Invoicing — overview

Once the quote is signed and the inspection is in progress or complete, Lumos lets you generate the final invoice to send to the client in one flow. This page situates the invoice in the inspection timeline and clarifies what Lumos handles — and what it doesn’t.

When to create the final invoice

The + Create the final invoice button appears on the inspection page as soon as the quote is signed by the client. You don’t have to wait for the inspection to be completed to create the invoice, but in practice most inspectors create it:

On inspection day when payment is expected on site (cash, transfer, immediate e-transfer).
When the report is delivered when payment is expected after report delivery.

The right timing depends on your payment policy, configured in your Default payment instructions (see 11.3 Configure your templates).

What the invoice carries over

The final invoice is not a copy of the quote — it is a new document, but fully pre-filled from the signed quote:

Items (description, quantity, unit price) are carried over identically. You can modify, add, or remove them before sending.
Taxes (GST, QST, or equivalents depending on your province) are calculated automatically from your business address in your profile.
Total is recalculated accordingly.
Default notes and payment instructions defined in Business Configuration > Quote & Invoice are inserted.
Your branding (logo, address, GST/QST/NEQ numbers) is applied.

One invoice per inspection

Lumos attaches only one invoice per inspection. You cannot create separate deposit and final invoices on the same inspection. If you need to bill in two parts, consider two options:

Create a single invoice that covers all services at the end of the mandate.
Create a separate project or inspection for the second service, with its own quote and invoice.

Numbering

The invoice uses the inspection number (for example INS-20260407-007-2). It does not have a separate counter. On the PDF:

Invoice # — inspection number
Contract # — project number (for example 20260407-007)
Date — invoice issue date

This continuity (invoice # = inspection #, contract # = project #) makes reconciliation between your documents and accounting easy.

A signature, but not a payment

Lumos stops at the invoice PDF sent by email. Payment itself happens outside Lumos:

Cash on inspection day.
E-transfer or bank transfer per your instructions.
Cheque if you accept it.

Lumos does not process payments and does not integrate a payment gateway. When you receive the payment, you manually mark the invoice as paid via a dedicated checkmark on the inspection page (see 11.5 Manage an issued invoice).

What the client sees

The client receives an email branded to your image (logo, signature, contact details) that contains:

The email body from your template.
The invoice rendered directly in the email (not just as an attachment), with items, taxes, and total.
The attachments you selected (the invoice PDF mandatorily, and optional project documents).

There is no Lumos payment page for the client — the email simply invites them to pay according to your instructions. See 11.6 What the client sees.