Overview
This is the big-picture guide. It shows the whole journey of getting paid, from start to finish: you create the invoice, you send it to the customer, you track it while you wait, and you record the payment when the money comes in.
Each stage has its own detailed guide. This page ties them together so you can see how they fit, and then sends you to the right guide when you need the fine detail. Think of it as the map; the linked guides are the streets.
Along the way an invoice moves through these statuses, which you can see in the Invoices list:
- Draft — saved but not sent. The customer cannot see it yet.
- Sent — emailed or shared with the customer, waiting for payment.
- Overdue — the due date has passed and it is still not fully paid.
- Partial — the customer has paid some, but not all, of the amount.
- Paid — the full amount has been received. Done.
- Cancelled — the invoice was called off and is no longer owed.
Where to Find It
Everything in this journey lives under the Invoices menu in the left sidebar. Open it and you will see:
- All Invoices — the list of every invoice, with its status and total amount (open an invoice to see how much is still owed)
- Create Invoice — the form for building a new invoice
- Refunds — money you have given back to customers
The Four Stages
Click Invoices → Create Invoice. On the form you pick the customer, add your line items (products, services, or your own custom lines), set the Issue Date and Due Date, and add any notes or terms. The Invoice Summary on the right adds everything up for you.
When you are done you have two choices:
- Save Draft — saves the invoice as a Draft. Nothing is emailed. Come back and edit it any time. Good when you are not finished, or want to check it first.
- Send Invoice — saves it, emails it to the customer, and moves it straight to Sent. This does Stage 1 and Stage 2 in one click.
The Currency on the invoice (for example TZS) is read-only on the form. It comes from your store's settings, not the invoice. If it is wrong, fix it first under Settings → Currency so every invoice and report stays in the same currency.
If you clicked Save Draft, the customer has not seen the invoice yet. To send it, open the invoice from Invoices → All Invoices and use one of these:
- Send to client (in the "⋯" More menu or Quick Actions) — emails the invoice with a copy attached, and marks it Sent. You can add a short personal note first.
- WhatsApp (green button in the header) — opens WhatsApp with a ready message: the invoice number, amount, balance, due date, and a pay link.
- Copy payment link (in the "⋯" More menu) — copies a public link the customer can open to view and pay the invoice. Paste it into any message.
- Print or Download (buttons in the header) — for a paper copy or a saved file.
"Send Invoice" and "Send to client" email the customer, so that customer must have an email address saved. No email? Share the invoice by WhatsApp or the public pay link instead, or add an email to the customer's record and send it later.
After sending, keep an eye on the invoice in Invoices → All Invoices. The list shows each invoice's status and its total amount (open an invoice to see how much is still owed). The summary cards at the top show your Total Invoices count plus money totals for Gross Invoiced, Outstanding, and Overdue, and the Invoice Status chart breaks down how many invoices are paid, pending, sent, or overdue.
When the Due Date passes and the invoice is still not fully paid, ninoPOS marks it Overdue so it stands out. That is your signal to follow up.
You can chase a customer by hand (open the invoice and use Resend to client or WhatsApp), or you can let ninoPOS do it for you with Payment Reminders — automatic follow-up emails on a schedule you set, from a gentle nudge to a final notice.
This is the step that closes the loop. When the customer pays — by cash, M-Pesa, mobile money, bank transfer, card, cheque, or otherwise — open the invoice and click Record Payment (in Quick Actions or the "⋯" More menu). A window opens:
Click Record payment. The invoice updates itself: the Payment Progress bar moves, the amount due drops, and the status becomes Partial (if some is still owed) or Paid (once the balance reaches zero). Every payment is listed under Payment History.
A customer can pay in several instalments. Record each one as it arrives — ninoPOS keeps a running total and shows how much is still due.
The Whole Journey at a Glance
| Stage | What you do | Status after | Detailed guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Create | Build the invoice and Save Draft | Draft | Creating an Invoice |
| 2. Send | Email it, WhatsApp it, or share the pay link | Sent | Sending an Invoice |
| 3. Track | Watch the list; chase overdue ones | Sent → Overdue | Payment Reminders |
| 4. Get paid | Record the payment when money comes in | Partial → Paid | Recording a Payment |
Every invoice has a public pay link. Use Copy payment link (or the WhatsApp button, which includes the link) to send it. The customer opens the link, sees the invoice, and can pay online — no login needed. It is often the fastest way to get paid.
Getting the money is not the last step; recording it is. If you skip Stage 4, the invoice keeps showing as unpaid or overdue, your reports show money still owed, and reminders may keep chasing a customer who has already paid. Whenever money comes in — cash in hand included — record it against the invoice so your books stay correct.