An account statement that settles the whole balance

A customer on account can have several invoices open at once, and nobody wants to pay them one by one. A statement lists them together, tags each as paid, open or overdue, and adds up what's owed. With Stripe connected, one button clears the lot.

When to use it

• Month end, for regular customers who buy from you on credit.
• A cafe or property manager has three small invoices open and keeps meaning to deal with them.
• A customer's bookkeeper asks what's outstanding.
• You're about to do more work for someone and want the old balance cleared first.

What a good one includes

• The period covered, which tells the reader whether this replaces last month's statement.
• Each invoice with its number, date and due date, so their records can be checked line by line.
• What was billed and what's still owed on each. Part-payments are where account balances usually drift apart.
• A clear status tag. An overdue flag on one line prompts a reply more kindly than a stern letter.
• One balance figure at the top, repeated by the totals at the bottom.

Make one by saying what you need

Text it, type it or say it, the way you'd tell a colleague:

Statement for Lakeside Bakery for October: INV-112 $180 paid, INV-117 $425 unpaid, INV-120 $210 unpaid.

Questions

What's the difference between an invoice and a statement?

An invoice bills one sale. A statement summarises an account over a period and normally isn't a tax document, so it doesn't replace the invoices it lists.

How often should I send statements?

Monthly is the usual rhythm for customers on account. If a customer only buys from you now and then, a statement adds little.