Invoice Automation

SKILL.md

Invoice Automation

Comprehensive invoice automation skill for generating, sending, tracking, and reconciling invoices across multiple accounting platforms.

Core Workflows

1. Invoice Generation
INVOICE CREATION FLOW:
┌─────────────────┐
│  Customer Data  │
└────────┬────────┘
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  Line Items     │
│  - Products     │
│  - Services     │
│  - Quantities   │
└────────┬────────┘
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  Apply Template │
│  - Branding     │
│  - Terms        │
│  - Tax rates    │
└────────┬────────┘
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  Generate PDF   │
└─────────────────┘

2. Multi-Platform Integration

Platform
Capabilities

QuickBooks
Full CRUD, payments, reports

Xero
Invoices, contacts, bank feeds

FreshBooks
Time tracking, expenses, invoices

Stripe
Recurring, one-time, subscriptions

Wave
Free invoicing, receipts

Zoho Invoice
Multi-currency, templates

3. Automated Workflows

Auto-Invoice from Time Tracking:

trigger: weekly_timesheet_approved
actions:
  - aggregate_billable_hours
  - calculate_totals
  - generate_invoice
  - send_to_client
  - log_to_accounting

Payment Reminder Sequence:

reminders:
  - days_before_due: 3
    template: friendly_reminder
  - days_after_due: 1
    template: payment_due
  - days_after_due: 7
    template: overdue_notice
  - days_after_due: 30
    template: final_notice

Invoice Templates

Standard Invoice Template

## INVOICE

**Invoice Number:** INV-{YYYY}{MM}-{####}
**Date:** {issue_date}
**Due Date:** {due_date}

### Bill To:
{customer_name}
{customer_address}
{customer_email}

### Items:
| Description | Qty | Unit Price | Amount |
|-------------|-----|------------|--------|
| {item_1}    | {q} | ${price}   | ${amt} |
| {item_2}    | {q} | ${price}   | ${amt} |

**Subtotal:** ${subtotal}
**Tax ({tax_rate}%):** ${tax_amount}
**Total Due:** ${total}

### Payment Methods:
- Bank Transfer: {bank_details}
- Credit Card: {payment_link}
- PayPal: {paypal_email}

Recurring Invoice Setup

recurring_invoice:
  customer_id: "cust_123"
  frequency: monthly
  day_of_month: 1
  items:
    - description: "Monthly Retainer"
      quantity: 1
      unit_price: 5000
  auto_send: true
  payment_terms: net_30
  reminder_enabled: true

Payment Tracking

Status Dashboard

PAYMENT STATUS OVERVIEW:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Outstanding    │ $45,000  │ 12 invoices │
│  Overdue        │ $8,500   │ 3 invoices  │
│  Paid (30 days) │ $125,000 │ 28 invoices │
│  Pending        │ $15,000  │ 5 invoices  │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Aging Report

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AGING:
┌─────────────┬──────────┬─────────┐
│ Period      │ Amount   │ Count   │
├─────────────┼──────────┼─────────┤
│ Current     │ $25,000  │ 8       │
│ 1-30 days   │ $12,000  │ 4       │
│ 31-60 days  │ $5,000   │ 2       │
│ 61-90 days  │ $2,500   │ 1       │
│ 90+ days    │ $1,000   │ 1       │
└─────────────┴──────────┴─────────┘

Reconciliation Workflows

Bank Feed Matching

reconciliation_rules:
  - match_type: exact_amount
    tolerance: 0
    auto_match: true
  - match_type: invoice_reference
    field: memo
    auto_match: true
  - match_type: customer_name
    fuzzy_match: 0.9
    auto_match: false
    flag_for_review: true

Multi-Currency Support

currency_settings:
  base_currency: USD
  supported:
    - EUR
    - GBP
    - JPY
    - CNY
  exchange_rate_source: openexchangerates
  update_frequency: daily
  auto_convert: true

API Integration Examples

QuickBooks Invoice Creation

const invoice = {
  CustomerRef: { value: "123" },
  Line: [
    {
      DetailType: "SalesItemLineDetail",
      Amount: 1000,
      SalesItemLineDetail: {
        ItemRef: { value: "1" },
        Qty: 10,
        UnitPrice: 100
      }
    }
  ],
  DueDate: "2024-02-15",
  EmailStatus: "NeedToSend"
};

Stripe Invoice

const invoice = await stripe.invoices.create({
  customer: 'cus_xxx',
  collection_method: 'send_invoice',
  days_until_due: 30,
  auto_advance: true
});

await stripe.invoiceItems.create({
  customer: 'cus_xxx',
  invoice: invoice.id,
  price: 'price_xxx',
  quantity: 1
});

await stripe.invoices.sendInvoice(invoice.id);

Best Practices

Consistent Numbering: Use sequential, searchable invoice numbers

Clear Terms: Always specify payment terms and accepted methods

Timely Sending: Send invoices immediately upon delivery

Automated Reminders: Set up reminder sequences for overdue invoices

Regular Reconciliation: Match payments to invoices weekly

Backup Records: Maintain copies in multiple systems

Common Triggers

Trigger
Action

Project completed
Generate final invoice

Timesheet approved
Bill for hours

Subscription renewal
Create recurring invoice

Payment received
Update status, send receipt

Invoice overdue
Send reminder

Month end
Generate aging report