Create and use Template Bills

Template Bills are reusable bill packs for your practice. Build standard (one-off) bills or OnboardMe recurring schedules once, then apply them when you create proposals, Proposal Templates, or adhoc bills. Clients, dates, and reference numbers are set when the Template Bill is used - not on the template itself.

Who can use Template Bills

• Open Templates - Template Bills from the main menu (Owner and Admin see Templates in navigation).

• Owner, Admin, and User roles can open the page if billings are enabled for the practice.

• Only Owner and Admin can Delete a Template Bill.

• If your practice has billings hidden in settings, this page is unavailable.

What you can store in a Template Bill

Each Template Bill is one type only:

• Standard bills - one or more one-off bills with line items, descriptions, and timing options (for example bill upfront or on completion).

• Recurring billing - one or more OnboardMe recurring schedules (frequency, due days, line items).

You cannot mix standard and recurring inside the same Template Bill. Create separate Template Bills if you need both, then apply both later on a proposal if required.

Open the Template Bills page

1. In the main menu, open Templates.

2. Select Template Bills.

List screen

• Search - search by template name (Enter or the search icon).

• Show inactive - include inactive templates in the list.

• New Template Bill - create a new template.

Columns: Template name, Type (Standard or Recurring), Count (number of bills or schedules), Status (Active / Inactive), Last updated, and edit actions. Click a row to edit.

Create a Template Bill

1. Click New Template Bill.

2. Enter a Template Bill name (required), for example Standard onboarding bills.

3. Leave Active on unless you want the template hidden from pickers (inactive templates can still be found with Show inactive).

4. Choose the bill type:

   • Standard bills - one-off bills with line items. Client, dates, and reference numbers are set when the Template Bill is applied.

   • Recurring billing - OnboardMe recurring schedules. Frequency, due days, and line items are saved. Client and start dates are set when the Template Bill is applied.

5. Add one or more bills or schedules (see below).

6. Click Save. You should see Template Bill created.

Note: Switching between Standard and Recurring clears the other side. Decide the type before you invest time building many lines.

Create a standard (individual) bill

When type is Standard bills, the editor shows Default Bills.

One bill

1. A first bill is created for you (accordion Bill 1, default description Bill for services, with one empty line).

2. Expand the bill and set:

   • Description (up to 100 characters)

   • Optional Branding theme (when Xero themes are available; otherwise practice default)

   • Timing switches (see below)

   • Line items (see How to build line items)

3. Click Save on the Template Bill.

Multiple individual bills

1. Under Default Bills, click Add another bill (or Add default bill if the list was empty).

2. Configure Bill 2, Bill 3, and so on the same way.

3. Use the trash control on a bill header to Remove bill if needed.

Use multiple bills when one Template Bill should prefill several proforma invoices (for example an upfront fee bill plus a completion bill).

When to bill (standard bills)

• Bill upfront - charge when the proposal is accepted (optional percentage). Only one bill in a Template Bill can be Bill upfront.

• Bill on completion - bill after the proposal is completed.

• Sync on acceptance - available when Xero Ledger is connected; sync the bill on acceptance without waiting for completion or upfront payment.

• Send via Xero / Send via QuickBooks - may appear when those integrations are connected. Sending is typically decided when bills are raised on a live proposal; focus Template Bills on amounts, lines, and timing flags that are saved on the template.

Create a recurring bill (schedule)

When type is Recurring billing, the editor shows Recurring Bills.

One recurring schedule

1. Click Add recurring billing schedule.

2. In Set Up Recurring Billing, configure:

   • Frequency - Daily, Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually (default is typically Monthly)

   • Due days

   • Description and optional Branding theme

   • Line items (at least one required)

3. Click Add Recurring Billing.

4. The schedule appears as Recurring bill 1 with a frequency badge. Use Edit recurring bill or Remove recurring bill as needed.

5. Click Save on the Template Bill.

Start date, end date, client, and reference number are applied later when the Template Bill is used on a proposal or live schedule - not stored as fixed values on the Template Bill.

Multiple recurring schedules

1. Click Add recurring billing schedule again for each additional schedule.

2. Schedules are labelled Recurring bill 1, Recurring bill 2, and so on.

Use this when one Template Bill should carry several recurring patterns (for example a monthly fee schedule and a separate quarterly schedule).

How to build line items

Every standard bill and every recurring schedule needs at least one line item.

1. Open the bill or recurring schedule.

2. In Line items, for each row set:

   • Narration - use the rich text toolbar (bold, italic, lists). You can insert formatting, placeholders, or service narration where available.

   • Amount

   • Tax % - from your practice tax options (or QuickBooks tax rates when QB is connected)

   • Service (optional) - link the line to a catalogue service

   • If Xero is connected: Revenue account / sale item and optional tracking categories

   • If GreatSoft is connected: task code and related fee/tax fields as shown

3. Click Add Bill Line Item for additional rows. You cannot remove the last remaining line on a bill.

If tax options are missing, fix them under Settings - Integrations (and related tax setup) before staff rely on the template.

Save, inactive, and delete

• Save - validates name and that each bill/schedule has at least one line item. Common messages include Template Bill name is required, Add at least one bill, Add at least one recurring billing schedule, and Bill N must have at least one line item.

• Active - turn off to stop the template appearing in most pickers (proposal templates, apply modals). Use Show inactive on the list to find it again.

• Delete (Owner/Admin) - permanently removes the Template Bill after confirmation: Delete this Template Bill? This cannot be undone.

Where Template Bills are used

Proposal Templates

On a Proposal Template Billings step, choose Use Template Bills, then select one or more Template Bills. Their bills or schedules are applied when someone creates a proposal from that template. Client and ledger links are still set on each proposal.

Proposal Billings step

1. Open a proposal and go to Billings.

2. Click From Template Bills.

3. Select individual and/or recurring Template Bills (you can mix types in one apply).

4. Choose Append to existing bills or Replace proforma bills for this package.

5. Click Apply selected / Apply Template Bill.

Adhoc bills

When creating an adhoc bill, you can optionally Start from Template Bill. Only standard Template Bills can be used here - recurring Template Bills cannot be applied to adhoc bills.

ID Verification (optional)

Some ID Verification flows allow selecting a Template Bill for an upfront payment before verification completes.

Tips

• Name templates clearly by purpose (for example New client - upfront + completion or Monthly bookkeeping recurring).

• Keep line narrations and tax mappings accurate so proposals inherit clean data.

• Prefer separate Template Bills for standard vs recurring packs, then combine them when applying to a proposal if needed.

• After saving, test by applying the Template Bill on a draft proposal before rolling it out to the whole team.

Related

• Create a Proposal Template - using Template Bills inside Proposal Templates

• OnboardMe Recurring Billing - live recurring schedules on proposals (update link if slug differs after publish)