If you’re a small business owner or freelancer, there’s a good chance you’re using PayPal to handle your payments. PayPal, after all, is used by many people all over the world and gives us a lot of freedom when it comes to accepting payments and handling our business finances.
But if you’re using PayPal, you should also be taking advantage of their invoicing capabilities. As a new small business owner or freelancer, you might not be aware that PayPal has invoicing capabilities. So today, we’re going to take a look at what a PayPal invoice is and how it works. Let’s get started.
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PayPal Invoice Basics
A PayPal invoice is simply an invoice that you send through PayPal. When you create an invoice on PayPal, you’ll be given the option to send it to your client via email. Once they receive the invoice, they can then pay it directly through PayPal as well.
There are a few reasons why you might want to use a PayPal invoice for your small business.
Why Use PayPal Invoices Reason #1: Convenience
Sending invoices via Paypal is convenient, especially when you already use PayPal anyway to handle payments from your clients and customers. You can create and send an invoice in just a few minutes.
You don’t have to worry about laying them out, printing them, or even mailing them – you can just send them straight from PayPal. You can even send to multiple recipients so you’re sure your client receives the invoice.
Why Use PayPal Invoices Reason #2: Security and Trust
PayPal is secure and trusted by many.
PayPal is a well-known and trusted brand used all over the world. Many people use PayPal specifically because they trust that it’s safe to transact on the payment platform. Your clients will know that their information is safe when they pay you through PayPal.
Why Use PayPal Invoices Reason #3: Easy for Customers
Making it easy for your clients to pay you is always a good idea – and with PayPal invoices, it’s as easy as can be. Your clients can simply click the link in the email notification they receive and pay you directly on PayPal. No need to login to another site or remember another password; they can just use their PayPal account which they already have set up.
Even if they do not have a PayPal account, they can still pay directly on the invoice using other PayPal-supported methods like credit cards. They can simply click on the link in the invoice email and enter their credit card information to pay.
Why Use PayPal Invoices Reason #4: Free to Send
Lastly, PayPal invoices are great for small businesses because they’re free to send. You don’t need to worry about paying any extra fees when you send out a PayPal invoice.
When you’re interested in minimising extra costs to your business, not having to think about extra fees for sending professional invoices is a great idea.
Why Use PayPal Invoices Reason #5: Great Value-Add Features
Paypal also has extra great features such as the ability to send recurring payments, so if you have clients that you need to bill on a regular basis, PayPal can automate that process for you.
Need to send invoices to many people? Batch invoicing is possible in PayPal, so you can easily send detailed invoices to your customers at once. Helpful templates are available so you can quickly set it up.
You can even start from the beginning–send an estimate right from PayPal, and convert it to an invoice when your customer approves.
How to Start Sending Invoices From PayPal
If you’re interested in creating a PayPal invoice for your business, it’s actually very easy to do. Just log into your PayPal account and right on your dashboard, you can click on Requests, where you can either request payment directly, or click on Create an Invoice to start filling out your invoice details.
On this page, you can fill in all of the necessary information for your invoice, such as your client’s name and address, the services you’re providing, and the amount they owe. You can also add other terms of the sale or service, or even allow them to provide tips.
Make sure you put in a valid email address that your client will check to receive the invoice they expect from you.
Once you’re finished, just click “Send” and your invoice will be sent to your client. They can then pay you through PayPal by clicking on the “Pay Now” button.
Managing Your PayPal Invoices
Your PayPal invoices are also stored within PayPal so you have a visible history of what you’ve invoiced your clients. You can easily resend invoices or even refund payments from your list of PayPal invoices if needed.
To manage your PayPal invoices, click on the Send and Request menu item and click on the More submenu. Clicking on getting Started on the Invoices section on this page will allow you to see and manage all invoices you’ve issued, as well as drafts.
Top Tips for Using PayPal for Invoicing
We’ve got some great tips to make the most out of PayPal’s invoicing features:
- Personalise your invoice. Just because you’re using PayPal for invoicing doesn’t mean that you can’t customise your invoice. Make sure you upload a logo and include your company name, address, and other relevant contact information so your customer knows who they’re dealing with.
- Be clear and concise. When it comes to the description of what you’re charging for, make sure it’s short, sweet, and to the point. The last thing you want is for your customer to be confused about what you’re invoicing them for. This will delay their payment and cause frustration on both sides.
- Use invoice templates to help you get started. PayPal invoices can be started based on a template, available at the top of the PayPal Create Invoice page. Templates for an invoice with amounts only, hours, or quantity can be used, so you can select the right kind of invoice.
- Customise the items you bill for. If you need some help in describing your goods or services, click on the Customise link and you can start choosing which fields are applicable to your invoice. Need to show line discounts, tax amounts, and dates? Just turn them on and you’ll be able to use them in your invoices.
- Use the extra fields to your benefit. All invoices from PayPal have extra text fields for a message to the customer, terms and conditions, reference numbers, or even files attached to the invoice. You can even add a memo to yourself so you won’t forget important details about the invoice.
- Always calculate the transaction fees. While it’s free to issue invoices, payments made through PayPal are subject to transaction fees. Make sure that you calculate the fees that PayPal will be taking from the payments so you don’t get surprised.
When PayPal Isn’t Enough
PayPal is a great tool to issue and manage invoices, especially when you’re already using PayPal to receive payments. But when your business is growing, sometimes you’ll need more than what PayPal can provide.
There are some drawbacks to using PayPal to handle your accounting, including:
- PayPal is not accounting software. If you need advanced reports like tax projections, you’ll need to find a different solution, and most online accounting software will also have invoicing built-in and integrated automatically for your convenience.
- Customising PayPal invoices is limited. This might not be a big deal if you’re just starting out, but as your business grows, you might want to do more than just add your logo or your company details. With most accounting and online invoicing software like InvoiceBerry, you’ll have much more flexibility in how you design and present your invoice.
- You can’t schedule invoices in PayPal. In other words, if you know that a client needs to be invoiced every month on the same day, you’ll have to log into your PayPal account and create the invoice manually each time. This is one more thing that online invoicing software takes care of for you so that you
- International transaction fees can be higher when using PayPal versus other payment gateway solutions. Make sure you check against other gateways in order to find the most cost-effective solution for your business.
- Some PayPal features are dependent on the country you’re from and the country your business is located in. What’s available to you might be different than what’s available to another business owner in a different country.
Final Thoughts
Overall, using a PayPal invoice is a great way to get paid quickly and easily. If you have a small business or are a freelancer, it’s definitely worth considering using PayPal for your invoicing needs.
That’s all there is to create a PayPal invoice! With just a few clicks, you can send professional invoices that are sure to get paid quickly. So why not give it a try for your next invoice? You might be surprised at how easy and effective it is.