Invoices & Payments

Everything you need to know about invoices and making payments.

Invoice Lifecycle

Draft → Open → Paid
            ↓
       Partial → Paid
            ↓
        Overdue → Paid
            ↓
         Void/Refunded

Invoice Anatomy

Header

• Invoice Number - Sequential (INV-2024-001)
• Date - Issue date
• Due Date - Payment due (Net 14/30)
• Currency - ZAR, USD, etc.
• Status - Current state

From/To

• From - AfricaOS (our details)
• To - Your organization (billing address)

Line Items

Totals

• Subtotal - Before tax
• Tax - VAT/GST breakdown
• Total - Amount due
• Amount Paid - If partial
• Balance Due - Remaining

Payment Methods

Online (Instant)

Offline (1-3 Business Days)

Making Payments

From Invoice

1. Open invoice (email or portal)
2. Click Pay Now
3. Select method
4. Complete payment
5. Receive confirmation

From Portal

1. Settings → Billing → Invoices
2. Find open invoice
3. Click Pay
4. Complete payment

Auto-Pay

• Enabled by default for cards
• Processes on due date
• Retries on failure
• Email confirmations

Partial Payments

• Pay any amount ≥ minimum
• Invoice stays "Partial" until full
• Multiple payments allowed
• Each generates receipt

Payment Confirmation

Receipt

Generated automatically:

• Payment date, amount, method
• Invoice reference
• Transaction ID
• Download PDF

Allocation

Payments applied to:

1. Oldest invoices first
2. By due date (if same date)
3. Partial across multiple if specified

Notifications

• Email to billing contacts
• In-app notification
• Webhook (if configured)
• Accounting sync (if connected)

Overdue Invoices

Timeline

Service Restrictions

• Soft - Warning banners, limited features
• Hard - Read-only, no new records
• Full - Login blocked, data export only

Resolution

1. Pay outstanding balance
2. Contact support for payment plan
3. Request extension (case by case)
4. Service restored within 1 hour of payment

Refunds & Credits

Refund Types

• Full - Entire invoice refunded
• Partial - Specific line items
• Prorated - Unused portion of subscription
• Goodwill - Discretionary credit

Refund Methods

• Original Method - Back to card/bank (5-10 days)
• Account Credit - Applied to next invoice (instant)
• Bank Transfer - For large amounts, no card

Credit Notes

• Generated for refunds/adjustments
• Reference original invoice
• Apply to future invoices
• Expire after 12 months

Tax Invoices

Requirements (South Africa VAT)

• "Tax Invoice" prominently displayed
• Supplier details (name, address, VAT #)
• Recipient details (name, address, VAT #)
• Date, sequential number
• Description of goods/services
• Quantity, unit price, total
• VAT rate and amount per line
• Total including VAT

Other Jurisdictions

• GST (Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana)
• VAT (EU, UK, others)
• Local compliance per country

Accounting Integration

Export Options

• CSV - All invoices, line items
• PDF Batch - Zip of all PDFs
• API - Programmatic access
• Scheduled - Monthly email to finance

Sync with Accounting

Chart of Accounts Mapping

Default mapping (customizable):

• Subscription Revenue → 4000 Sales
• Module Revenue → 4010 Module Sales
• Tax Collected → 2200 VAT Payable
• Payment Fees → 6000 Bank Charges

Troubleshooting

Invoice Not Received

1. Check spam/junk
2. Verify billing email in Settings
3. Download from portal
4. Request resend

Payment Not Reflected

1. Allow processing time (see methods above)
2. Check payment reference matches invoice
3. Provide proof of payment to support
4. We'll allocate within 4 hours

Wrong Amount Charged

1. Compare invoice to plan/features
2. Check for prorations, overages
3. Contact support with details

Currency Mismatch

• Invoice in org currency
• Payment in any supported currency
• Exchange rate at payment time
• Difference = bank conversion fee

Related

• Billing Management
• Plans & Pricing
• Subscription Management
• Payment Methods