Thanks to invoicing plan, you can precisely define when and in what form invoices should be issued within fixed price projects – whether just as a draft (to be processed manually later), or as a final invoice that can be automatically sent to the client.
You can choose between two types:
Automatic invoicing plan – Allfred automatically generates and issues either a draft or a final version of your chosen invoice type (proforma or standard outgoing invoice), based on your budget and predefined settings.
Manual invoicing plan – In this case, you only plan the expected invoicing amounts within the project timeline, but the entire invoice – including any draft or supporting document – must be created manually from scratch. Allfred does not generate even a draft invoice; it simply uses the entered values to update the global invoicing plan for reporting and tracking purposes.
Once invoicing plans are defined on individual projects, all this data is consolidated in the global invoicing plan dashboard, where you get a clear overview of the planned revenue and a comparison with actual issued invoices.
Let’s take a look at both options, starting with the automatic plan.
Where to Find the Invoicing Plan?
The new Invoicing Plan is available in the Project Detail section under the Invoicing Plan tab.
How is it structured:
Rows: Represent each budget item specified in the project's assigned budget.
Columns:
Type: Select the invoice type to be issued (Invoice or Proforma).
Day: Desired issue date for the invoice.
Invoicing Plan Summary:
Item Budget: The amount to be invoiced, as specified in the budget.
Planned: The amount you plan to invoice.
Difference: Calculated as the difference between the Planned amount and the Item Budget.
Months: These are prefilled based on the project’s start and end dates. For example, if a project lasts five months, five default columns for invoicing will be automatically created. You can add additional months by clicking the “+” button.
#1 🔁 Automatic invoicing plan
The automatic invoicing plan allows Allfred to automatically generate your selected type of invoice (proforma or standard outgoing invoice). You can decide whether invoices should be created as drafts (saved in the Request for invoicing section) or as final invoices ready to be sent to the client.
This method makes sense when:
The amounts in your budget will not change over time.
You’re not invoicing based on actuals but rather on a pre-agreed schedule and amounts.
How to Create Automated Invoicing Plan
Important Note: Automated invoicing can only be applied in the workspace’s currency. It is not available for invoicing in foreign currencies.
Go to the project detail and open the Invoicing Plan tab.
Click on the Edit button and choose the data source Automated Invoicing.
Set the Invoice Types (Invoice or Proforma)
Insert the Issue Dates
If you need to issue multiple invoices within a single month, use the “+” button on the right to add a new row for the same budget item and set a separate issue date.
To add a new month column, click the “+” button new to the name of last displayed month
Instert the amounts to be invoiced. To make invoicing easier, use the Distribute button for automatic allocation of amounts:
Monthly: Allfred divides the total budget item amount by the number of months displayed in the table.
Bi-monthly: Divides the total amount over two months.
Quarterly: Divides the total amount over three months.
Half-yearly: Divides the total amount over six months.
Duplicate First Month to All Months: The amount you enter in the first month’s field will be copied to the remaining months.
When Allfred pre-fills the plan?
Based on the budget, Allfred auto-generates the invoicing plan using this logic:
The number of columns (months) is based on the project’s start and end dates.
Non-repeating budget items are placed in the first month.
Monthly repeating items (via the MONTHLY repeat setting) are added to each relevant month.
If repetitions go beyond the project duration, Allfred extends the invoicing plan with additional months.
Currently, only Our work items are prefilled automatically. Other categories like Production or Media must be added manually.
You can manually adjust the pre-filled values anytime.
8. Check the Planned Amount. A Summary Table in the invoicing plan helps you check your input. It displays:
Item Budget: The amount to invoice as specified in the budget.
Planned Amount: The total of your planned invoice amounts.
Difference: The difference between the planned amount and the budgeted amount. (It is ok when you planned to invoice different amount than specified in the budget).
If you make a mistake, you can edit the amounts directly in the table. To remove all amounts for a row, use the Delete button (bin icon) in the actions column.
Note: You cannot delete a whole row with a budget item. To exclude an item from invoicing, simply enter “0” as the amount.
How to activate automatic invoicing:
Click the toggle “Issue invoices automatically” and configure the following options:
Invoice items: Choose how the items should appear on the invoice:
Project name (single item)
Work & Expenses (media, production) as separate items
Every budget item as a separate item
VAT rate: Set the correct VAT %.
Date of supply: Enter how many days before the Issue date (defined in the invoicing plan) the supply date should be.
⚠️ Note: The supply date must not be earlier than the project’s start date, otherwise invoices (draft or final) will not be generated.Legal entity & agency bank account: Select which company and bank account should be used for issuing invoices.
Billing address & contact person: Choose the client’s billing address and main contact for invoicing.
Purchase order attachment (optional): If a PO was uploaded to the project (must be in PDF), you can select it here.
Create as draft checkbox: Check this if you want to create only a draft of proforma or standard invoice (saved in Request for invoicing) instead of a final invoice. You’ll then review and process it like any manual request.
👉 More on Request for invoicingCreate summary invoice after proforma payment checkbox:
If you’re generating proforma invoices, this setting tells Allfred to automatically issue the final (summary) invoice after the proforma is marked as paid.
Payments can be marked either manually or via integration (if supported).Invoice texts and notes:
Add custom text that appears directly on the invoice.
Add internal notes that are not visible to the client.
When everything is set for invoicing, simply close the window for automate invoicing. After that, don’t forget to click Update.
Automated Invoice Sending
To send invoices automatically to clients once they are issued, turn on Automated Invoice Sending by editing the invoicing plan and selecting this option. You’ll need to:
Specify email recipients (separate emails with a comma).
Customize the subject line and email body for each project.
Click Save to activate this feature.
If you cancel, invoices will be issued automatically but will not be sent to the client. Automatically issued invoices will be sent as attachments in the email.
Important Note: By default, project managers, team leaders, and managing directors cannot finalize financial settings for automated invoicing plans. They can only create and save the plan. If this option is disabled for their roles, they need to send the link to the CFO, who will complete the financial settings (such as setting the supply date) and enable automated invoicing.
If you want your account managers to manage the entire invoicing process, including financial settings, you can enable this option in workspace settings. This can be done by admins via Profile Icon → Workspace Settings → Projects → Automate Invoicing Plan Approval.
#2 Manual invoicing plan
In Manual Invoicing, the structure is slightly different. It’s designed to give you more control over when and with what amounts to issue invoices without automating the invoicing process. You’ll receive notifications when the invoicing date is approaching, but you will issue the invoices manually from scratch.
How to create manual invoicing plan?
1. To create a manual plan, go to the Invoicing Plan tab and choose Manual option. In this mode, Allfred won’t display individual budget items—only the budget categories (Work, Production, Media, and Royalties).
3. Specify the issue date for invoicing, and Allfred will notify you a few days before, based on the notification settings in the workspace.
If multiple invoices with different issue dates are required within the same month, click the “+” button to add rows for additional invoices.
4. To add a new month column, click the “+” button new to the name of last displayed month
5. Insert Amounts: Like automated invoicing, you can use the Distribute button to allocate amounts:
Monthly: Divide the total budget item amount evenly over the months displayed.
Bi-monthly: Divide the total over two months.
Quarterly: Divide the total over three months.
Half-yearly: Divide the total over six months.
Duplicate First Month to All Months: Copy the first month’s custom amount to the rest of the months.
6. Check the Planned Amount. A Summary Table in the invoicing plan helps you check your input. It displays:
Item Budget: The amount to invoice as specified in the budget.
Planned Amount: The total of your planned invoice amounts.
Difference: The difference between the planned amount and the budgeted amount. (It is ok when you planned to invoice different amount than specified in the budget).
If you make a mistake, you can edit the amounts directly in the table. To remove all amounts for a row, use the Delete button (bin icon) in the actions column.
Note: You cannot delete a whole row with a budget item. To exclude an item from invoicing, simply enter “0” as the amount.
7. Once all changes are made, click Update to lock in your manual invoicing plan. To make further edits, simply change the amounts and click Update again.
Invoicing Plan Dashboard Overview
The Invoicing Plan Dashboard serves as a central hub where CFOs, managing directors, or project managers can easily monitor the invoicing progress of all their projects. This section provides a clear and structured overview of all planned invoices for each project.
The dashboard aggregates important financial data, including:
Plan to Invoice: The total amount planned for invoicing within the current month for all the projects listed.
Invoiced: The total amount that has already been invoiced from the planned figures.
Uninvoiced: The remaining amount that has yet to be invoiced based on the plan.
Balance: The difference between the planned and actual invoiced amounts, helping users see any discrepancies.
Status: Tracks the invoicing status of each project, showing whether a project is "uninvoiced," "partially invoiced," or "invoiced."
By reviewing these key metrics, project managers and financial leads can ensure that all invoicing activities are on track, quickly identify any gaps or pending invoices, and optimize cash flow planning.
Users with roles as project manager or team leader can see only those projects where they are assigned or have access to.