Necessary but unpopular – that’s invoicing for e-shop owners. Take a look with us at the invoicing obligations of online stores and how to streamline them with automatic invoicing in WooCommerce.
Issuing invoices is one of the obligations of e-shop owners. It is not a particularly popular task, but it is very important, and failing to comply may have unpleasant consequences. How can you invoice correctly while spending as little time as possible on it? The answer is automatic invoicing.
Does an e-shop have to issue invoices?
Not always. You do not have to issue invoices to private individuals unless they explicitly request one. On the other hand, you must always issue invoices to business entities (sole traders, companies). Technically, however, it is much simpler to automatically issue invoices to all customers, and most e-shops operate this way.
What must an invoice include?
The content of an invoice differs depending on whether you are or are not a VAT payer and whether you keep accounting records.
| Non-VAT payer | VAT payer |
|---|---|
| If not keeping accounting records: – first and last name (sole trader) or company name – registered office (billing address) – company ID (IČ) – registry in which you are registered (e.g. Commercial Register, Trade Register) – statement “I am not a VAT payer” – amount If keeping accounting records, additionally: – items listed above – designation and description of the accounting document – information about the parties to the transaction – total amount (or unit price and quantity) – date of issue – date of taxable supply (if different from the invoice issue date) – signature of the responsible person | – seller’s details – first and last name or company name – registered office address – company ID (IČ) and VAT ID (DIČ) – registry in which registered (Commercial Register, Trade Register, etc.), legal entities must include section and file number – customer’s details – first and last name or company name – registered office address – company ID, possibly VAT ID – date of supply of goods or services – scope and type of service or quantity and type of goods – tax amount – tax base – tax rate – total amount – invoice issue date |
How to invoice in an e-shop?
There are several ways to handle invoicing in an e-shop. Let’s take a look at them.
Manual invoice creation
Especially new entrepreneurs often do not want to invest in invoicing software and choose manual invoice creation in text or spreadsheet editors (e.g. MS Word, Excel), which are not designed for this purpose.
Creating invoices this way is not only time-consuming, but it also provides no validation of correctness. Even if you only need to issue a few invoices per year, we recommend using invoicing software instead. Many offer a free version that allows you to issue a limited number of invoices per year at no cost.
Manual invoicing in invoicing software
A more advanced option is using invoicing software, which allows you to invoice significantly faster and ensures the formal correctness of invoice content. Examples include iDoklad or Fakturoid.
Invoicing software speeds up issuing invoices, ensures that all required details are included, numbers them automatically, and alerts you if entered data is not in the correct format.
However, you still need to manually copy order data from your e-shop into the invoicing software and check whether invoices have been issued for all orders.
Connecting the e-shop with invoicing software
The most advanced option is using invoicing software and connecting it with your e-shop. In a WooCommerce store, this connection is possible thanks to invoicing plugins.
When using an invoicing plugin, data is transferred directly from your WooCommerce store to the invoicing software. This means you no longer need to manually copy order data or check whether all orders have been invoiced.
The functions of invoicing software are available directly within the e-shop interface – for example, issuing and sending invoices directly from the store administration or receiving notifications about orders without issued invoices. This allows you to invoice in just a few clicks or even fully automate the process for maximum efficiency.
How does automatic invoicing work?
Thanks to the connection between your e-shop and invoicing software, invoicing can run completely automatically. After an order is created, the necessary data is sent to the invoicing software, which automatically generates the invoice. There is no need to intervene or check whether invoices have been created for all orders. A link to the invoice can be attached to the automatic order email and delivered to the customer.
Similarly, you can automate the issuing of advance invoices (proforma invoices) or credit notes (when refunding payments). All these automations can be linked to WooCommerce order statuses according to your store’s needs.
Why start invoicing automatically?
Automatic invoicing offers the following advantages:
- Simplicity: Setup and configuration are straightforward. Once automatic invoicing is set up, no further action is required.
- Reliability: Automatic data transfer eliminates errors. All invoice details match the information provided by the customer.
- Formal correctness: Since invoices are issued by dedicated invoicing software, they are factually correct and include all required items.
- Time savings: After the initial setup, no manual intervention is needed and everything runs automatically.
- Convenience: Everything is available in one place. You can view and edit invoices directly in the e-shop administration without switching to other websites or applications.
How to set up automatic invoicing in WooCommerce?
See how to easily set up automatic invoicing with the Fakturoid system. You will need a Fakturoid account with a plan that allows API integration and the Fakturoid plugin. Our documentation will help you with integration and basic configuration.
This guide covers setting up automatic invoicing in Fakturoid. Prefer the iDoklad system? See our guide for iDoklad >>
All settings in this guide are configured in the Fakturoid plugin settings (WooCommerce > Settings > Fakturoid).
Automatic generation of proforma invoices and invoices
1. First, set up automatic creation of proforma invoices. In the Fakturoid plugin settings, under Create proforma invoice and send to Fakturoid, assign an order status to each payment method. When the order reaches this status, the proforma invoice will be automatically created and sent.
2. Set up order statuses in the Create invoice and send to Fakturoid section in the same way – for automatic invoice creation.
3. Automatic issuing can also be set up for credit notes – in the Create credit note section.
4. Click Save settings.
You have now configured automatic document creation. Next, you can set up automatic sending to customers.
How to set up automatic sending of invoices to customers?
1. Automatic sending of emails with invoices, proformas, or credit notes is possible in two ways:
a. Sending an email with a document link immediately after it is created. This email is sent by the Fakturoid system and can be configured separately for each document type in the Email sending settings from Fakturoid section.
b. Attaching the document link to automatic WooCommerce emails. These emails are sent by WooCommerce when the order status changes. This option is enabled by default in the Fakturoid plugin. If you want to disable it, check the box Do not add invoice download link to email in the Additional settings section.
You can also customize the text used in WooCommerce emails for the invoice or proforma link in the Email and My Account information settings section.
2. Don’t forget to save your changes.
You have now configured automatic document sending to customers.
TIP: In addition to automatic invoice creation and sending, it is also very useful to match received payments with invoices and mark them as paid automatically. Fakturoid offers this feature as well, and we have described it in more detail in our payment matching guide.
Automatic invoicing increases e-shop management efficiency
Automatic invoicing for WooCommerce stores is a powerful assistant. It saves time and effort, ensures accuracy, and frees up your capacity for other important activities. At the same time, it remains a financially and technologically accessible solution that any WooCommerce store owner can implement independently. Automate invoicing in WooCommerce with the Fakturoid plugin today.
