With Monograph, you can create invoices for your projects broken out by different phases and roles. We've built this workflow based on extensive user feedback and with the architecture and design industry in mind.

Go to Money in the main menu and click on Invoices. If there aren’t any templates yet, the template builder will open automatically. Click “Get Started” or “New Invoice” to create one. When you’re done, click Next at the top left — this will save your template and take you to the invoice builder screen.

📘 Learn more about invoice templates and how they help streamline your billing.

After templates are created, the same steps can be followed to create an invoice each time. New invoices can be started directly from the Invoices page, the Project Overview, or the Unbilled section.

Choose your project from the drop-down list and the invoice number will automatically populate the next available number for that specific project (archived projects cannot be invoiced). You can manually override the invoice number with any combination of numbers, letters, underscores, dashes, or dots. Finally, set your Services Through the time frame for the invoice and hit Create.

The invoice builder is where you will build your invoice and includes several tabs that you'll work through before designing your invoice; they are as follows: Fixed Fee Services > Hourly Services (if applicable) > Consultants Services (if applicable) > Expenses > Additional Items.

Beneath each section title, you'll find a Current Due and, when applicable, an Unbilled amount preview that will update as you complete each section.

Within Fixed Fee and Hourly Fee Services, we've also included several columns for reference.

If Adjustable Billing Rates have been assigned to users, and Hourly Services are being invoiced for this project, either a single dollar symbol or two overlapping dollar symbols will appear to display which rates are being utilized.

Despite the rate tables being shown in the tooltip, the rate being utilized for the invoice will be the rate that is applicable on the last date of the Services Through timeframe. This rate will then be used to calculate the "Amount" total for the line items seen on the Invoice Builder.

Note: If the "services through" timeframe is adjusted and the applicable hourly rate changes, the amount for the role-row will remain the same, while the hours are adjusted/recalculated.

The Fixed Fee Services tab allows you to edit the invoice amounts for your Fixed Phases, compare what you planned vs. what you logged, and view milestones completed.

Invoices can be built following two different methods. Both methods should not be used in the same project, as this will cause inconsistencies in Unbilled totals.

Use the toggles below to learn more about both methods.

All phases marked as hourly in the project budget will appear under this section, and clicking on the phase name will expand to show all roles for the phase with their planned and logged time.

For each role, click Add to include the logged hours or directly type a number into the hours box to override the logged amount. Just like in the Fixed Fee section, hovering over Unbilled will let you preview all unbilled time by timeframe.

🎓 For any Hourly Roles where there isn't a Current Due:
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- If "Show previously billed amounts" is ON, roles/phases with previously billed amounts (even if current due is zero) will appear—this is intended and recent.
- If the toggle is OFF, only roles/phases with current due should appear.

If you've budgeted for Consultants within a project, either as a Phase consultant or Project consultant, the planned fees for each will appear as an option to add to your invoice under the Consultants Services tab. If you have uploaded bills, they will also show in this tab.
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If a markup has been added to consultants, the middle column will display 'Planned + Markup'. If no markups were added, it will say 'Planned'. If there is a markup, hovering on the number in this column will then show a breakdown of both the planned amount and the markup.

📚 Markups on Consultants will not be shown in the invoice as a separate item. The markup will be included in the consultant fee.
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Bills that have been uploaded for the project will show at the top. If you'd like this pdf to show in the invoice, you can select 'Link to this invoice'. You can also add a note if needed.

Only Consultant Bills that have been reviewed and accepted can be added to an invoice.

The summary for each phase consultant will appear when the Consultant Services tab is opened for the first time. To expand and see each phase and phase amount, hit the arrow to the left of the Consultant Name. Once expanded, you can input the amounts as needed into each phase.

For Project consultants, use the current complete and current due fields and complete as needed.

Any expenses logged during the invoice date range will automatically be entered under the "Included" section at the top of the Expenses section.

If you don't want an expense included on a specific invoice, click the "X" to the far right on the expense line:
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Any historical expenses that have not yet been invoiced for will appear in the "Logged" section. You may opt to "Add all" to include all listed expenses, or you may add them individually by clicking the "Add" button to the far right on the expense line:

The columns displayed in the Included Expenses tab are:

The markup percentage applied to each expense automatically calculates the Current Due for that expense line. The markup information will not be visible on the client's actual invoice.

If an expense budget has been set up during the project creation process, hovering over the Current Due will show a detailed breakdown, including the total budget, previously invoiced amount, current due, and remaining balance.

If no expense budget is configured for the project, this option will not be available.

When you add any expenses with attachments, the same attachments will be shown as an appendix to your invoice. You'll be able to see it within the Invoice Preview.

🚨 Once any expenses that have attachments are included, the attachments will get added to the invoice. If you'd like to not include any receipt images, feel free to toggle off Include receipt images from the Invoice Designer tab.

🚨 Please note: Receipt attachments will always appear smaller because the full page must fit within the invoice’s borders. This is a current limitation of the system.

A workaround is to download the invoice as a PDF, then attach the file you want to share to your email before sending it directly to your client. This allows you to send the attachment at its original size and resolution, but only works if you’re sending invoice PDFs to your clients without using e-payments.

The Additional Items tab can be used for Retainers, Taxes, and adding single-line items for anything that doesn't fit into one of the default categories. These could include One-time Charges, Additional Fees, or even Discounts.

To add one of these items, click on 'Add Line Item' dropdown and then select which item you will be adding. You can add just one of these items or all 3.
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If you are adding an 'Other Item', customize the single-line item to match your specific needs by manually entering the Item Name, Description, Quantity, and Rate.

To add a Discount, simply change the rate for that specific line item to a negative amount. You can add as many 'Other Items' as you need.
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To add a Retainer, click on 'Add Line Item' in the lower left of the screen, then select 'Retainer'. Input the Item, Description, and Amount.

Please note: the Item field will pre-populate with the word 'Retainer,' but you can adjust the language to suit your specific needs, such as a kick-off fee or a deposit. You can only add one retainer to the invoice.

You can read more about retainers here, including how to apply them.
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To add Taxes, you can again select the 'Add Line Item' in the lower left of the screen and select 'Taxes'. Depending on whether you are using QuickBooks Online, the way to apply taxes will differ.

The pop-up will allow you to select the tax rates set up in Settings, learn more here, or you can also add a new tax rate directly.

Once you have selected the tax rate, you will then select which items the Tax applies to. Then hit Save, and the tax will be shown as calculated based on the tax rate and the items to which it applies. Similar to retainers, you can only add one tax rate to the invoice.

Please note: Some locations may have more than one tax rate applied to each invoice. Currently, Monograph can only apply one tax rate. To see all Taxes Collected, please view the Taxes Report.

Use the toggles below to learn more about taxes for QBO Users using Automated Sales Tax versus Non-Automated Sales Tax.

After you've added all applicable items to your invoice in the Builder, you can use the Invoice Designer to select the template that should be used and add any other details.

Choose a template from the saved invoice layouts, create a new template based on the last invoice, or start a brand-new invoice template. If a new template is created, it will automatically be set as the default in the Designer view.

After selecting a template, drag and drop (or Browse) any PDF files that should be attached to the invoice.

From there, the following information can be edited on the Invoice Designer:

After you've added all of your invoice information and you scroll down, you'll find that all of the information you entered in the Invoice Builder is separated accordingly. The Tax amount will show at the bottom and list which items the tax was applied to.

📚 To learn more about the display options for Consultants within phases and how they appear on an invoice, click here.

The Invoice Preview page is where you'll review your invoice and mark it as open when you're ready. The invoice appears in a continuous-scroll format for easy review, but the Preview PDF button lets you view it as your client would.

Here, you can also send the Invoice and Payment link, print the invoice, send the invoice to QuickBooks Online (if you sync your QuickBooks Online account), or export it as a CSV to import into QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero.

If you're not ready to mark the invoice as open, the invoice will automatically save as a draft. You can come back to it when you're ready by navigating to the Invoices page.

To see how it will appear to your client—with proper page breaks and formatting—click the 'Preview PDF' button in the top right corner. This PDF preview includes a DRAFT watermark, adding a layer of security to help ensure only finalized invoices are sent to clients.

The 'Preview PDF' button is only available once a layout template has been selected.

To add an internal note, type into the Internal Notes field any helpful information, such as edits that need to be made by another team member before the invoice can be opened. This information will not be shown to the client; it is meant as an internal tracking tool.

Team members can be mentioned in the internal note by including an "@" followed by their name. Once the note is added, that team member will receive a notification.

🚨 It's important to review your invoice! Once you select "Mark as Open" on the Invoice Preview to mark an invoice as Open, edits cannot be made.

If an edit needs to be made after an invoice has been opened, it must be deleted and recreated. If an invoice has already been paid through Monograph, it cannot be reopened, so the invoice cannot be deleted.

After you've created the invoice, review it for accuracy before clicking 'Open and Send' to finalize it. After it's marked as Open, follow the steps below to send the request to the client.

If the Stripe integration is enabled, before sending your invoice to clients, you can choose how you would like the invoice to be paid if you are using the Online Payments options. Once an option is selected, the option to pass the convenience fee to the client will appear.

After you choose how you would like the invoice to be paid and confirm that it is accurate and ready to share, click Open and Send.

​For more information about setting up and using Payments, click here.

After clicking Open and Send, a pop-up will guide you through the steps to send the invoice to your client.

Select contacts to send the invoice to, and then click 'Send'. Alternatively, you may also 'Skip':

🚨Note: Invoices are sent to client contacts. You can add new client contacts through the Contacts Directory.

Additionally, you can include a custom email message (text only) to be displayed in the invoice's email body by clicking on +Add optional note. Subsequent email messages will default to the last note used.

For the project's first invoice, the Send to email address defaults to the primary client's billing email.
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After sending the initial invoice, if you need to send it to a different email address, you will need to manually select a different contact in the "Send invoice to client" step. All other invoices after that will pull the Send to email(s) from the prior invoice.

If a PDF copy of the invoice should be sent to the client within the invoice email, make sure to check the Attach PDF copy to invoice emails option before sending the invoice to your client. Otherwise, the invoice email will not include a PDF copy of the invoice. The client will still have access to the invoice via the link in the email and can download it if needed.

🚨 Please note that certain email providers, like Outlook, may adjust the format of the email from what is shown here.

The Activity Log provides a step-by-step record of an invoice’s journey from creation to completion. The activity is shown in chronological order, with the earliest actions at the bottom and the most recent updates at the top. This timeline helps you easily track the full history and status of each invoice at a glance. It displays detailed information, including:

Once an invoice is sent, the Activity list section will update to show the date, time, and the email address it was delivered to. A confirmation pop-up will also appear, letting the team know the invoice was successfully sent.

Adding comments directly on invoices helps keep the team aligned and supports internal workflows. Specific team members can be tagged, automatically triggering a notification to alert them that they’ve been mentioned. This ensures that important notes or action items reach the right person quickly, enabling timely reviews and follow-ups.

To add a comment, simply type in the comment box under the 'Activity List' on the bottom left of the invoice preview and select 'Add' to save it. To edit or delete a comment, hover over the three-dot menu next to it.

If you need to mention a team member, just type @ followed by their name to tag them.

When using the Payments feature in Monograph, the invoice will automatically update to show as Paid after the client makes the payment on their end.
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If QuickBooks Online is connected, this will also automatically mark the invoice as Paid within QuickBooks Online. On the other hand, if an invoice is marked as Paid in QuickBooks Online, it will also update within Monograph.

For all other users, the invoice must be marked as paid manually. Once payment for the invoice is received, navigate to the Invoice page and click on Add Payment. If the client does not pay the full amount that was due, the invoice can be marked as Partially Paid.

This will open a new window where you can select the date the invoice was paid, which defaults to today's date. You will also see the option to send a confirmation to the client about their payment.

If you need to mark an invoice as unpaid, click the three-dot icon and select Mark As Unpaid. This is also where you will navigate if you need to duplicate an invoice.

Depending on the payment type, funds should hit the bank account between 3-5 business days. Assuming there is no negative balance to pay off (e.g., because of refunds or disputes), then the total amount will be sent.

📚 See the Payments FAQ for more information on payment processing and other payment questions.

When you're creating multiple invoices for a Project, it can be hard to keep track of how much has been paid, how much is past due, and what has been logged but not billed. Monograph offers three ways to stay up to date with your invoices.

1. Unbilled Report

The Unbilled Report automatically adds up the time that your team tracks in Monograph, saving you time on invoicing each month.

2. Project Financials Report

Use the Project Financials Report to gain financial insights on a project, such as time logged compared to what has been billed and paid, broken down phase-by-phase.

3. Project Progress

View the Project Progress on a project's Overview page to see the progress of a project's invoices. When you mark an invoice as "Paid", the Paid Invoices bar will update to show what has been paid compared to what has been billed.

If you'd like to see this progress by phase, click on the Phase drop-down menu of the Project Progress.

Project Progress for All Phases

Project Progress at the Phase level