue invoices.
• Batch creation: for operators running recurring missions on fixed contracts, use the Batch Invoice action from the Order List to generate multiple invoices at once.