Setting invoice defaults for a contact

If you use SortScape’s built-in invoicing, you can set payment terms, tax treatment, and a default tax rate on an individual contact. New invoices (and quotes) for that billing contact then use those values instead of your company defaults.

This is useful when one customer needs different due dates (for example, due immediately) or different tax handling (for example, no tax) from the rest of your customers.

This only applies to SortScape built-in invoicing. It does not apply if you are connected to Xero or QuickBooks Online. In that case, SortScape does not show these contact invoice fields, and payment terms and tax defaults come from the contact settings in Xero or QuickBooks Online instead. See Invoice tax handling in Xero for Xero, or manage contact defaults in QuickBooks Online.

Before you start

1. SortScape invoices must be enabled on the Invoice settings screen.
2. You need permission to edit contacts (administrators and employees typically can; contractors cannot).

Company-wide defaults still live on the Invoice settings screen (Default due date, Default tax rate, and Default tax treatment). Contact settings only override those for that person.

Set invoice defaults on a contact

You can edit these fields wherever you edit a contact: the Contacts list (web), from a property’s service or billing contact, or when editing a contact in the mobile app from a property.

1. Open the contact and click Edit.
2. Find the three invoice fields under the billing address:
   • Invoice payment terms
   • Invoice tax treatment
   • Invoice tax rate
3. Choose either Use default (keeps your company Invoice settings) or a specific value for that contact.
4. Click Save.

If you do not see these fields, your account is not using SortScape built-in invoicing. That usually means you are connected to Xero or QuickBooks Online (where contact invoice settings are managed), or SortScape invoices are turned off.

What each field does

Field	What it controls
Invoice payment terms	Due date on new invoices for this contact (for example, due immediately, 7 days, 14 days, 30 days).
Invoice tax treatment	How tax is calculated and shown on new invoices and new quotes for this contact (for example, tax inclusive, tax exclusive, taxable, or no tax).
Invoice tax rate	The tax rate pre-filled on line items for new invoices and new quotes for this contact.

Payment terms apply to invoices only. Quotes do not use payment terms.

Use default vs a specific value

Each dropdown includes a Use default option. That option follows your company settings on the Invoice settings screen. When the company default is short enough to show, the label may include it (for example, Use default (30 days)).

If you pick a specific value that matches the current company default, SortScape still treats it as Use default. That way, when you later change the company default, contacts that were not intentionally overridden keep following the new company setting.

How it applies to new invoices and quotes

New invoices

When you create an invoice and choose a billing contact:

• The invoice due date is calculated from that contact’s payment terms (or your company default if they use Use default).
• The invoice tax treatment comes from the contact.
• Line item tax rates are pre-filled from the contact’s default tax rate (or cleared if their tax treatment is No tax).

If you change the billing contact on the create-invoice form, SortScape updates the tax treatment and line item tax rates to match the newly selected contact.

You can still change the due date, tax treatment, and line item tax rates on that invoice before you save.

New quotes

When you create a quote under SortScape built-in invoicing, the property’s billing contact supplies:

• Tax treatment
• Default tax rate for line items

Changing the property (and therefore the billing contact) on the quote form updates those tax defaults. Quotes do not pick up payment terms from the contact.

Viewing overrides on the contact

On the contact’s details page, SortScape only shows invoice payment terms, tax treatment, or tax rate when that contact has an override. If a field is set to Use default, it is not listed on the contact page (the company Invoice settings still apply).

Related settings

• Company defaults: Invoice settings (Default due date, tax rate, and tax treatment). See also Setting invoice due dates.
• Who invoices go to: Changing a property billing contact.
• Editing contact details in general: How to update contact details.