In Teachworks, invoice and credit note numbers consist of two different parts:
A Prefix
An Invoice Number
Part 1 - The Prefix
An Invoice Prefix is a short sequence of letters or numbers added to the beginning of your invoice numbers.
For example, using the default prefix "INV-" will result in invoice numbers like INV-1001. Similarly, the default prefix for credit notes is "CN-". To customize these prefixes, follow the steps below:
Click on "Account" and then click on "Account Settings".
Switch to the "Finance & Operations" tab.
Scroll down to the "Invoice Numbering & Identification" section.
Set the prefix you'd like to use in the "Invoice Prefix" and "Credit Note Prefix" fields.
Submit the form to save your changes.
If you don't want to have an Invoice Prefix, it's possible to just use numbers by leaving the "Invoice Prefix" field blank. However, we generally recommend using a prefix for your credit notes at a minimum, as this will make it easier to distinguish between the invoices and credit notes on the "Invoices" table.
The prefix is rendered when you view an invoice, it is not saved with the invoice record. This means that if you generate some invoices and the prefix is set to "INV-" and you later change the prefix to "INVOICE", the next time you view the invoices the current prefix of "INVOICE" will be appended to the beginning of the number for all invoices, including those created prior to the change.
NOTE: Companies that have long invoice or credit note prefixes (ie. 8 characters or more) will have the prefix hidden by default on the Invoice forms so that the Invoice Number will be visible. You can hover over the prefix section to see the prefix.
Part 2 - Invoice Number
Invoice numbers are a unique numeric value assigned to each invoice or credit note you create.
When you create invoices or credit notes, the Invoice numbers will increment automatically. However, you can also set the invoice numbers to a higher value during the creation of an invoice using the "Number" field on the "Create Invoice" form.
Invoice numbers are right justified to 4 digits, so an invoice with the number "1" will be displayed as "0001". An invoice with the number "25" will be displayed as "0025". If the invoice number is equal to or greater than 4 digits, no leading zeros will be added.