---
key: bill-from-a-work-order
title: Bill a customer from a work order
audience: staff
section: operations
routes: ["/work-orders/:uid/:tab?/:itemUid?"]
permissions: ["billing.sources.generate"]
features: ["work_orders.core"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: List the labour, parts and fees on a work order's Billing tab once, then turn them into a quote or an invoice, ask for a deposit, and collect payment without leaving the work order.
keywords: [invoice from job, bill the job, charge customer, line items, parts and labour, deposit, collect payment, quote from work order]
related: [work-on-a-work-order, create-a-quote, create-an-invoice, convert-a-quote-to-an-invoice, record-a-payment, create-a-supplier-purchase-order]
---

In the sidebar, open **Operations**, then **Work Orders**, open the work order, and press the **Billing** tab. The page address is `/work-orders/` followed by the work order and `/billing`.

The idea: you list what was done and supplied on the work order once, as invoice source lines. Quotes and invoices are then built from those lines, so nothing is typed twice.

## Before you start

- Adding lines needs permission to update work orders. Creating a quote or invoice from them needs permission to generate billing documents. Deposits and payments need their own billing permissions.
- Your organization's currency must be set up; if not, a red notice at the top of the tab says what is missing.

## Steps

1. Under **Invoice source lines**, choose the **Line type**: **Base service**, **Labor**, **Product**, **Inventory**, **Misc material**, **Fee**, **Discount** or **Adjustment**.
2. Type the **Description**, the **Quantity** and the **Unit price**. Optionally put lines under a **Group** heading, or link an **Offering** or inventory item. Leave **Taxable** and **Billable** ticked unless the line is free or tax-exempt.
3. Press **Add invoice source line**. Nova says **Line item added.** Repeat for each line. **Edit** and **Remove** change a line later.
4. Press **Create quote** to send the customer a price first, or **Create invoice** to bill now. In the window that opens, keep the suggested number or type your own, then confirm. Nova builds a draft and lists it under **Quotes** or **Invoices** on this tab; **View quote** or **View invoice** opens it in full ([[create-a-quote]], [[create-an-invoice]]).
5. Each document's card offers the next step. On a draft, **Send quote** or **Send invoice** opens the review-and-send screen. **Mark as sent** records that you handed the document over, printed it or mailed it yourself: no email goes out, and the document is no longer a draft. An invoice marked as sent gets no payment reminders, which only go to invoices sent from Nova. An invoice card also offers **Collect payment**, and a payment takes a draft out of draft by itself.
6. To ask for money up front, under **Deposits and credits** fill in **Add deposit requirement**: pick when it is **Due** (**Before scheduling** or **Before work starts**), the **Amount** and **Notes**. Under **Hold these actions until paid or waived**, tick what must wait, such as **Scheduling** or **The final invoice being sent or paid**. Tick **Allow partial payments** if a part payment is fine, then press **Add deposit requirement**.
7. To collect a payment, press **Collect payment**. The **Collect work-order payment** panel lets you record a payment, charge a card, charge a saved card or share the invoice's payment link ([[record-a-payment]]).

## What you see

- The summary at the top: **Source subtotal**, **Balance due**, **Payments applied**, deposits required, funded and available, **Discounts**, and the invoice, payment, deposit and credit state.
- **Quotes** and **Invoices** list the documents made from this work order. An accepted quote offers **Convert to invoice**; each card has **View quote** or **View invoice**.
- **Payments applied** lists payments against this work order's invoices and deposits.
- **Open quotes**, **Open invoices**, **Open payments** and **Open refunds** open those lists filtered to this work order. **Supplier POs** lists purchase orders for its parts ([[create-a-supplier-purchase-order]]).

## If something looks different

- **Create quote** and **Create invoice** are greyed out: a short note under **Unified drafts** says why, for example that there are no billable lines yet. The buttons are hidden when your role cannot create billing documents.
- A window explains that the quote or invoice cannot be created yet: something else must happen first, such as a required deposit. Follow what it says.
- **Billing** is missing: your role cannot see quotes, invoices or billing, or an admin hid the tab.
- **Invoice ID already in use** or **Quote ID already in use**: that number is taken. Take the suggested one or type another.