The Essence
The Invoice is the formal request for payment — the document that says "here's what you owe, here's why, here's when it's due." It transforms commercial commitments (Orders) and delivery milestones (Deliverables) into structured billing documents that customers can process, approve, and pay.
Invoices respect organizational reality: most companies have AP processes, approval workflows, and documentation requirements. The Invoice gives them what they need in a format they can work with.
"A good Invoice makes it easy to pay; a bad one creates friction that delays collection. Invoices aren't just accounting artifacts — they're communication tools that maintain financial transparency."
The Revenue Flow
Where Invoice fits in the commercial chain
Order = Commitment
What was agreed to be purchased
Invoice = Billing Event
Formal request for payment
Payment = Collection
Money actually received
Unified View Contribution
Revenue View
Primary contributor. Invoices represent billing events — the moment revenue becomes receivable. Invoice status (sent, viewed, paid, overdue) drives cash flow visibility. Invoice aging informs collection priorities. Without clean Invoice architecture, revenue recognition and collection become manual reconciliation exercises.
Customer View
Supporting contributor. Invoice history reveals billing relationship health. Consistent on-time payment indicates strong partnership. Disputes or delays may signal relationship issues worth addressing proactively.
Team Enablement
Supporting contributor. Invoice workflows coordinate internal stakeholders — who generates, who approves, who follows up on overdue. Clear Invoice processes prevent collection gaps.
Business Context
Supporting contributor. Invoice patterns reveal operational intelligence — billing cycle efficiency, collection velocity, common disputes, payment method preferences.
Sarah's Story
Sarah's CVP Implementation Order included milestone-based billing: 40% at kickoff, 30% at Foundation completion, 30% at final delivery. This meant three Invoices would be generated from one Order.
Invoice 1: Project Kickoff (40%)
Description: "CVP Implementation - Project Kickoff Milestone"
Sarah received notification in her portal that an Invoice was ready. She could view the Invoice detail, see what it was for (linked to Order and Deliverables), and understand exactly what she was being asked to pay. She forwarded the Invoice to her AP team with context — no hunting for information, no explaining what this charge was for.
Her CFO could log into the portal, see the Invoice, verify it matched the Order terms, and process payment. When payment was received, the Payment record linked to this Invoice, updating status to "Paid."
Invoice 2: Foundation Complete (30%)
Six weeks later, when the Chicago Foundation Deliverable reached "Customer Acceptance," the second Invoice was automatically generated:
Supporting Documentation: Link to completed Deliverable, acceptance confirmation
Sarah's AP team knew exactly what they were paying for — the Foundation phase was complete, Sarah had accepted it, and the milestone triggered billing as agreed. The final Invoice followed the same pattern when final Deliverables were accepted.
Throughout this process, Sarah could see her Invoice history in the portal: total billed to date, total paid to date, outstanding balance, and upcoming milestones (with expected Invoices). No surprises. No confusion about what was owed or why. The Invoice architecture created transparency that made payment easy and preserved trust.
What It Holds
Invoice Identity
Financial Details
Payment Terms
Line Items
Billing Context
Status and Workflow
Document Access
What It Connects To
Primary Associations
The commercial commitment this Invoice bills against. One Order may generate multiple Invoices.
The organization being billed. The entity responsible for payment.
Billing contact who receives the Invoice, AP contact who processes payment.
Financial transactions that pay this Invoice. One Invoice may receive multiple partial Payments.
If milestone-based, which Deliverable completion triggered this Invoice.
If recurring, which Subscription generated this Invoice for this billing period.
Contact-to-Invoice Labels
Receives Invoice
Processes payment
Must approve internally
Invoice-to-Object Labels
Commercial commitment
Deliverable that triggered
If recurring billing
Transactions against Invoice
Organization billed
Common Patterns
The Order → Invoice Pattern
- Order created and fulfilled
- Invoice generated for Order total
- Invoice sent to billing contact
- Payment received, Invoice marked paid
The Milestone Billing Pattern
- Order created with milestone payment terms
- Deliverable 1 complete → Invoice 1 generated (X%)
- Deliverable 2 complete → Invoice 2 generated (Y%)
- Deliverable 3 complete → Invoice 3 generated (Z%)
Each Invoice associates to the same Order but represents a distinct billing event tied to value delivered.
The Subscription Billing Pattern
- Subscription active
- Billing period ends → Invoice generated
- Next period ends → Next Invoice generated
- Continues until Subscription ends
Subscription association tracks the ongoing relationship; Invoice tracks each billing event.
The Dunning Pattern
- Invoice due date passes without payment
- Status updates to "Overdue"
- Reminder sent to billing contact
- Task created for collections follow-up
- If 30+ days overdue: escalation notification
The Partial Payment Pattern
- Invoice total: $10,000
- Payment 1: $5,000 → Invoice status = "Partial"
- Payment 2: $5,000 → Invoice status = "Paid"
Invoice tracks balance due; multiple Payments can associate to one Invoice.
Value-First vs. Industrial-Age
| ✗ Traditional Thinking | ✓ Value-First Thinking |
|---|---|
| Invoice = Accounting document | Invoice = Customer communication |
| Invoice sent via email attachment | Invoice accessible in portal |
| Billing follows internal calendar | Billing follows value delivery |
| Invoice disputes handled by finance | Invoice clarity prevents disputes |
| Payment status unknown until bank reconciliation | Payment status visible in real-time |
| Invoice detail minimal | Invoice connects to Order, Deliverables, context |
Why This Shift Matters
When Invoices are just accounting documents, they create friction. Customers receive PDFs they have to hunt for context on. AP teams can't verify what they're paying for. Disputes arise from confusion, not disagreement. Collection becomes adversarial.
When Invoices are customer communication tools, everything flows. Customers see Invoices in context — connected to what they ordered, what was delivered, what they agreed to. Verification is easy. Payment is straightforward. Trust is preserved.
In Practice
Implementation details and configuration
What You'll See in HubSpot
Invoices live in Commerce → Invoices. Each Invoice has:
- Left sidebar: Invoice properties, status, amount due
- Middle column: Line Items, activity timeline
- Right sidebar: Associations to Order, Company, Contacts, Payments
The Invoice index supports filtering by status, date range, amount due, and aging.
Key Properties
Key Properties
Native HubSpot Properties
| Property | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
hs_invoice_number Native | Text | Unique Invoice identifier |
hs_invoice_date Native | Date | When Invoice was created |
hs_due_date Native | Date | When payment is expected |
hs_amount_billed Native | Currency | Total Invoice amount |
hs_amount_paid Native | Currency | Amount paid to date |
hs_balance_due Native | Currency | Outstanding balance |
hs_invoice_status Native | Enumeration | Draft, Sent, Viewed, Paid, Overdue |
hs_currency_code Native | Enumeration | Invoice currency |
Value-First Custom Properties
| Property | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
vf_billing_type | Enumeration | Full Order, Milestone, Recurring, Deposit |
vf_milestone_description | Text | If milestone, what triggered this Invoice |
vf_payment_method_preference | Enumeration | Customer's preferred payment method |
vf_collection_priority | Enumeration | Standard, High, Escalated |
vf_dispute_status | Enumeration | None, Under Review, Resolved |
vf_value_summary | Text | Brief description of value delivered for this Invoice |
Invoice Lifecycle
Draft
Review, approval, adjustments
Invoice created, not yet sent
Approved and ready to send
Portal Experience
In the My Value Path Portal, Sarah sees her Invoices:
My Invoices
- All Invoices, filterable by status
- Each shows: Number, Date, Amount, Due Date, Status
- Quick access to pay (if payment portal enabled)
Billing Summary
- Total invoiced to date
- Total paid to date
- Outstanding balance
- Upcoming expected Invoices (based on milestones)
"Sarah never has to ask 'what is this charge for?' Every Invoice connects to context — what was ordered, what was delivered, what was agreed."
See It In Action
Experience in the Value Path Simulator
Key Moment: Notice how Sarah can answer "what is this charge for?" instantly — because every Invoice connects to Order and Deliverable context. No hunting, no confusion, no disputes.