Invoicing Overview
How invoicing works in Monument — invoice lifecycle, billing methods, and line item types.
Overview
Monument's invoicing system lets you bill clients based on project progress, tracked time, expenses, or fixed amounts. Invoices flow from your project data — so line items are pre-calculated from the work your team has done.
The Invoice Lifecycle
Every invoice follows this progression:
Draft → Sent → Viewed → Partial Payment → Paid
↘ Void
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared, not yet sent to the client |
| Sent | Emailed or marked as sent to the client |
| Viewed | The client has opened the invoice (if email tracking is enabled) |
| Partial | Some payment received, balance outstanding |
| Paid | Fully paid |
| Void | Cancelled — excluded from financial reports |
Billing Methods
Monument supports several billing approaches, often combined on a single invoice:
Progress Claims
Bill based on percentage completion of project milestones. Each milestone has criteria that determine progress, and invoices claim the earned portion minus any previous billing.
Time and Materials
Bill based on actual hours tracked multiplied by billing rates. Select time entries to include on the invoice — Monument calculates the amount from hours × rate.
Fixed Fee
Bill a fixed amount for a deliverable or milestone, regardless of time spent.
Expense Markup
Bill project expenses to the client, optionally with a percentage markup.
Line Item Types
Invoice line items correspond to different billing methods:
- Progress — percentage of milestone revenue
- Time (Hourly) — hours × billing rate
- Expense — expense amount + optional markup
- Fixed Amount — manual amount
- Less Previous — deducts previously billed amounts (for progressive billing)
See Invoice Line Item Types for details on each.
Tax and Discounts
Each line item can have:
- Tax rate — applied per line or per invoice (based on your settings)
- Discount — percentage or fixed amount deduction
Tax and discounts are calculated in a specific order: subtotal → discount → tax on discounted amount.
Monument calculates invoice totals automatically. Line items, tax, and discounts are computed from your project data — you just review and send.
What's Next
- Creating an Invoice — step-by-step guide
- Milestones and Invoicing — progress-based billing
- Invoice Statuses and Workflow — managing the lifecycle