Most invoicing problems start before the invoice exists. The work was done, but the hours were not logged, the task was never marked billable, or the materials were never attached to the project. Orkely is built around the opposite order: record the work while it happens, then let the invoice describe it.
This is the workflow for turning completed tasks into an invoice. It is part of Orkely Free — you do not need the Pro add-on for any of it.
Before you start: finish the task and make it billable
An invoice can only pick up tasks that are done, billable and not already invoiced. That is deliberate: it stops the same work being billed twice and keeps the list focused on what is actually ready.
- Mark the task as done when the work is finished.
- Check that it is marked billable.
- Log the time against the task as you go, rather than reconstructing it from memory at invoice time.
- Set the task rate if it differs from your usual hourly rate.
If a task is missing from the invoice screen, one of those conditions is the first thing to check. A task that is still open, non-billable or already attached to another invoice will not appear.
1. Create the invoice from the project
Open the project, then use its Create Invoice shortcut, or start a new invoice from the Invoices section and select the project. Choosing the project fills in the client and loads the project's unbilled work.
The invoice form then shows an Unbilled Tasks panel for that project, with the task title and its current value.
2. Select the tasks to bill
Tick the tasks you want to invoice, or use Select all to take the whole remaining batch. The selected tasks become invoice lines when you click Attach selected.
Each line starts with the task title, the logged hours as the quantity and the task rate as the unit price. If no hours were logged, the line starts at one unit so you can adjust it rather than starting from zero. You can still edit the description, quantity and price before saving.
Tasks already added to this invoice are disabled in the list, and Select all skips them. That prevents the most common invoicing mistake: attaching the same batch twice and quietly billing it twice.
3. Add rechargeable project costs
Materials are tracked separately from labour. If the client should pay for parts, receipts or other project expenses, use the project costs panel rather than typing them in from scratch.
A cost that has already been recharged on an invoice is excluded from the available list. The link on the invoice line is the record, so deleting the invoice makes the cost available again instead of stranding it. Costs are attached at cost, with the category as the line label, so a client sees Materials: copper pipes rather than a bare description that reads like labour.
4. Review the invoice before it leaves
Check the invoice number, issue date and due date. The number is pre-filled and editable; the due date is yours to set. Then review each line:
- Is the description clear enough for the client to recognise the work?
- Are the quantity and unit price correct?
- Is there a blank placeholder row left at the bottom? Blank rows are ignored when you save, but removing them keeps the form tidy.
- Do the notes explain anything the client needs to know?
Saving creates the invoice as a draft. Nothing has been sent to the client yet.
5. Send it or save the PDF
From the invoice you can send it over your own SMTP settings, or download the branded PDF and send it yourself. If mail is not configured, Orkely's fallback saves the PDF to your Downloads folder and opens a pre-filled draft in your email app. The invoice is not lost either way.
Sending sets the status to Sent. Downloading the PDF is independent of sending, so you can print or archive a copy without changing the status.
6. Record the payment
When the money arrives, use Record Payment with the amount, date and method. Partial payments are supported. When the payments reach the invoice total, Orkely marks the invoice Paid.
Why this beats invoicing from a spreadsheet
The invoice is a view of the work, not a separate document you have to remember to update. The task already holds the description, the hours and the rate. The project already holds the client and the costs. Invoicing is the step that selects what to bill, not the step where you rebuild the job from memory.