Invoice for a Repeat Customer: Copy the Previous One

For a repeat customer, copy the previous invoice instead of rebuilding the customer, payment details and familiar line items. Then treat the copy as a new document: change the dates, scope, amount and invoice number before issuing it.

Repeat work rarely repeats perfectly. A monthly service may gain an extra hour, a delivery date may move, or the customer may have changed address. Duplication saves the stable parts without pretending that the old invoice itself can be sent again.

The safe approach is “copy, compare, then issue”. Keep the previous invoice open as context, work through every time-sensitive field and preview the new PDF. That takes less time than starting from a blank form and avoids carrying an old due date or reference into the next billing period.

How to duplicate an invoice safely

Start from the most recent invoice for the same customer and service, not merely the first result with a similar amount.

1. 1

   Choose Clone from the Action menu

   Open My invoices and find the correct document row. In the final column, open the Action dropdown and choose Clone. The app creates the copy immediately and redirects you to the edit form for the new invoice; the original remains unchanged.

2. 2

   Edit the new invoice in the opened form

   After the redirect, set new issue, supply and due dates. Edit quantities, rates, descriptions, notes, payment details and customer information as required.

3. 3

   Confirm a new number and PDF

   Use the next unique invoice number, review totals and VAT treatment, then preview the full PDF before downloading or sending it.

Fields that deserve a fresh decision

Invoice number and dates must not be inherited without review. Descriptions should name the new delivery period, and purchase-order references may change even for the same customer. If the amount is based on hours, compare it with the current timesheet rather than assuming the copied quantity is still right.

Payment details can also change. Confirm the bank account and due date, particularly if the customer has negotiated new terms. When VAT applies, review the rate on each item instead of treating last month’s tax setting as evidence for the new supply.

• New unique number and current dates.
• Current line descriptions, quantities and rates.
• Latest customer address and purchase reference.
• Correct payment method, due date and bank details.

Choose the right source invoice

The newest invoice is not automatically the best starting point. Choose one for the same customer entity, service, currency and payment method. A similar total alone is not enough.

Compare the draft with the current order, contract or timesheet before saving it. Confirm that the same period has not already been billed and that any recurring service is still authorised.

A copy is not a correction of the original

Duplicating creates the basis for another invoice. It does not edit, cancel or legally correct the previous document. If an issued invoice was wrong, follow the correction process appropriate to your records rather than creating an unexplained copy.

The app also does not know whether the customer still authorised the work. Check the contract, purchase order or current instruction before issuing the new invoice. Never rely on saved details alone for a changed legal entity.

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