How do I generate an invoice?
After creating a reservation, you will be able to generate an invoice for the new booking.
Before generating an invoice:
Please make sure that all the reservation details on the Details tab are correct.
Make sure to print or e-mail an invoice when you have checked that all the reservation details are correct. Selecting to print or e-mail an invoice will also generate an invoice for the reservation (if it wasn’t generated already).
To generate an invoice:
Locate the reservation on the Calendar page or the Reservations page.
Click on the reservation so that the summary pop-up appears.
Go to the Invoices tab.
For reservations where an invoice has not yet been generated, you will see a Generate invoice button. Click on this button once you have checked that all the details on the Details tab are correct.
⚠️ Editing reservation details after having generated the invoice might require an invoice update. Bear in mind that updating the invoice will generate a new invoice with a different invoice number.
How do I update an existing invoice?
If you have already generated an invoice, it will require an update from Little Hotelier if one of the following are changed:
Check-in or check-out date
A room (added or removed)
The room type for one of the room stays
The rate plan for one of the room stays
The number of occupants for one of the room stays
Extras (added, changed, or removed)
A payment (recorded, processed, or refunded)
Customer details
The reservation status
⚠️ It is advised to update an invoice only if absolutely necessary, as it will create a new invoice. It is best to avoid having a large number of invalid invoices in your system.
If you have already generated an invoice by editing the details on the reservation, you will be able to create another invoice with the updated information:
Locate the reservation on the Calendar page or the Reservations page.
Click on the right side of the reservation booking marker so that it opens.
Edit the reservation details.
Double-check that all the details on the Details tab are correct and that you have clicked on Save to update the changes.
Inside the reservation, go to the Invoices tab.
You will see:
The current invoice number.
An Invoice is outdated, click here to update button.
The current invoice issue date. ⚠️ Clicking on the Invoice is outdated will generate another invoice with the updated details and will therefore mark the current invoice as Invalid.
Once you click on Invoice is outdated , you will now see more than one invoice in your reservation’s Invoices tab.
⚠️ Once an invoice is created, it cannot be deleted or modified, so the system generates a new invoice and keeps the previous versions of the invoice in case you need them. Depending on the country where your property is located, deleting or modifying an invoice without changing its number might be considered illegal.
💡 Only the latest invoice is valid. All previous versions will show a watermark with the word " Invalid " twice in large font.
What happens with the numbering of invoices after they are updated?
If you issue an updated invoice by clicking on the Invoice is outdated, click here to update button, the new invoice will have the same number as the last one plus a number at the end. This number identifies how many updates the invoice has received.
➕ For example:
If your invoices have "abc" as the first few characters and "xyz" as the last few characters, you might have an invoice number as "abc-100-xyz".
After the first invoice update, the new version’s invoice number would be "abc-100-xyz-1".
If the invoice is updated ten times, its number would be "abc-100-xyz-10".
The number keeps track of how many changes were made to the invoice, not of how many versions of the invoice exist. "abc-100-xyz-1" is technically the second version of the invoice even though it is numbered "1", and "abc-100-xyz-10" is technically the eleventh version of the invoice even though it is numbered "10".
What kind of information is included in an invoice
Header (if set up on Customise invoice)
Invoice number
Invoice date
Data from the property:
Logo (if uploaded on Customise invoice)
Name
Address
Property phone number
Main contact phone number
Enquiry e-mail
Tax number (at the bottom of the invoice)
Payment policy (below the breakdown per night included)
Data from the guest:
First name
Last name
Address
City
State
Zip / Postal code
Country
Data from the reservation:
Status of the payment: will display as Paid or Unpaid
Reservation number
Reservation status
Arrival
Departure
Nights
Adults
Children
Infants
Breakdown per night included
Date
Description (will show the rate plan)
Room number
Quantity (applicable for extras)
Item total
Total (item total x quantity)
Payments
Subtotal
Total
Outstanding balance
💡 Your invoices can be customised.
Why should you print or e-mail your invoices?
⚠️ Please check your local laws, as some regions might require you to always provide your guests with an invoice. Your local laws might also require you to keep a copy for yourself (printed or digital).
It is important to print and e-mail invoices for the following reasons:
For your guests to see the payment summary and all their charges.
For your property’s accounts department to record the income for accounting purposes and revenue audits.
How can I print an invoice for a specific reservation?
You can print an invoice from within a reservation by doing the following steps:
Locate the reservation on the Calendar page or the Reservations page.
Click on the reservation so that the summary pop-up appears.
Click on Print.
Select Invoice from the drop-down menu.
A new window will open for you to print the invoice.
Click on Print to confirm.
💡If you wish, you can also save the invoice as a PDF on your computer by selecting Save as a PDF.
How can I e-mail an invoice for a specific reservation?
⚠️ The invoice e-mail is not customisable.
⚠️ Before sending an invoice, make sure that the invoice is updated within the reservation > Invoices tab.
You can e-mail an invoice from within a reservation by doing the following steps:
Locate the reservation on the Calendar page or the Reservations page.
Click on the reservation so that the summary pop-up appears.
Click on E-mail.
Select Invoice from the drop-down menu. The invoice will now be sent to the Primary contact e-mail address.