Documents & Invoicing — Normal vs Orders Mode

Last updated: 2026-06-01

Biz1 has two ways to run documents and invoicing. The choice is made once per account (owner level) and changes how menus, workflows, and rules behave for everyone in the organization.

In **Settings**, these appear as:

| Setting value | What it means |
|---------------|---------------|
| **Normal** | Classic invoicing — orders and invoices are separate workflows |
| **Orders** | Order-first — everything revolves around the purchase order |

Quick comparison

| | Normal | Orders |
|--|--------|--------|
| Best for | Businesses that issue invoices, quotes, and receipts as separate steps | Retail / sales teams that sell through orders and fulfill in stages |
| Customer profile menus | Separate **Order** and **Invoice** sections | One **Documents** section |
| Main document | Flexible — proforma, purchase order, detail order, etc. | **Purchase order** is the main document; others link to it |
| Payment before invoice | Not enforced by default | Customer usually must pay before invoice or delivery is created |
| Line items | Standard product rows | Can close, cancel, or fulfill lines individually |
| Purchase order PDF | Dedicated purchase-order layout | Standard document layout |
| Lead source on order | Not automatic | Source is attached when the order is created |
| Extra sidebar info | — | Current / last month income (if enabled for the user) |

Where to see it

On a customer profile

Open any customer → look at the tabs on the left.

**Normal mode** shows up to three document-related areas:

1. **Payment** — includes **Charge** (only in Normal mode) 2. **Order** — Order Proposals, Purchase Orders, Detail Orders, Product history, All Documents 3. **Invoice** — Tax Invoices, Credit Invoices, Proforma, Delivery, Receipts, Receipt Tax, GR/IR, and related types

**Orders mode** replaces Order + Invoice with a single **Documents** menu:

- Purchase Orders - Order Proposals - Documents (combined list) - All Documents

In the main sidebar (Payments area)

When **Orders** mode is on and the user has permission, the Payments sidebar can show:

- **Current Month Income** - **Last Month Income**

These summarize receipt income tied to orders for that team member.

In reports

**Orders** mode adds extra columns in document and payment reports, such as:

- Link back to the parent order - On purchase orders: debt, amount left to pay, customer status, and totals for receipts / invoices / deliveries

How to set it up

1. Choose the mode (owner only)

1. Go to **Settings** (gear icon). 2. Open your **account / profile** section (owner account settings). 3. Find **User type**. 4. Select **Normal** or **Orders**. 5. Save.

This applies to the whole organization. Changing it affects menus and rules for all users.

2. Turn on document tabs for team members

In **Settings → Permissions** (roles / team member permissions):

- Enable **Document None** (or document view permissions) so users can see document tabs on customers. - For **Normal** mode, you can also control each tab separately (Order Proposals, Purchase Orders, Tax Invoices, Receipts, etc.).

3. Orders-only permissions (only appear in Orders mode)

When the account is in **Orders** mode, extra permission options become available:

| Permission | What it does |
|------------|--------------|
| Let to create invoice/delivery if it not paid yet | Allows creating invoice or delivery even when the order is not fully paid |
| Do not let to change product price on order | Locks product price on orders for users who are not admins |
| Show upper graph sales | Shows current / last month income in the Payments sidebar |

Document-create permissions that appear in Orders mode:

| Permission | What it does |
|------------|--------------|
| Disable changing team member on create order | Team member on new orders cannot be changed |
| Orders we have order from supplier | Supplier-order related option (off by default) |

4. Optional — purchase order signing (Normal mode)

In Normal mode, if **auto send purchase order to sign** is enabled in account settings, purchase orders show **Approved** / **Unapproved** status based on customer signature.

Feature differences in detail

Normal mode — how work flows

Think of **orders** and **invoices** as two parallel tracks.

**Typical flow:**

1. Create an **Order Proposal** or **Purchase Order** (optional). 2. Create a **Proforma Invoice** or go straight to a **Tax Invoice**. 3. Collect payment with a **Receipt** or **Receipt Tax Invoice**. 4. Issue **Delivery** notes when goods ship. 5. Use **Credit Invoice** for refunds.

**What you get:**

- Clear separation between “sales documents” (orders) and “accounting documents” (invoices, receipts). - **Charge** tab under Payment on the customer — quick payment actions. - Stricter control on **partial receipts** — you cannot enter more than what is still owed on the linked document. - **Proforma invoices** can drive product / inventory updates. - Purchase orders use a **dedicated PDF design**.

**Good fit when:**

- You run a service or B2B business with formal invoicing. - Staff think in terms of “first the quote/order, then the invoice.” - You need proforma invoices before final billing.

Orders mode — how work flows

Think of the **Purchase Order as the hub**. Invoices, receipts, and deliveries are steps that hang off that order.

**Typical flow:**

1. Create a **Purchase Order** for the customer (products, prices, team member, source). 2. Customer pays → create **Receipt** (linked to the order). 3. When paid (or partially paid), create **Tax Invoice** and/or **Delivery** for the paid amount. 4. Close individual lines on the order as they are fulfilled. 5. Use credit / return documents per line when needed.

**What you get:**

- One **Documents** menu instead of two — simpler for sales staff. - The order shows running totals: how much was **receipted**, **invoiced**, and **delivered**. - **Pay before invoice** — by default you cannot invoice or deliver more than what has been paid on the order (unless a manager has the override permission). - **Zero-amount invoices are blocked**. - **Line-level control** — mark lines closed, track cancellations per product row. - **Lead source** is saved on the order from the customer’s activity log. - When payment is recorded, income can update the original lead/source record. - Closed lines on an order **cannot be edited** again. - **Automations** can react when an order is fully closed (Orders mode only).

**Good fit when:**

- You sell products and fulfill over time (partial delivery, partial payment). - Payment must be collected before issuing tax documents. - You care about debt per order and which lines are still open. - You want sales attribution (which lead source generated the order).

Side-by-side: common tasks

| Task | Normal | Orders |
|------|--------|--------|
| Create a quote | Order Proposal tab | Documents → Order Proposals |
| Create a sales order | Order → Purchase Orders | Documents → Purchase Orders (main document) |
| Take payment | Invoice → Receipts, or Payment → Charge | Receipt from the purchase order |
| Issue tax invoice | Invoice → Tax Invoices | From purchase order (after payment) |
| Ship goods | Invoice → Delivery | Delivery from purchase order (after payment) |
| See all documents | Order → All Documents | Documents → All Documents |
| See amount still owed on order | Paid status on individual docs | Debt / Left to pay columns on purchase order list |
| Change price on order line | Based on product permissions | Can be locked with “Do not let to change product price on order” |

Which mode should I use?

**Choose Normal if:**

- Invoices and receipts are your primary documents. - You want separate Order and Invoice menus. - You use proforma invoices regularly. - You need the Charge tab and purchase-order signing workflow.

**Choose Orders if:**

- Purchase orders are the center of your sales process. - You invoice and deliver only after payment (or partial payment). - You need per-line fulfillment and cancellation. - You track debt and lead source per order.

Plan note

Invoices and core document features are included on the free plan. Some advanced options (export, accounting integrations, etc.) may require a paid plan — see FREE_PLAN_MAP.md.