Multi-Company Invoice
Step-by-step guide to set up and use the Multi-Company Invoice plugin. Learn how to manage multiple companies, create invoices, track payments, and more.
📦 1. Installation
How to install the Multi-Company Invoice plugin on your WordPress site
📥 Method 1: WordPress Admin Upload (Recommended)
Download the Plugin
Download the multi-company-invoice.zip file to your computer.
Go to WordPress Plugins
Log in to your WordPress admin and navigate to:
Upload and Install
Click "Choose File", select the ZIP file, then click Install Now
Activate the Plugin
After installation completes, click Activate Plugin
📁 Method 2: FTP Upload
Extract the ZIP File
Extract multi-company-invoice.zip on your computer.
Upload via FTP
Connect to your server via FTP and upload the multi-company-invoice folder to:
Activate in WordPress
Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and activate "Multi-Company Invoice".
✅ After Installation
The plugin will automatically:
- Create all necessary database tables
- Register custom user roles (Company Admin, Company Staff)
- Add the "Invoices" menu to your WordPress admin sidebar
⚠️ Requirements
- WordPress 5.6 or higher
- PHP 7.4 or higher
- MySQL 5.7 or higher
- At least 128MB PHP memory limit
🚀 2. First Time Setup
Quick start guide to set up your first company and start invoicing
Create Company
Add your business
Configure Settings
Currency, tax, etc.
Add Clients
Your customers
Create Invoice
First invoice
Send to Client
Email or link
🎯 Quick Start Checklist
Create Your First Company
Go to Invoices → Companies → Add New
Fill in your company name, address, logo, and contact information.
Configure Invoice Numbering
In the company form, set up:
- Invoice Prefix: e.g., "INV-" or "2024-"
- Next Invoice Number: Starting number (e.g., 1 or 1001)
Set Up Taxes (Optional)
Go to Invoices → Settings → Taxes to add tax rates like VAT, GST, etc.
Add Your First Client
Go to Invoices → Clients → Add New and enter client details.
Create Your First Invoice
Go to Invoices → Add New, select client, add items, and save!
💡 Pro Tip
If you have multiple companies, you can switch between them using the company dropdown at the top of most pages.
🏢 3. Managing Companies
How to create and manage multiple companies in the system
➕ Creating a New Company
Navigate to Companies
Fill in Company Information
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Company Name | Legal name of your business | Yes |
| Logo | Upload company logo (appears on invoices) | No |
| Address | Street address | No |
| City, State, ZIP | City, state/province, postal code | No |
| Country | Country name | No |
| Phone | Contact phone number | No |
| Company email address | No | |
| Tax ID / VAT Number | Business tax identification number | No |
Configure Invoice Settings
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice Prefix | Prefix added to invoice numbers | INV-, 2024- |
| Next Invoice Number | The next number to be used | 1, 1001 |
| Quote Prefix | Prefix for quotations | QT-, QUOTE- |
| Default Currency | Currency for new invoices | EUR, USD |
| Default Payment Terms | Days until payment is due | 30 days |
Save the Company
Click Save Company to create the company.
✅ Best Practices
- Upload a high-quality logo (PNG or JPG, recommended 300x100 pixels)
- Use unique invoice prefixes for each company (e.g., "ACME-", "GLOBAL-")
- Set realistic payment terms (15, 30, or 45 days are common)
👥 4. Managing Clients
How to add and manage your client database
➕ Adding a New Client
Navigate to Clients
Select Company (if multiple)
If you have multiple companies, select which company this client belongs to.
⚠️ Important
Clients are company-specific. A client added to Company A will not appear when creating invoices for Company B.
Fill in Client Details
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Client Name | Business or individual name | Yes |
| Contact Person | Primary contact name | No |
| Email for sending invoices | Yes | |
| Phone | Contact phone number | No |
| Address | Billing address | No |
| Tax ID / VAT | Client's tax number | No |
👁️ Viewing Client Details
Click on any client name to view their complete profile:
📊 Account Balance
Total invoiced, paid, and outstanding amounts.
📋 Transaction Ledger
Complete history with running balance.
💰 Payment History
All payments received from this client.
📄 Outstanding Invoices
Invoices with balance due.
📦 5. Products & Services
Create a catalog for quick invoice creation
➕ Adding Products/Services
Navigate to Products
Fill in Product Details
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product Name | Name of product/service | Web Design Service |
| SKU/Code | Internal reference code | WEB-001 |
| Description | Detailed description | Custom website design... |
| Unit Price | Default price | 1500.00 |
| Unit | Unit of measurement | hour, piece, project |
| Tax Rate | Default tax rate | 20% |
✅ Why Use Products?
- Quickly add items to invoices without retyping
- Maintain consistent pricing and descriptions
- Save time when creating recurring invoices
📄 6. Creating Invoices
Step-by-step guide to create and manage invoices
➕ Creating a New Invoice
Navigate to Invoices
Select Company & Client
Choose which company this invoice is for, then select the client from the dropdown.
Set Invoice Details
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Invoice Date | Date the invoice is issued (defaults to today) |
| Due Date | Payment due date (auto-calculated from payment terms) |
| Reference Number | Your internal reference (e.g., project code) |
| PO Number | Client's purchase order number |
| Currency | Invoice currency |
Add Line Items
- From Products: Select a product from dropdown to auto-fill
- Manual Entry: Type item name, description, quantity, and price
- Tax: Select applicable tax rate for each item
Click + Add Item to add more lines.
Review & Save
Review totals, add notes if needed, then:
- Save as Draft - Save without sending
- Save & Send - Save and email to client
📊 Invoice Statuses
| Status | Badge | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Draft | Saved but not sent. Can be edited freely. |
| Sent | Sent | Sent to the client via email. |
| Viewed | Viewed | Client has opened the invoice. |
| Partial | Partial | Partial payment has been received. |
| Paid | Paid | Invoice is fully paid. |
| Overdue | Overdue | Due date has passed. |
| Cancelled | Cancelled | Invoice has been voided. |
⚡ Invoice Actions
✏️ Edit
Edit details (Draft, Sent, Viewed, Partial)
📧 Send
Email invoice to client
📄 Download PDF
Download as PDF file
💰 Record Payment
Record payment received
📋 Duplicate
Create a copy
📝 Credit Note
Issue credit against this invoice
📋 7. Creating Quotations
Create quotes and convert them to invoices
Create Quote
Draft proposal
Send to Client
Email for review
Client Accepts
Or declines
Convert to Invoice
One-click conversion
➕ Creating a Quotation
Navigate to Quotations
Fill in Details
Same process as invoices - select client, add items, set dates.
Additional field: Valid Until - expiry date for the quote.
Convert to Invoice
Once accepted, click Convert to Invoice to create an invoice with all quote details.
💰 8. Recording Payments
Track payments, advances, and partial payments
💵 Recording Payment for an Invoice
Method 1: From Invoice
Open the invoice and click Record Payment
Method 2: From Payments Menu
Select company, client, and invoice from dropdowns.
Enter Payment Details
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Payment Date | When payment was received |
| Amount | Amount received (can be partial) |
| Payment Method | Cash, Check, Bank Transfer, Card, etc. |
| Reference Number | Check number, transaction ID |
Save Payment
The system automatically updates invoice status to "Partial" or "Paid".
💎 Recording Advance Payments
Advance payments are deposits received before an invoice is created.
Record Advance
Select client but leave invoice field empty.
Apply to Invoice Later
View the advance payment and click "Apply to Invoice" to use the credit.
💡 Client Account View
View complete payment history and available credit by clicking on the client name in the Clients list.
📝 9. Credit Notes
Issue credits and apply them to invoices
❓ What is a Credit Note?
A credit note reduces the amount a client owes. Common reasons: returned goods, billing errors, discounts, or goodwill adjustments.
➕ Creating a Credit Note
Method 1: From Invoice
Open an invoice and click Create Credit Note
Method 2: From Menu
Fill Details & Issue
Select client, add reason and items, then click Save & Issue
Apply to Invoice
Open the credit note and select which invoice to apply the credit to.
📅 10. Installment Plans
Set up payment plans for large invoices
➕ Creating an Installment Plan
Start from Invoice or Menu
From Invoice: Click Create Installment Plan
From Menu:
Configure the Plan
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice | Select the invoice | INV-001 |
| Total Amount | Amount to be paid | €5,000.00 |
| Number of Installments | How many payments | 5 |
| Frequency | How often | Monthly |
| Start Date | First payment due | 2024-02-01 |
Record Installment Payments
View the plan and click Record Payment next to each installment as they're received.
📊 11. Reports & AR Aging
View financial reports and track receivables
📅 AR Aging Report
Track outstanding receivables by age:
| Aging Bucket | Description |
|---|---|
| Current | Invoices not yet due |
| 1-30 Days | Overdue by 1 to 30 days |
| 31-60 Days | Overdue by 31 to 60 days |
| 61-90 Days | Overdue by 61 to 90 days |
| 90+ Days | Overdue by more than 90 days |
📊 Other Reports
📈 Revenue Report
Total revenue by period with comparisons.
👥 Client Report
Revenue by client, top clients ranking.
📄 Invoice Report
Invoice count and values by status.
💰 Payment Report
Payments received by method and period.
👤 12. User Management
Manage staff access and permissions
👑 Super Admin
Full System Access
Capabilities
- Access ALL companies
- Create/edit/delete companies
- Manage all settings
- View all reports
- Manage user assignments
🏢 Company Admin
Company-Level Manager
Capabilities
- Access assigned companies only
- Full invoice/quote management
- Manage clients and products
- Record payments
- View company reports
👤 Company Staff
Limited Access
Capabilities
- Access assigned companies only
- Create invoices and quotes
- Add/edit clients
- Record payments
- Limited by visibility settings
➕ Adding a Staff User
Create WordPress User
Create user with role "Company Staff" or "Company Admin".
Assign to Companies
Edit the company and add the user to "Assigned Staff".
⚠️ Staff Visibility Settings
Control what staff can see in Settings → Permissions:
- Staff See All Invoices ON: Staff see all company invoices
- Staff See All Invoices OFF: Staff only see invoices they created
⚙️ 13. Settings
Configure the plugin to match your business needs
⚙️ Settings Location
🏢 General
Currency, date format, number format
💹 Taxes
Add tax rates, set default tax, tax display
From name, email, templates
Template, paper size, logo position
🔢 Numbering
Prefixes, number padding
👁️ Visibility
Staff permissions, field visibility
🔧 14. Troubleshooting
Common issues and solutions
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I see any clients when creating an invoice?
Answer: Clients are company-specific. Check that you have created clients for the selected company and are assigned to that company.
Invoice emails are not being sent?
Answer: Check client has valid email, test WordPress email sending, check spam folder, consider using an SMTP plugin.
How do I change the invoice number format?
Answer: Go to Companies → Edit Company and change Invoice Prefix and Next Number.
Can I edit an invoice that's been sent?
Answer: Yes, you can edit Draft, Sent, Viewed, or Partial invoices. A warning will appear. Paid and Cancelled cannot be edited.
Staff member can't see invoices?
Answer: Check: user is assigned to a company, has correct role, and "Staff See All Invoices" setting in Settings.
📌 Quick Reference
Plugin menu structure
