Create & send an invoice

Monograph builds invoices around the way architecture firms actually bill — by phase, by role, and by what’s been logged versus planned. This page walks the whole flow, from starting an invoice to sending the payment request.

Start a new invoice

1. Go to Money → Invoices and click New Invoice. (You can also start one from a project’s Overview or the Unbilled report.)

2. Choose the project. The invoice number auto-fills to the next in sequence — you can override it.

3. Set the Services Through date, then click Create.

Don't overlap Services Through dates

Overlapping date ranges between invoices cause discrepancies in Unbilled, Previously Billed, and Complete totals. Keep each invoice’s date range distinct.

Build the invoice

The Invoice Builder walks you through tabs in order: Fixed Fee → Hourly → Consultants → Expenses → Additional Items. A running Current Due updates as you go.

Fixed fee services

Bill fixed-fee phases one of two ways (pick one method per project to avoid inconsistencies):

• By unbilled amount — enter the Unbilled value into Current Due; the percent complete updates automatically.
• By milestone / % complete — enter the percentage you want to bill into Current Complete, and Current Due calculates from the phase’s planned budget.

Hourly services

Each hourly phase expands to its roles with planned vs. logged time. Click Add to bill the logged hours, or type a number to override. The rate used is the one in effect on the last day of the Services Through range.

Consultants

Budgeted consultants appear here. For phase consultants, expand to enter each phase amount; for project consultants, use Current Complete / Current Due. Only accepted consultant bills can be linked, and any markup is folded into the fee (never shown separately to the client).

Expenses

Expenses logged in the date range appear under Included automatically — remove any with the X. Older uncleared expenses show under Logged; add them individually or Add all. Receipt attachments become an appendix (toggle off Include receipt images in the Designer if you’d rather not).

Additional items

Use Add Line Item for:

• Retainer — one per invoice. See Retainers.
• Taxes — one rate per invoice (set rates in Settings, or pull from QuickBooks if connected).
• Other item — one-off charges, fees, or a discount (enter a negative rate).

Apply a template & design

Invoice appearance is controlled by a template — one is required to open an invoice. In the Designer tab, pick a saved template (or create one) and set:

• Issue date and Terms (Due Upon Receipt, Net 15/30, Pay When Paid) → sets the Due Date.
• Optional Reference/PO number, a Note (intro/summary), and a Footer (payment terms, boilerplate).
• Drag in any PDF attachments to append.

Templates are reusable

See Invoice templates & design for creating and customizing them. Once a template has been used on an invoice, edits only apply to future invoices.

Preview, open & send

1. On the Preview page, review in continuous scroll, or click Preview PDF to see it exactly as your client will (draft copies carry a DRAFT watermark).

2. Add any internal notes or @mention a teammate — these never show to the client.

3. If Monograph Payments is on, choose how the client can pay (card / ACH) and whether to pass the convenience fee.

4. Click Open and Send, pick the client contact(s), optionally attach a PDF copy and a custom message, then Send.

Opening locks the invoice

Once you Mark as Open, an invoice can’t be edited — you’d have to delete and recreate it. An invoice already paid through Monograph can’t be deleted at all. Review carefully first.

The Activity Log then tracks everything — created, opened, sent, viewed, paid, or declined.

Related

Payments & remindersGet paid online and chase overdue invoices.

RetainersCollect and apply deposits.

Managing invoicesTrack statuses, write-offs, and batch billing.

QuickBooks Online syncSend invoices to your accounting.