How invoicing works for Supplier and Buyers
Invoicing allows suppliers to send invoices (PDFs) and credit notes to the buyer*, linked directly to the order. 🆕 Invoices (PDFs) may also be sent to the buyer* for externally processed orders.
Invoices may be issued on either an order or an order confirmation. You can issue multiple invoices for every order, such as for the order and freight separately. Credit notes can be linked directly to specific invoices or issued directly to the order or order confirmation.
When you send an invoice, you can also provide additional supporting documents, such as an Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN), ensuring the buyer receives everything in a single and simple package.
The article covers:
Who can send invoices and credit notes?
All suppliers can issue invoices and credit notes directly from our Trade Application*. You can also send invoices directly from your system using our invoicing API.
*Note: Suppliers can only send invoices and credit notes to buyers who are set up to receive them (configured manually or, at a minimum, have sent at least one transaction to them). If the buyer is not set up, when you try to issue an invoice to that buyer, you will be alerted.
Can I invoice non-ShipServ buyers?
Not yet. We are considering enhancements that will allow you to issue invoices and credit notes to any buyer. If this is of interest, let us know!
How to issue an invoice
You can issue an invoice from the order directly or with the PO or POC reference handy, from the invoice list view within the Invoicing menu on the left hand side.
The easiest way to issue an invoice is from the transaction list directly. Go to the Transactions menu and then choose the Orders or Confirmations tab.
1. Select a transaction needing an invoice and click to open.
In the transaction list screenshot below, the dark invoice icon shown to the right of the first transaction indicates an invoice was sent. The lighter invoice icon shown to the right of the second transaction indicates no invoice was sent.
2. Click on the Invoices & Credit Notes button
3. The Invoices & Credit Notes side drawer will open. Click "Add" on the right side of the Invoices area.
4. The high-level order information will be displayed.
5. Enter required invoice details: Due Date, Unique Invoice number and costs such as subtotal, freight charges, applicable discount and up to five additional charges such as tax. Add a note in the comments box if you want to better describe what these additional costs are.
Note: You may issue freight only invoices and leave the subtotal field empty.
(If you change the currency to a currency that does not correlate with the order, a warning will display below the total.)
6. If the buyer requires bank details, they will be entered in the next section.
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Bank Details include a Bank Account Type (choose from the drop-down list) followed by the Account Number. Select from the existing choices or add a new account/VAT Number then select it from the list. The information will be stored for the next time.
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Bank details are not the same as payment details. Payment details should be specified in hard copy of the invoice you upload. Click here for more information about bank details.
Enter Account Type Name
7. Enter Account Number (Type in and/or Highlight choice and select from list)
8. Enter VAT/TAX ID (Type in and/or Highlight choice and select from list)
9. Enter notes and click Add document if you wish to attach a document such as an Advanced Shipping Notice.
When adding a document, chose from the document types (such as Advanced Shipping Notice) and then drag and drop the .PDF, Word, Excel, .jpg or .png file into the specified area (or click upload a file to browse and upload).
10. Scroll back to the top to paste the invoice file (.jpg or .pdf) in the upload box, or browse and upload .
Note: The hard copy of the invoice you upload is the source of truth for invoice lines and payment details.
11. Click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page.
If the invoice total is greater than the order total, you will be alerted before continuing.
Upon completion, you will see the invoice and relevant details in the View Invoice option.
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From the Invoicing menu you can view, search and manage all your invoices and credit notes (available to all suppliers). Simply tap "New Invoice" to add one.
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If you have the PO or POC reference, you can tap "New Invoice", and under "ShipServ Invoice", enter and select the PO in question and then add the invoice to the transaction following steps outlined as above.
How to issue an External invoice
If the PO was not sent through ShipServ, then simply type the Order reference of the order you want to add (which will NOT be found) and then select from one of the three options which is most relevant for this transaction. Then continue to enter the details for the buyer and the vessel as before. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.
NOTE: The buyer must be setup to receive invoices and have transacted with you. If they are not setup, they will not be shown in the dropdown list under "Buyer Name".
After entering the primary information, click "Confirm Non-ShipServ Invoice Details". Next, you will enter the same information as above when adding an invoice to a ShipServ transaction. (Click to go to Step 5 above).
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If you issue a credit note directly from an order or invoice it will already be selected for you.
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If you attempt to add an additional invoice to a transaction, you will be alerted and have the choice to cancel or continue issuing another invoice.
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If you want to select a different order, click the close button and search for another order. If the order has other invoices totaling within 5% of the total order value, we'll alert you and ask whether you wish to proceed on issuing another invoice.
Identifying which orders have been invoiced or not
When viewing your orders or order confirmations list, you'll see an invoice icon next to the status. When the invoice icon is highlighted with the darker icon, this means it has one or more invoices issued against it.
You can also filter your orders list to only show invoices that have or have not been issued an invoice. Just select the "Invoiced" filter with the "True" option.
You can view all invoices or you can filter the invoices by Invoice type of "ShipServ Invoice" or "External Invoice".
How to issue a credit note
You can issue a credit note from the order directly (with or without an invoice), from the credit notes list view or directly against an invoice, similar to adding an invoice (without the option to add ASN and other types of supplemental documentation.)
Once you've uploaded a hard copy of the credit note, you'll be asked to populate basic details. This includes the reason why you are issuing credit, such as a cancellation, as well as the particular reason, such as goods damaged during transit, company closure, etc.
Just as when creating an invoice, to the right of the credit details, you will need to upload a credit note file of .jpg or .pdf type.
Similar to adding an invoice you will be asked for the Bank Details and given a choice to add optional notes.
Bank details (VAT and Bank Account Types such as SWIFT, IBAN, BBAN,CHAPS, BIC, SEPA. EBA, and BACS), are used when issuing credit notes to some buyers. Buyers use them in combination with your TNID for identification purposes.
Click here for more information about bank details.
If you change the currency to one that does not correlate with the order, a warning will display. If this credit exceeds the invoiced total, you will be alerted when submitting.
Once you've submitted your credit note, you'll be redirected to the credit note view. From there you'll be able to review the credit note as well as access the linked invoice and order.
Viewing and Managing your Invoices
All Buyers and Suppliers can view and manage invoices and credit notes directly from our Trade Application in the Invoicing menu.
From the invoice list, you can see both the Order and Order Confirmation reference numbers for issued invoices. You can reorganize and manage which fields to display.
When you select an invoice or credit note, it will open and display the full details.
From the Credit Notes list, you can see the Inv number and the PO Reference. You can reorganize and manage which fields to display.
You can filter by Invoice type of "ShipServ Invoice" or "External Invoice".
How Invoicing Works for Buyers
Via Trade
Buyers can access our Trade Application with the ability to view and manage invoices and credit notes in a manner similar to suppliers from the Transactions and Invoicing menus.
Via integration
Using our Invoicing API (requires client development), buyers can upload suppliers' invoices to their system.
Via EyeShare Integration
We also have an integration directly with EyeShare. If the buyer is using Eyeshare, we can send the invoices to them (no client development required, just setup). For more details, speak with your account manager.