The Billing Module transforms issue tracking into a powerful tool that allows you to add detailed charges to issues, including products, services, labor, and more. You can then generate invoices, create work orders, or export the data to your accounting system. Whether you’re billing clients or managing internal workflows, this article covers key features, use cases, and setup steps to optimize your billing process.
The Billing Module supports diverse industries and workflows. Here’s how our customers leverage it:
- 🧰 Service Companies
- Track services provided, materials used, and charges per issue.
- Examples: IT, Facility Services, Groundskeeping, Manufacturing.
- 🏢 Internal Chargebacks
- Bill internal departments for time, labor, or other services.
- Examples: Equipment setup, software customization, reports.
- 🔧 Warranty Claims
- Record parts and labor tied to warranty claims for manufacturers.
- 📋 Other Custom Use Cases
- Configure Product/Service codes for various internal tracking needs.
Terminology
Before diving deeper into the billing features, it's important to understand the core terms you'll encounter throughout the system. The following definitions provide a quick reference to help you get familiar with how billing-related data is structured and used.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Billing Line Items |
|
| Products and Services |
|
| Customers |
|
Billing Output and Reporting
Once you've added billing line items to issues, Issuetrak provides several ways to view, share, and analyze that data. Whether you're generating formal invoices, exporting data to an external system, or creating reports for internal stakeholders, the Billing Module offers flexible options to match your workflow.
| Feature | Functionality |
|---|---|
| Invoices and Work Orders |
|
| Exports |
|
| Reporting |
|
How to Activate the Billing Module
Steps:
- Access Settings: Navigate to the Left Menu > choose Billing.
- Enable Module: Check the box for Activate Billing Module.
- Customize Labels (Optional): Set the Billing Label, which will relabel "Billing" both on the Features screen, the left menu, and other areas of the product (e.g., “Invoicing”).
- Set Sales Tax Label (Optional): Set the Sales Tax Label, which will relabel "Sales Tax" where it appears in the product for regional compliance (e.g., “VAT” for Europe).
- Save Changes: Click Update to activate.
The confirmation message will display upon completion.
Related Permissions
All users can view the line items entered on an issue.
Additional permissions control access and modifications:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| “Can access and maintain Administration functions” | Determines who can see the Billing menu option and modify data within all available Billing sub-menu options if the Billing Module is activated. |
| “Can access and maintain Billing Module functions” | Determines who can see the Billing menu option and modify data within all available Billing sub-menu options if the Billing Module is activated. |
| “Can enter Line Items from Billing Module in issues” | Determines who can enter Line Items in issues. Enter Line Item will appear in the Issue Detail sub-menu options when viewing an Open or Closed issue. |
Before you can add line items to issues or generate invoices, you’ll need to set up your Product / Service records in Issuetrak. These are predefined items that represent the goods or services your organization bills for. Each record includes details like name, description, and rate, and is used to populate line items on invoices and work orders.
Access Requirements for Product / Services
Products and Services are options only available to:
- System Administrators, or
- Users with either of the following permissions:
- Can access and maintain Administration functions
- Can access and maintain Billing / Invoicing Module functions
How to Add a New Product / Services
Steps:
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- Access Products / Services: Click Add beneath Products / Services from the right quick menu.
- Enter Details: Fill out the required fields, and add any optional details as needed:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Rate | The charge for one unit of this Product or Service. When adding line items to an issue, the total is calculated as Rate × Quantity. This could be a flat fee or an hourly rate. You can adjust this rate when entering line items if needed. |
| Note: Where appropriate, the Rate may be adjusted manually when entering Line Items in an issue. | |
| Billable | Marks the item as billable. Billable items appear on both Work Orders and Invoices. Non-billable items appear on Work Orders only. |
| Taxable | Marks the item as taxable. Tax is calculated based on the Sales Tax setting in the Customer record. |
| Protected | Hides the rate from most users during issue entry. Instead, they'll see the word “Protected” in the Rate field. Only System Administrators, and users with “Can access and maintain Administration functions” and / or “Can access and maintain Billing Module functions” permissions can see the actual rate. |
- Click Save to create the record.
Want to see how it's done? Click Continue to watch the demonstration below.
How to Edit a Product / Service
Steps:
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- Toggle Active Status (Optional): To quickly activate or deactivate a Product or Service, search for that entry (if necessary) and toggle it. This will be effective immediately and without confirmation. The steps below are not necessary to complete this.
- Find the Product / Service:
- Use Search On from the top of the Products / Services List page.
- Or scroll through the list and click the edit icon (pencil) next to the item.
- Update Fields:
- Modify Name, Rate, Description, Billable, Taxable, or Protected settings as needed.
- About Active Checkbox.
- Checked: The item will be available when entering line items on issues.
- Unchecked: The item will no longer appear in the list. Products and Services are marked inactive rather than “deleted” in order to preserve your invoicing history.
- Save Changes: Click Update to save.
Avoid deleting Products / Services unless absolutely necessary. Instead, inactivate them instead to preserve invoice history and reporting accuracy.
How to Configure Optional Fields for Product / Service Records
If you're using the Billing Module, you can create up to three user-defined text fields (UDFs) for Products and Services. These allow you to capture additional details relevant to your organization. This requires Administrative privileges.
Steps:
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- Select Optional Fields: Click Optional Fields beneath Product / Services from the right quick menu.
- Activate a UDF:
- Enter a label in the field (e.g., “Project Code” or “Category”).
- Click Update to add the field to all Product / Service records.
- Inactivate a UDF:
- Remove the label.
- Click Update to hide the field from Product / Service records.
Note: These UDFs are text-only and appear only when labeled.
In Issuetrak’s Billing Module, customer management is streamlined by treating Organizations as "Customers" for consistency with billing terminology. This view introduces two billing-specific fields:
- Billing Reference - used for tracking client-specific identifiers (e.g., account numbers)
- Sales Tax - used to indicate applicable for regional tax (e.g., VAT or GST).
Most Customer details can be updated directly from this view, without switching to the Organizations screen.
Note: Billing Reference and Sales Tax are exclusive to the Customer view and do not appear in the main Organization record.
Managing Customers
Depending on how your system is used, a Customer record (also called an Organization) can include many details. However, some attributes can only be added or maintained after the Customer has been created.
The Customers sub-menu in Billing is only available to users who have either of the following permissions:
- System Administrators
- “Can access and maintain Administration functions”
How to Add a New Customer
Steps:- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu and choose Billing.
- Access Customers: Under the Customers section in the right-hand menu, click Add.
- Enter Details: Fill in the required fields, including:
- Customer / Organization Name (ensure it’s unique for reporting)
- Billing Reference (e.g., client ID or contract number).
- Sales Tax rate (e.g., 8% for U.S., 20% for UK VAT).
- Save Changes: Click Save to create the record.
Tip: Use clear, unique names to simplify invoice generation and reporting.
Want to see how it's done? Click Continue to watch the demonstration below.
How to Edit an Existing Customer
Update customer details like addresses or tax rates with these steps:- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- List Customers: Click List beneath Customers in the right quick menu.
- Select Customer: Find the Customer / Organization you want to update and click the edit link (or Pencil icon) next to its name.
- Update Fields: Modify details like Address, Billing Reference, or Sales Tax, then click Update.
How to Export the Customer List
Export customer data for accounting or backup purposes:- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- List Customers: Click List beneath Customers in the right quick menu.
- Export Data: Click Export List at the top of the page.
- Save or Open: Choose Open to view or Save to store the Excel file.
Use Case: Share exported lists with accounting teams for seamless integration with systems like QuickBooks or SAP.
What’s Next for Customer Management?
Once your customers are set up, you can:
- Link to Issues: Associate Customers with issues for accurate billing and invoicing.
- Generate Invoices: Generate invoices and work orders using customer data.
- Export for Reporting: Export records for accounting and reporting.
Learn More: Check out our guide on Adding Billing Line Items to an Issue for detailed billing workflows.
Line Items in Issuetrak’s Billing Module represent billable Products or Services added to an issue for tracking, invoicing, and reporting purposes. Each line item captures details such as quantity, date, rate, total cost, and may optionally include comments, notes, and labor hours. Line items are used to generate totals on invoices and work orders and help associate time and cost with specific tasks or services.
Line item information is also reportable and available in selected Report Writer data sets, allowing you to include line item details in custom reports.
Access Requirements for Line Items
The Billing Line Items option for issues is only available to:
- System Administrators
or - Users with any of the following permissions:
- Can access and maintain Administration functions
- Can access and maintain Billing / Invoicing Module functions
- Can enter Line Items from Billing Module in Issues
Line Item Fields Explained
The table below describes each field available when adding a line item to an issue.
| Field | Description | Defined In |
|---|---|---|
| Product / Service | A billable Product or Service, which is created in the Products/Services section of the Billing module. | Billing Module > Products / Services |
| Status | Indicates whether the line item has been invoiced. There are only two system-defined statuses, and their names cannot be edited:
|
System-Managed / Issue Line Items |
| Date | The default is the date the line item is entered. You can manually change it or select a different date using the calendar icon. | Issue Line Items |
| Quantity | Indicates how many units of the selected Product / Service are being added to the issue. | Issue Line Items |
| Rate / Price |
|
Billing Module > Products / Services |
| Adjusted Rate / Price | Allows you to override the default Product / Service Rate with a new rate for this line item. | Issue Line Items |
| Total | The calculated total for this line item.
|
System-Calculated |
| Comments | Optional clarifying text for a line item. This text will appear beneath the item on the printed Work Order and Invoice. | Issue Line Items |
| Record Qty as Status Time on Issue | When selected, the entered quantity will be recorded as Labor Hours on the issue. Example: A quantity of 0.25 equals 15 minutes. |
Issue Line Items |
| Note | Freeform note that is saved to the issue but does not appear on the printed Work Order or Invoice.
|
Issue Line Items |
| Reminder: Notes only appear within the issue itself once saved. |
How to Add a Line Item to an Issue
Line items can be added to an issue in several ways.
Steps:
- Access Line Items: From the View Issue page, click on Add/Edit Line Items in the right quick menu.
- Alternatively, click the Add Line Item link either on the Task Edit screen or below the New Note field on the Add Note page.
- Select Product/Service: Choose a billable item from the Product/Service dropdown. If the item you need isn’t listed, add it in the Billing Products/Services section of the Billing module.
- Complete Fields: Enter details like Quantity, Date, Adjusted Rate (if needed), etc.
- Add Note (Optional): Enter a note in the Note field at the bottom of the page. This will add a note to the issue.
- Save Changes: After editing or adding a line item, click the Update button to save your changes to the issue.
Note: Line items remain editable until they have been invoiced. Once invoiced, they can no longer be edited directly. If changes are needed, the line item must first be reset from the Review Invoiced Items page.
To see a demonstration of adding a line item to an issue, click the Continue button to start the presentation below.
Issuetrak’s Billing Module allows you to customize Invoice and Work Order templates to align with your organization's branding and operational workflows. You can configure prefixes, tax rates, payment terms, and more to generate professional, branded documents that support your billing processes and compliance requirements.
Access Requirements for Customization
The Invoice and Work Order Settings option is only available to:
- System Administrators, or
- Users with any of the following permissions:
- Can access and maintain Administration functions
- Can access and maintain Billing / Invoicing Module functions
How to Customize Invoice and Work Order Settings
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- Open Settings: Click Settings under the Invoice area in the right quick menu.
- Edit Fields: Modify default values as needed (see table below for details).
- Preview Changes: Use Preview Invoice or Preview Work Order to review your customizations.
-
Save Changes: Click Update to save the new template settings.
Note: The settings configured on the Invoice / Work Order Settings screen are global and apply to all Invoices and Work Orders generated by the site.
| Setting | Description / Effect | Appears On |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice Prefix |
Defines a prefix to be added before the Invoice Number when generating an invoice. | Invoice |
| Invoice # start at | Defines the starting number for invoice numbers. Invoices are numbered sequentially from this value. The starting number may be modified at any time and changes will be applied immediately | Invoices |
| Work Order Prefix | Defines a prefix to be added before the Issue Number when generating a work order. | Work Order |
| Return Address Fields | The name and address information for the biller providing the goods or services. | Invoice. Work Order |
| Logo | Displays your site’s Title Bar Logo in the upper-left corner of printed Invoices and Work Orders when enabled. | Invoice, Work Order |
| Sales Tax | If checked, sales tax will be applied to the invoices and work orders. | Invoice, Work Order |
| Default Tax Rate | Default percentage used to calculate tax for applicable line items. | Invoice, Work Order |
| Reference # | If checked, the Billing Reference from the Customer record will appear on the invoice. | Invoice |
| Invoice and Work Order Messages 1 & 2 | Custom text that appears at the bottom of invoices and work orders. Often used for notes, policies, or contact info. | Invoice, Work Order |
| Terms (Net) | Defines default payment terms (e.g., "Net 30") displayed near the top of invoices and work orders. | Invoice, Work Order |
Want to see how it's done? Click Continue to watch the demonstration below.
A Work Order in Issuetrak’s Billing Module is a printable document that shows all line items associated with an issue. It can be used to summarize completed work or to obtain customer authorization for work that hasn’t been completed yet. To authorize upcoming work, print the Work Order and have the customer sign the Authorized By line.
Access Requirements for Work Orders
Work Orders are only available to:
- System Administrators, or
- Users with either of the following permissions:
- Can access and maintain Administration functions
- Can access and maintain Billing / Invoicing Module functions
- Can enter Line Items from Billing Module in Issues
How to View Work Orders
As soon as one line item has been saved to an issue, the Work Order option becomes available.
Steps:
- Open an Issue: View an issue that has at least one line item saved to it.
- Access Work Order: Click Work Order under the View section in the right quick menu. The work order will open in a new browser tab.
- Print or Share: Use your browser’s Print option or press CTRL + P to print it. For authorization, have the customer sign the Authorized By line.
To view a demonstration of viewing a Work Order, click the Continue button below.
Invoices in Issuetrak’s Billing Module are formal records of billable work completed for your customers that can be used to request payment efficiently. This article explains how to generate, review, manage, and export invoices on your site to streamline issue tracking and billing. You’ll learn how to create invoices from pending line items, select invoice formats, review past invoices, and handle invoiced or exported items as needed.
Access Requirements for Invoicing
Invoicing options are only available to:
- System Administrators, or
- Users with either of the following permissions:
- Can access and maintain Administration functions
- Can access and maintain Billing / Invoicing Module functions
How to Generate Invoices
The process of generating invoices begins with selecting the appropriate criteria and pending line items, then choosing a format that determines how invoices are grouped before finalizing and printing them.
Important Notes
- Invoicing and Exporting are mutually exclusive.
- Only Pending Items (not yet invoiced or exported) will appear when generating invoices.
- If items have been exported already, you must Reset them before invoicing them again.
- Once invoiced, items change from Pending to Invoiced status.
Steps to Generate Invoices
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- Select Pending Items: Click Pending Line Items under Invoice in the right quick menu.
- Enter Criteria:
- Choose All Customers or a specific customer.
- Choose All Issues or a specific issue number.
- Adjust the date range (defaults to the current month).
- Display Items: Click Display Line Items to view billable items. A list of billable line items matching your criteria will display.
- Filter Items: Uncheck any items you do not wish to invoice now.
- Choose Invoice Format:
- Issue: One invoice per issue per customer (multiple invoices if multiple issues).
- Customer: One consolidated invoice per customer, combining all issues.
- Generate Invoices: Click the Generate button. The page will redirect to the newly generated invoices.
- Review and Print: Review them carefully. Print invoices using your browser’s File > Print option or press CTRL + P (each invoice prints on a separate page).
How to Review Invoices
Review past invoices using two methods to ensure accuracy.
Method 1: From the View Issue Page
Steps:
- Access Issue: Open the relevant issue in the View Issue page.
- View Invoices: Click Invoices in the right quick menu to see all invoiced line items for that issue in one consolidated invoice.
If multiple invoices have been generated over an issue’s life cycle, the Invoices option will display all invoiced line items on one invoice from the issue record.
Method 2: From Billing Menu
Steps:
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing.
- Review Invoices: Click Review Invoiced Items beneath the Invoice section in the right quick menu.
- Set Date Range: Select the desired Date Range for the invoices you want to review and click Retrieve Invoiced Items. A list of invoiced line items will appear, each with an Invoice # as a clickable link.
- View Details: Click an Invoice # link to view the invoice in a new browser tab.
How to Reset Invoiced Items
To re-invoice items, reset them from Invoiced to Pending status:
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing > Review Invoiced Items beneath Invoice in the right quick menu.
- Set Date Range: Select the date range for the invoiced items to be reviewed, then click Retrieve Invoiced Items. A list of previously invoiced line items will be displayed.
- Choose items:
- Check boxes next to individual items you want to reset, or
- Click the Select All checkbox in the list header bar to reset all listed items.
- Reset Items: Click the Reset Checked Items button. The status of the selected items will change from Invoiced to Pending and can be invoiced again.
How to Export Pending Line Items
Exporting and Invoicing are exclusive functions. Only Pending items will appear in an Export. If you have already Invoiced Items, you will need to Reset those items back to a Pending status prior to Exporting. Once exported, they will return to an Invoiced status.
Steps:
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing > Pending Lime Items beneath Invoice in the right quick menu.
- Enter Criteria:
- Select All Customers or a single Customer
- (Optional) Select All Issues or a single issue number for the Invoices to be generated.
- Modify the Date Range (defaults to current month).
- Display Items: Click the Display Line Items button to view billable items. A list of all billable line items, filtered by the criteria selected, will be displayed below the criteria.
- Filter Items: Uncheck any items that you do not wish to export at this time.
- Name File: Enter a custom name for the export file if appropriate.
- Export: Click Export Items to Spreadsheet and choose Open or Save in the pop-up.
Ensure pop-ups are enabled in your browser before clicking Export Items to Spreadsheet.
To view a list of previously exported files:
- Navigate to Billing: Go to the Left Menu > Billing > History beneath Export from the right quick menu. A list of previously exported files will appear as clickable links, listed in descending order by date.
- Review Files: Clicking a link will generate a pop-up window allowing you to Open the file as an Excel spreadsheet for immediate review or Save the file to another location.
Click the Continue button below to view demonstrations of generating, reviewing, and resetting invoices and exporting line items.
Use the following best practices to make the most of Issuetrak’s Billing Module. These guidelines will help you maintain clarity, streamline reporting, and keep billing information organized and effective.
1. Use Clear Naming Conventions
- Adopt short, descriptive names or abbreviations for products and services to simplify sorting and searching.
- Example: Use “PL-” for plumbing (e.g., PL-Bathroom Sink) and “EL-” for electrical (e.g., EL-Overhead Light Panel).
- Benefit: Consistent naming helps with sorting, searching, and identifying items quickly in dropdowns.
2. Group Items with Item Numbers
- Assign Item Numbers to categorize products and services for easier filtering.
- Example: Use “1” for billable items (e.g., 1-PL-Sink) and “2” for non-billable items (e.g., 2-EL-Inspection).
- Benefit: Simplifies grouping in custom billing reports and analytics.
3. Add Detailed Descriptions
- Use the Description field in Products / Services to add detailed billing module product descriptions for internal tracking and reporting. These descriptions are for internal use only and do not appear on invoices or work orders, which display only the Product/Service name.
- Example: For “2-PR-KitchenHood,” the description might be: “Quarterly cleaning of kitchen exhaust hood – completed for main prep area at Café Location #4.”
- Benefit: Improves record-keeping without cluttering client-facing documents.
4. Use the Report Writer for Custom Reports
- Use Issuetrak’s Report Writer with billing line item datasets to create tailored reports filtered by time, item, or issue type.
- Example: Schedule a monthly report for labor charges by issue type, auto-delivered to accounting via email.
- Benefit: Saves time and ensures stakeholders receive timely billing insights.
5. Understand Report Output Behavior
- When using datasets that include both line items and issue details, you may see the issue information repeat on each row. This is expected behavior, as each line item generates a separate row. Use groupings for clarity.
- Example: Group reports by Issue Number to organize line items under a single issue for easier reading.
- Benefit: Makes custom billing reports more professional and easier to interpret.
6. Simplify Sales Tax Handling
- For multiple tax rates, manage taxes in accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, SAP) and use Issuetrak for labor and service data.
- Example: Set Issuetrak to track labor charges only, exporting data to QuickBooks for tax calculations.
- Benefit: Reduces complexity and ensures compliance with regional tax rules (e.g., VAT, GST).
7. Use Comments for Detailed Billings
- Avoid creating separate Products / Services for minor components; use a general line item with details in the Line Item Comment field, visible on invoices and work orders.
- Example: For “Plumbing Misc,” add a comment: “Includes 10 screws, 2 fittings for pipe repair.”
- Benefit: Simplifies managing line items and enhances reportability.
