Creating an Invoice in Relay

Relay makes it simple to create professional, branded invoices that help you get paid faster. Whether you're billing for services, products, or project-based work, this guide walks through each step of the invoice creation process in your Relay dashboard.

Before you start

• Decide whether you want to create the invoice manually or upload an existing invoice, estimate, or document to autofill the details.
• If you plan to upload a file, make sure it is no larger than 10 MB.
• Have your customer details, invoice dates, and line items ready in case anything needs to be entered or corrected manually.
• Plan to review the autofilled results before sending to make sure everything is accurate.

How to create an invoice

1. Sign in to your Relay account.
2. Go to Invoices button on the left menu.
3. Click Create An Invoice.
4. Choose how you want to start:
   • Fill in the invoice manually, or
   • Upload an existing invoice, estimate, or document to autofill matched details and line items.
     Max file size: 10 MB.
     • If you upload a file, Relay will scan it and start matching details such as Contact information, Line items, and Memo
5.  Enter the Invoice ID, then select your Customer, Issue Date, and Payment Due Date. 
   • Relay Grow and Relay Scale members have the option to toggle the This is a Recurring Invoice toggle.
6. Review the Line items section and make any needed edits to descriptions, quantities, prices, taxes, or discounts.
7. Choose the payment methods you want to offer in the Payment method section.
   • Relay Grow and Relay Scale members have the option to offset card payment fees by adding a surcharge.
8. Select whether to send the invoice via email or provide a direct link to yourself.
9. Customize payment reminders for your payer.
10. Review your invoice and enter a memo (optional), then select Send Invoice.

How the automatic upload works

When you upload an existing invoice, estimate, or document, Relay scans the file and starts autofilling matched invoice details.

Relay may match information such as:

• Contact details
• Line items
• Memo

Once the scan is complete, Relay will show the matched fields it found so you can review them.

Note: Always review the autofilled details before sending. If Relay can’t match everything correctly, you can edit or complete the missing information manually.

Tips for best results

• Use a clear, readable invoice, estimate, or document so Relay can match details more accurately.
• Review all autofilled fields before sending, especially the contact, line items, dates, and memo.
• If Relay doesn’t match everything correctly, you can update the invoice manually before sending.
• Use Preview and Email Preview to confirm exactly what your customer will see.
• If needed, you can upload a new document and review the updated results again.

Editing after upload or after sending

Before sending: You can review and edit any autofilled or manually entered details before sending the invoice.

After sending: If the invoice is still editable, you can update the invoice details or payment methods. If it has already been delivered and can no longer be changed, create a corrected invoice instead.

Frequently asked questions

Next steps

Once the invoice is ready, choose one of the following:

• Create and send an invoice: Relay sends it directly to your client via email with a payment link
• Only create invoice: Save the invoice without sending it; use this if you want to export the PDF or send it manually

You can manage and track invoices from the Invoices dashboard.