Invoices
Generate professional invoices, export PDF and track payment status.
Overview
Cliento lets you create invoices linked to your projects, export them as PDF and collect payment online via Stripe or PayPal — all from one place. Your client pays through a secure token link with no account required.
Note
Free plan users can create up to 3 invoices. Solo and Pro plans have no limit.
Creating an invoice
You can create invoices in three ways:
From a project
Go to a project page and click Generate invoice when validated milestones are ready for billing. Milestone amounts are pre-filled but can be adjusted.
From scratch
Go to Dashboard → Invoices → New invoice to create a standalone invoice not linked to a project.
Automatically on milestone validation Solo / Pro
Enable the Auto-invoice option on any milestone to have Cliento create a draft invoice automatically the moment the client validates that milestone — no manual step required.
The auto-invoice badge is displayed on the milestone card so you can tell at a glance which milestones trigger automatic billing. The draft invoice is immediately available in Dashboard → Invoices for review before sending.
See Projects → Auto-invoice on validation → for setup instructions.
Invoice creation fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Client | Billed party — select from your client list |
| Project | Optional link to a project (when creating from scratch) |
| Invoice number | Auto-generated as FAC-YYYY-XXX (from projects) or CLI-YYYY-XXX (from My invoices page) |
| Due date | Payment deadline shown to the client |
| Line items | Services, quantities and unit prices |
| Notes | Payment terms, bank details or any message |
About line items
Invoice lines can come from validated milestones or be added manually. Milestone amounts are pre-filled but can be adjusted before generating the invoice. Totals are computed automatically.
Standalone payment links Pro
A standalone payment link lets you collect a one-off payment without creating a project or a milestone. It is useful for retainers, deposits, or any service billed outside of a project workflow.
Access it from Dashboard → Invoices → Payment link.
How it works
- Enter the amount, currency, and a short description.
- Optionally attach a client, a due date, and a VAT rate.
- Click Generate payment link — a Stripe Payment Link is created instantly.
- Copy the link and share it with your client, or use Send link to email it directly.
An invoice record is automatically created in your invoice list with a Payment link badge and the status Sent.
VAT
Toggle VAT on to enter a rate. The amount sent to Stripe is the tax-included total; the tax-excluded amount is stored in the invoice for accounting purposes.
When the link is generated, an email is automatically sent to the attached client with a Pay now → button pointing directly to the Stripe payment page.
You can resend the email at any time from the invoice list using the Resend link button.
After payment
Once the client pays via Stripe, the webhook automatically marks the invoice as Paid. No manual action required.
Note
Standalone payment links require Stripe Connect to be configured. See Payments → Stripe Connect → for setup instructions.
Tip
If you don't attach a client, Cliento creates a neutral placeholder entry to keep the invoice valid. You can reassign the client later by editing the invoice.
Invoice statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared — not yet sent |
| Sent | Delivered to the client |
| Awaiting confirmation | Payment initiated but not yet confirmed |
| Paid | Payment confirmed |
Mark an invoice as Paid manually after receiving payment, or let Stripe update it automatically when the client pays online.
Awaiting confirmation
When a client initiates a payment (via Stripe or PayPal) but the confirmation has not yet been received — for example, during a bank transfer or a delayed webhook — the invoice moves to Awaiting confirmation.
A dedicated Awaiting confirmation section appears in your invoice dashboard, grouping all invoices in this intermediate state so you can follow up or verify payment without losing track of them.
Tip
For PayPal invoices, payment tracking is manual. If a client says they've paid, check your PayPal account and move the invoice to Paid yourself.
Note
For Stripe invoices, the status updates automatically via webhook when payment is confirmed. The "Awaiting confirmation" state is typically brief — a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the payment method.
Sending an invoice
Click Send to generate a secure payment link and email it to your client Solo / Pro.
The email contains:
- Invoice summary (amount, due date)
- A "View & pay" button linking to the client payment page
On the Free plan, copy the payment link manually from the invoice page and send it yourself.
The client payment page
Your client sees a clean invoice page with:
- Your logo and brand color
- Full line item breakdown
- Due date and total amount
- A Pay now button (Stripe) or a PayPal link
No account, no friction.
Payment methods
Stripe Connect Solo / Pro
Connect your Stripe account once in Profile → Payments. After that, every invoice gets a Stripe Checkout link automatically. Payment is deposited directly to your bank account.
See Payments → for the full setup guide.
PayPal
Configure a PayPal.me link in Profile → Payments. Cliento embeds it as a payment button on the client invoice page. Payment tracking is manual — mark the invoice as Paid yourself after receiving the transfer.
Payment tracking fields
Each invoice records two fields when payment is confirmed:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
paidAt | Date and time the payment was confirmed |
paidVia | Payment method used: stripe or paypal |
These fields appear on the invoice detail page and are included in the CSV export for accounting purposes.
Export PDF Solo / Pro
Click Export PDF to download a professionally designed PDF invoice using your logo, brand color and business information from your profile.
If you have configured your RIB/IBAN in Profile → Bank details, it appears in a dedicated section at the bottom of the PDF — no need to add it manually in notes.
The PDF is generated server-side and is suitable for sending to accountants or attaching to emails.
Invoice numbering
Cliento auto-generates invoice numbers in two formats:
FAC-YYYY-XXXwhen creating invoices from projectsCLI-YYYY-XXXwhen creating invoices from the My invoices page
The counter resets each year for each prefix. Invoice numbers are not editable.
Deleting an invoice
Only Draft invoices can be deleted. Once an invoice is Sent or Paid, it is locked to preserve your accounting history. To cancel a sent invoice, add a credit note in the notes field and mark it as Paid with a €0 amount.