Collated Invoice

Learn how to collate and merge invoices for multiple project tasks in AroFlo Office

Updated on June 3rd, 2024

When multiple tasks are linked to a project, you can collate and merge task invoices into one single invoice. This is suitable for companies who have demand maintenance service contracts that are tracked and invoiced as individual jobs but the invoices are collated into one invoice at regular intervals.

Example

AVC Services have a service contract for the emergency and exit lights at a commercial building. They are required to create individual tasks for each call and keep track of costs expended and ensure no more than 10% mark-up is put on materials. These tasks are invoiced separately as they are completed, and at the end of the month a collated invoice is created of all invoices in the current list.

 
 

 

Create collated invoice

To create a collated invoice:

  1. Open the task from the Completed tasks list, or from the Project itself.

    This task will be used to create the master invoice, which will need to remain open (i.e. in the 'In Progress' status) until you're ready to send it to your client. Any additional invoices created after the master invoice will be collated into this invoice. Once the master invoice's status is set to 'Approved', no more invoices will be added to it.

     
  2. Review the task to ensure all labour and materials assigned are correct, as well as any purchase orders reconciled.
  3. Click Create Final Invoice.
  4. On the Invoice Worksheet screen (see image), set Collate Invoice to one of the following:
    1. Project - collates invoices from any stage in the project
    2. Stage - collates invoices only from within the stage the parent invoice sits in.
  5. Update the fields in the Invoice Details section if required:
    1. Style - select the level of detail required for the invoice.
    2. Invoice Date and Due Date - auto-filled with the current date and client's current terms.
    3. Description - auto-filled with the task name and task description.
  6. If the task was quoted or a quote is linked to the project, you'll be given the option to Add items booked out on jobsheet or Add from quote Pick List.
    If a quote doesn't exist, the items booked out on the job will appear as line items on the invoice.

    Quote Variation

    If you add items booked out on the job for a quoted task or project and the total value of those items does not match the quoted value, AroFlo will insert a Quote Variation line item to match the invoice value to the quoted price. To remove this variation line item, click the Override Quote checkbox located beneath the line items.

     
  7. Edit the line item details as required. You can click the (link) symbol to link task items (labour, materials, expenses) to the line item. See Linking Line Items for more information.
  8. Click Save. The task will remain in the Completed Tasks list to allow further editing if required.
 

 

Add invoices to a collated invoice

Once you've set a collate option for your first invoice, (step 4, above), continue to invoice each task as they are completed. Each invoice within the stage or whole project (depending on which option you chose) will be added to the grouping.

Tasks marked as a variation
If a task has been marked as a variation, the invoice will not be added to the collated invoice automatically. These invoices will display radio buttons (step 4, above) that allow the invoice to be added to the collated invoice manually.

 

 

View a collated invoice

At the end of the month (or the required period), click the button in the centre of the Invoice Worksheet (see previous image) to access your collated invoice.

The Project Simple or Project Detailed default layouts are designed for use with collated invoices, or you can create your own layout. See Project Invoice Layouts for more layout tips for project invoices.

 

Click an invoice from the list to access the individual invoice.

Individual invoices within the grouping can be marked as approved, however, the status of the collated invoice needs to remain as In Progress in order to continue to use the grouping.

 

Once the collated invoice has been issued to your client, change the Status to 'Approved' to move it to the Pending Invoices list for processing into your accounting package. The next collated invoice you create will capture all new project or stage invoices that have not been set to 'Approved'.

Collated invoices will be added to the Invoicing tab within the project.

 

Additional tips

  • Deleting a collated invoice will delete the grouping only but the individual invoices within it will remain.
  • To add an Approved invoice to an existing collated invoice, you'll need to mark it as In Progress and choose a collation option (step 4, above), and then you can mark it as Approved again, if necessary.
 
 

Collated Invoices and Integration

When you send a collated invoice to your accounting package, you will not be able to see the full breakdown of items on the invoice once it has left AroFlo. You will only be able to see the top-level line items and their totals.


This has two potential implications:

  1. Your collated lines will have to either be Material or Labour, and not both.
  2. If you need to follow up on items comprising an entire collated invoice you will need to open them in AroFlo specifically to see the breakdown.