Set up and generate invoices

Connect Google Drive and generate invoices from your schedule. Use this guide
for your first invoice run and each new billing period. An invoice run is a group of invoices generated together for one
organization and period.

ShiftDispatch creates invoice documents and PDFs. You send the invoices and
collect payment outside ShiftDispatch.

Before you start

• Sign in as a workspace owner or admin with access to invoicing.
• Have a Google account that can copy your template and create files in your
  chosen output folder.
• Check that the organization, Staff mailing addresses, and position rates are
  correct. Review the assignments and times you intend to bill.
• If you use jobsite billing, check the jobsite names and addresses too.
• Decide on an invoice prefix and the next number to use.

Choose how invoices are grouped

Your organization's billing setting determines the recipient and grouping:

Custom invoices always produce a separate invoice. In Organization →
Workspace by jobsite, a custom invoice bills the selected jobsite's name and
address. Schedule invoices in that mode continue to bill the organization.

Set the invoice type before creating the preview. An existing run keeps its
original type and saved billing details. Workspace payment details come from
your invoice template.

Connect Google Drive and save settings

1. Open Invoices from schedule.
2. Select the organization at the top of the page.
3. Select Create invoice run. ShiftDispatch checks setup and guides you
   through any missing connection or settings.
4. If prompted, connect the Google account that can access your template and
   output folder, and complete Google consent.
5. In Invoice settings, choose your Google Docs template.
6. Choose the Google Drive folder where you want generated invoice files saved.
7. Check the invoice prefix and next invoice number. Use your intended numbering
   sequence; lowering the next number can reuse numbers from earlier runs.
8. Select Save and continue to proceed to the billing period.

To change settings without starting a run, select Invoice settings from the
page instead, then use Save settings. Connecting Google and saving settings
alone do not generate documents or reserve invoice numbers.

Show worked dates and jobsite codes in Staff invoice templates

Organization-to-Worker and Jobsite-to-Worker schedule invoices support these
optional template variables:

To show dates below a charge, keep {{ITEM_DESCRIPTION}} in the Description
cell of the existing line-item table row and add a second line:

{{ITEM_DESCRIPTION}} – {{JOBSITE_NAME}} ({{JOBSITE_CODE}})
Worked: {{ITEM_WORK_DATES}}

Use the jobsite name and code on Jobsite-to-Worker templates. Each charge lists
only its own billed assignment dates, including when positions or rates differ.
These dates come from scheduled assignments, not attendance records. Multiple
shifts on one date still contribute to quantity, while the date appears once.
Custom charges and spreadsheet imports have no assignment dates.

For a short service period, use
{{PERIOD_START_SHORT}} – {{PERIOD_END_SHORT}}.
Existing templates do not need to change. Jobsite codes are saved when a preview
is created or refreshed. The code is blank on older previews, sites without a
code, and Organization-to-Worker invoices. Refresh a pending preview
to capture a newly added or changed code before generating invoices.

Review and generate a schedule invoice run

1. Enter Period start and Period end for the billing period.
2. Select Review invoices to create a preview.
3. Review the Staff members, dates, quantities, rates, totals, and any warnings
   or errors. Select the invoices you intend to generate.
4. Correct blocking issues, such as missing mailing addresses or rates, in the
   relevant records. Select Refresh preview to rebuild schedule invoice
   details after corrections, then review the selection again.
5. If needed, add custom invoice rows for charges entered manually, as described
   below.
6. Select Generate invoices once the preview is correct. This reserves
   invoice numbers and starts generation.
7. Follow progress on the run page and check for any failed invoices or outputs.

Review and refresh happen before generation. Refreshing a preview preserves
custom invoices, so check those separately. After generation starts, use the
run's recovery controls for failures rather than creating another run just to
retry the same work.

Add custom invoice rows

Use a custom invoice for charges you need to enter manually, such as
administrative work or a one-time fee. Each custom invoice appears as a
separate row in the preview and produces its own invoice; its charge rows
become line items on that invoice. A Staff member can have both a schedule
invoice and a custom invoice in the same run.

Custom invoices are available in all four invoice types while the preview is
pending, before generation reserves invoice numbers. You can create a run with
custom invoices even when there are no schedule assignments.

1. Select Add custom invoice from the preview.

2. Review Bill to and Pay to:

   • For either Worker payment type, choose the Staff member. Review
     Staff details and adjust the invoice-local name or mailing address if
     needed. These changes do not update the Staff profile.
   • For either jobsite type, choose a Jobsite in this organization. Its
     billing name and address appear under Bill to.
   • For Workspace payment types, Staff is optional. Use Staff attribution
     (optional) when the charge should reference a Staff member. Payment
     still goes to the workspace.

3. Under Charges, enter a Description for the first row.

4. Choose the Billing unit, then enter the quantity and rate:

   Billing unit	Quantity field	Rate field
   Hour	Hours	Hourly rate
   Day	Days	Daily rate
   Shift	Shifts	Per-shift rate
   Unit	Quantity	Unit price
   Flat amount	Fixed at one charge	Flat amount

5. Select Add charge for each additional line item. Use the remove button
   on an unwanted charge row to delete it; keep at least one charge.

6. Check each Line total and the invoice Total. ShiftDispatch calculates
   these amounts from your quantities and rates. For example, two days at
   $125 per day plus a $75 flat charge total $325.

7. Select Add custom invoice to save it to the preview.

8. Check that the custom invoice is included in your selection, then select
   Generate invoices or Generate invoice and supporting files, depending
   on the invoice type.

Before generation, you can edit a custom invoice and select Save custom
invoice, or delete it and confirm Delete custom invoice. Check custom
charges separately after refreshing a preview: refresh preserves them rather
than rebuilding them from schedule assignments. Saving a customer assignment
selection also preserves custom charges, including when no assignments are
selected. Do not enter the same charge on a custom invoice if it is already
included on a schedule invoice.

Customer invoice outputs

Customer custom invoices use the primary and supporting templates saved with
the run. Their charge rows include description, quantity, billing unit, rate,
and amount. They have no schedule assignment dates or shift times.

In customer Google Docs templates, use the literal placeholders
{{DESCRIPTION}}, {{QUANTITY}}, {{UNIT}}, {{RATE}}, and {{AMOUNT}} in
the repeating table row. Include exactly one {{SUMMARY_ROWS}} or
{{ASSIGNMENT_ROWS}} marker in that row. For Google Sheets, give the
one-row repeating range the name SUMMARY_ROWS or ASSIGNMENT_ROWS and put
the same double-braced placeholders in its cells. {{POSITION_NAME}} also displays the
charge description with its quantity and unit for existing templates. Actual
hours include only charges entered with the Hour billing unit.

After generation, open each invoice and supporting file from Downloads.
When an organization customer run has multiple invoices, there is no combined
PDF shortcut; each invoice has its own file. Unselected invoices receive no
invoice number and are excluded from the confirmed run total.

Download and share your invoices

When generation finishes, open Downloads on the run page. Check the
recipient, Staff details, invoice number, period, and amounts before sending any
files to customers.

For organization billing, open individual Google Docs or the combined invoice
PDF. For jobsite billing, each jobsite has individual PDFs and a combined PDF.
Use the available file and folder links to find outputs in Google Drive.

Download the files you want to send, or share them through your usual process.
Check Google Drive sharing permissions before sending a Drive link; generating
an invoice does not automatically grant your customer access.

Troubleshooting

• Google connection or file access needs attention: Follow
  Reconnect Google Drive for invoices
  to reconnect or reselect the template and output folder.
• No eligible assignments: Check the selected organization and period, and
  confirm the expected assignments are available for invoicing. Generation is
  disabled for an empty preview.
• Some invoices fail: Read the errors, correct the underlying issue, and use
  the run's retry action. Jobsite runs show Retry failed work; organization
  runs show a retry button with the failed invoice count.
• The combined PDF fails: Use Retry combined invoice PDF when offered.
• Google reports a temporary error or quota limit: Wait and try again from
  the same setup or run instead of repeatedly creating new runs.