Invoices let you record and track outstanding vendor bills before you pay them. While most school activity accounting operates on a cash basis, recording invoices ensures you acknowledge obligations in advance — giving principals and bookkeepers complete visibility into committed funds before check-cutting day.
Think of Invoices as your digital "bills to pay" folder. When a vendor delivers goods or submits an invoice, you enter it into Edlio Accounting immediately. When payment day arrives, you simply select the invoice from your queue and issue the check without re-entering vendor information.
Creating an invoice
To record a new vendor invoice:
Navigate to Disbursements > New Invoice.
Vendor: Select an approved vendor from your vendor list. (The vendor address and payment terms auto-populate). If the vendor is new, add them or ensure they are approved per district policy.
Vendor Reference / Invoice Number: Enter the vendor's invoice number exactly as shown on the bill for cross-referencing and duplicate prevention.
Invoice Date & Due Date: Record the bill date and payment deadline.
Amount: Enter the total bill amount.
Description / Note: Add details explaining what items or services were received.
Fund Allocation: Select the fund (or funds) that will pay the bill. The system displays the fund's current available balance in real time, preventing inadvertent over-commitment. Use + Add Fund if splitting an invoice across multiple accounts.
Attachments: Drag and drop a digital copy of the vendor's invoice, packing slip, or approval signature directly into the Attachments section.
Select Post Invoice to commit the record to your accounts payable queue.
Invoice statuses
Invoices move through these standard workflow states:
Posted: The invoice has been entered and committed to the system. The obligation is recognized on dashboard balances, but cash has not yet left your bank account.
Paid: The invoice has been included in an issued check batch. The payment is committed to the cash ledger and the check number is attached to the invoice record.
Paying invoices
When you are ready to issue payments:
Go to Disbursements > New Payment > Pay Invoices.
Select the vendor(s) and specific posted invoices to pay.
The system aggregates all selected invoices for each vendor into a single check batch.
Select Prepare Batch and proceed with Print Checks.
Upon print confirmation, the invoice status automatically updates from Posted to Paid.
See Disbursements: Sending Money Out for complete details on check batching, printer alignment, and reissuing checks.
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