> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/revenue/invoices/create-an-invoice-from-a-job.md). # Create an invoice from a job **Parts, Labor & Items** saved from the scheduling form or job automatically carry into an invoice created from that job, including parts, fractional labor, and one-off items. You can prepare the invoice before a visit is completed. When a completed visit records actual usage for an item, that quantity replaces its planned quantity so it is not billed twice. Pricebook items use their catalog prices with applicable customer/property custom pricing and rate sheets. Tax exemptions apply to these charges too. Review and price one-off items before sending. In the technician app, open the visit's **Job Quotes & Invoices** section while clocked in, choose **Create** beside Invoices, then **Create from scratch**. The saved job items fill the new invoice too. Actual quantities recorded on that visit replace matching planned items, including a correction to zero. Recorded quantities or zero corrections on another visit prevent the matching planned item from being added again. Only the current visit’s actual items become charges; zero corrections do not appear as invoice lines. Existing drafts keep your edits. Review the scope before billing a job across multiple invoices or visits. When a job is finished and ready to bill, you can start its invoice straight from the job instead of building one from scratch. Open the job, use the New (create) menu at the top, and choose Invoice; Essential opens a new invoice already linked to that job, with the property filled in, the job's billable line items brought over, and completed visit summaries in the description. This path opens on the **Generate draft** tab by default (Essential remembers whichever tab you used last in this browser), with those brought-over items waiting under **Create from scratch** — it does not generate an AI draft on its own; that only happens from the job task's Quick Actions below. You can also choose **Create an Invoice** from the job task's Quick Actions. If the completed work has a visit summary but no saved billable items, Essential automatically prepares an AI draft using the linked job's inspection services, quantities, repairs, and billing context. Review the suggested services, quantities, and prices before finalizing. If a signed quote is available for the property, choose whether to use it first. Starting to work in the form before generation begins keeps the invoice manual, so pending lookups cannot replace your edits. If the job is already billed on an invoice that has not been voided, the new invoice stays manual so you can check the previous invoice before choosing what to bill. ![Invoice draft with a completed inspection summary and separate annual inspection and hydro service items](https://3838208579-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Flu1pgNH0CrkCPslG8suQ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-9c0dcd004a6ce3e8a161d83ca9f1b9fc534dafbb%2Finvoice-inspection-prefill-draft.png?alt=media) When Purchase Order is enabled, an empty PO can also fill from the job or linked quote's PO custom fields, or a labeled PO in quote signing notes, visit/task notes, or timeline comments tied to those records. Existing POs and billing defaults take precedence. If the source records contain conflicting PO numbers, Essential leaves the field blank rather than guessing — type in the correct one yourself before sending. The extracted number is editable; it does not create a tracked purchase order automatically. ![Invoice with its PO number carried from a job custom field](https://3838208579-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Flu1pgNH0CrkCPslG8suQ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-00157b56fcc476bd1066f712197268f6dbf4f2a2%2Finvoice-inspection-po-prefill.png?alt=media) Review it, set anything still needed such as payment terms, then save or send it as usual. Jobs your technicians finish on-site collect in Complete (Ready to Invoice), which is where you pick them up to bill. The technicians on any non-cancelled visit of the job automatically receive credit for the invoice's revenue: the Revenue by technician and Technician profitability reports divide the invoice's pre-tax revenue recognized in the period (cash or accrual, matching your accounting method) evenly across them. Nothing to set on the invoice — if the credit looks wrong, fix the visit's assignments in Scheduling. If you choose an available signed quote for the same property, the quote's customer-facing contents take precedence. When the invoice is saved, Essential links both the quote and invoice to the combined set of jobs from the quote and the invoice's job/task context. The Related Records control beside each document title shows those jobs and the source quote or created invoice. ![Signed quote chooser when starting an invoice from a completed job](https://3838208579-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Flu1pgNH0CrkCPslG8suQ%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-dacf9ffbbea3ad3f8e7287752d59e73d44f9e745%2Finvoice-inspection-signed-quote-choice.png?alt=media) > **Where to find it:** On a job, the New (create) menu at the top, then Invoice When generating a draft with AI, Essential starts with the job's saved **Parts, Labor & Items** and considers completed work, inspection reports, and technician notes. Your instructions and the billing context can add, change, price, or remove items. Recorded actual quantities replace the matching planned quantities, including a correction to zero. Saved items can form a draft before the work starts; they do not make the work count as completed. Recommendations and historical maintenance dates help explain the record; they do not establish that a service was performed on this visit. Quantities follow what the item bills for—for example, one system inspection or several replacement parts. Review the draft's work, quantities, and prices before saving and sending. ## Related guides * [Create an invoice](/revenue/invoices/create-an-invoice.md) * [Add a line item to an invoice](/revenue/invoices/add-a-line-item-to-an-invoice.md) * [Apply a discount to an invoice](/revenue/invoices/apply-a-discount-to-an-invoice.md) * [Attach files or reports to an invoice](/revenue/invoices/attach-files-or-reports-to-an-invoice.md) * [Can I reverse a payment I recorded?](/revenue/invoices/can-i-reverse-a-payment-i-recorded.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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