Send an Invoice Before Receiving Payment: Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to send an invoice before receiving payment, including setting up customer accounts, enabling early invoicing, and integrating payment portals like Stripe for easy online payments.

February 18, 2026 By Ben Fotheringham

In this guide, we'll learn how to send an invoice to a customer before payment has been received. This process is useful if you want to provide customers with payment details and a payment link in advance. We will cover how to adjust customer settings, generate the invoice, and share it with your customer.

Let's get started

Okay. Let's look at how to send an invoice before receiving payment. First, I will click the Sales tab to open my customer list.

Step #1: Click on "Sales" — Click on "Sales"

We will create an order to see the process from start to finish.

If your order is already created, go to step 8

Let's add it to one of our test accounts.

Step #2: Search for your customer then double click — Search for your customer then double click

Let's set it to order instead of quote.

Step #3: Click on "Order" — Click on "Order"

Step #4: Choose a delivery address — Choose a delivery address

Step #5: Enter sales lines — Enter sales lines

I'm happy with everything, so I'll save it. This will send the order through.

Step #6: Click here to save and create the order — Click here to save and create the order

Step #7: Here is our acknowledgement, which is usually emailed directly. — Here is our acknowledgement, which is usually emailed directly.

Okay. If I go to Invoicing and select Generate Invoices, you'll see there is nothing pending for that customer.

Step #8: Click on "Invoicing" — Click on "Invoicing"

Step #9: Click on "Generate invoices" — Click on "Generate invoices"

Step #10: If we cycle through Invoice frequency you will see nothing waiting for our customer at this point — If we cycle through Invoice frequency you will see nothing waiting for our customer at this point

To fix that, go back to the customer list.

Step #11: Click on "Customer List" — Click on "Customer List"

Find the customer, then click Edit.

I'm going to go to the Settings tab and then to Invoicing.

Step #13: Click on "Settings" — Click on "Settings"

Step #14: Click on "Invoicing" — Click on "Invoicing"

Some of these settings on the screen may look slightly different on your customer.

We need to make sure that "Allow invoice before dispatch" is selected.

Step #15: Click on "Allow invoice before despatch" — Click on "Allow invoice before despatch"

I will also set the payment portal.

I will set it to Stripe and click Auto-generate invoice URL. This will give the customer a payment link on their invoice to pay with Stripe (should they wish to). BACS details are also provided on the invoice.

Step #16: Click on "Stripe" — Click on "Stripe"

Step #17: Click on "Auto generate invoice URL" — Click on "Auto generate invoice URL"

Once you're satisfied, click Save.

Step #18: Click on "Save" — Click on "Save"

Go back to Generate Invoices.

Step #19: Click on "Generate Invoices" — Click on "Generate Invoices"

You may need to change Invoice Frequency until you find your customer.

Step #20: Click on "Generation date" — Click on "Generation date"

Our customer has been found in 'Standard Invoicing'

Step #21: Select Customer/Order and click 'Generate' — Select Customer/Order and click 'Generate'

Customer's invoice is now generated which includes payment details at the bottom. There is also a "Click here to pay now" link, which takes you directly to the Stripe payment portal.

The invoice will either send by Email, if you are set to output emails, or you can export to save and forward as an attachment.

Step #23: Click on "Export" — Click on "Export"

Export to PDF. This allows me to save the invoice and attach it to an email to send when I choose.

Step #24: Click on "PDF" — Click on "PDF"