Invoices
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      Invoice PDF templates

      If you email invoices or invoice breakdowns directly from Projectworks to your customers (as opposed to from your accounting system), Projectworks will generate these as a PDF. The layout and design of the PDF is controlled by templates and is completely customisable.

      You will find default invoice and invoice breakdown templates loaded in Projectworks. You can edit these default templates or create different layouts for different projects or organisations (e.g. a NZ vs. US billing entity).

      TEMPLATE PDF
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      Managing templates

      The template is a Microsoft Word file that includes a mix of static text and images, as well as dynamic content sourced from Projectworks. If you are simply changing the font and colours on the template you will need a basic understanding of laying out documents in Word. If you use a custom font, embed the font in the document to ensure it renders correctly on the PDF. To add more dynamic content you will need to understand how to use Microsoft’s “Mail Merge” fields (see below).

      Templates are set up and maintained by your Projectworks administrator in: Settings > System > Templates

      Projectworks administrators require Admin.System.Templates.View access to set up and maintain templates.

      Go to: Settings > Users > Access Levels

      Instructions for updating or creating a template:

      1. If updating an existing template, download the template as a .docx file from Projectworks. We recommend saving a copy so you can easily revert to the original if needed.image-20230119-003846

      2. Open the template in Microsoft Word, make your changes, and save. 

      3. In Projectworks, click “Add another template” and drag the updated template into the dropzone.

        1. If updating an existing template, click “Replace Template” when prompted and then click “Save”;

        2. If creating a new template, click “Save”.

      4. On the updated or newly-added template, click “Preview Invoice (PDF)” to check that everything is as expected. 

      Set which template is to be used

      • Projectworks administrators with Admin.System.Templates.View access can set default templates for each organisation. The invoice and invoice breakdown template will be selected by default for any new project that is created.
      • Changing the template on a project can be done by users who have the ability to update project settings in: Projects → Project → Settings
      • When an invoice or invoice breakdown is created it will apply the template set as the default for that project. This can be changed on an invoice-by-invoice basis as required. To apply a different template for an invoice:

        • open the invoice and select "More options..."; 

        • select the required invoice template and/or invoice breakdown template.

      If the organisation default invoice or invoice breakdown template is changed after a project has been created, the templates for the project will not be updated to the new default. 

      If an invoice or invoice breakdown template is:

      1. made unavailable for the project’s organisation;

      2. removed;

      3. or the project default template is updated

      AFTER an invoice has been approved (manager or finance), it will retain the original selected template.

      e.g. Acme changes its legal entity name to Acme Corp and updates its logo on 1st July 2024

      1. On 30th June:

        1. Invoice 1234 is raised for Customer A; and

        2. Invoice 1234 is finance approved

      2. On the 1st July:

        1. the invoice and invoice breakdown templates with “Acme” and the old logo are made unavailable; and

        2. new invoice and invoice breakdown templates are uploaded with “Acme Corp” and the new logo

      3. On the 2nd July Invoice 1234 and the invoice breakdown are downloaded and emailed to Customer A

        1. Invoice 1234 and the invoice breakdown are sent to Customer A in the old formats (“Acme” and the old logo).

      If an invoice or invoice breakdown template is:

      1. made unavailable for the project’s organisation; or

      2. removed

      BEFORE an invoice has been approved (manager or finance), it will inherit the project organisation’s updated default template.

      e.g. in the above example, the June invoice was not finance approved until the 2nd July

      1. Invoice 1234 is issued and emailed in the new default template formats (“Acme Corp” and the new logo).

        Customising templates

        In Projectworks you can customise templates to suit your needs.

        We have provided a step-by-step guide on how to use and add Merge Fields to your templates, along with documentation showing the available tables and fields for each template type. You can find the guide here:

        Instructions for customising templates →