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Make a pro forma invoice

How to prepare a pro forma to ask the customer for payment and turn it into the real e-invoice when the payment arrives.

Where to find it
Quotes → Pro forma → New pro forma

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What it is for

A pro forma anticipates the invoice without tax value: you send it to the customer to ask for payment and, when payment arrives, you turn it into the real invoice. It does not go through the SDI (Sistema di Interscambio, the Italian e-invoicing exchange system), does not enter the VAT registers and does not count towards your plan’s documents.

The pro forma PDF states that the document has no tax value and is not an invoice under art. 21 of Presidential Decree 633/72, and that the invoice will be issued on receipt of payment. If the company details include an IBAN, the PDF shows it so the customer knows where to pay.

How to do it

  1. Open Quotes and switch to the Pro forma tab at the top.
  2. Tap New pro forma, choose the Customer and check Number and Date: pro forma invoices have their own numbering, separate from quotes and invoices.
  3. Write the Lines as on an invoice and, if needed, Payment terms, Agent and Notes for the customer in Terms and notes.
  4. Tap Save, then PDF or More → Send by email. Sending by email moves the status from Draft to Sent.
  5. When payment arrives, open the pro forma and tap Create invoice: a new invoice opens with the customer, payment terms, agent, document discount and lines of the pro forma.
  6. Check the invoice (you can change everything) and issue it as usual. On confirmation the pro forma is marked Invoiced and the button becomes Open the invoice.

Statuses and filters

  • Draft, Sent, Accepted and Cancelled are chosen in the Status field.
  • Invoiced appears automatically once the invoice is issued.
  • The list filters are To invoice, Invoiced and All.

A Cancelled pro forma does not show Create invoice. Unlike a quote it has no validity date, so it never expires.

Special cases

  • An invoiced pro forma cannot be edited or deleted: it stays as a reference document.
  • More → Duplicate creates a new pro forma with the same lines, handy for recurring advance payments.
  • Users with the agent role can prepare a pro forma, but sending it by email and invoicing stay with the office.

A pro forma does not replace the invoice: VAT is due with the e-invoice you issue on payment. Do not forget to convert it; the To invoice filter shows the ones still open.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a quote and a pro forma?

A quote is an offer that becomes an order; a pro forma is a payment request that becomes an invoice directly.

What if the customer pays only part of it?

With Create invoice you can adjust lines and amounts before issuing the invoice; the pro forma is marked as invoiced anyway.

See also