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Prepare an invoice from an approved source
A reliable invoice-entry workflow connects the customer record to the underlying work and the instruction to bill. Start with the owner-approved source document, business entity and customer identity. Confirm whether the assistant is preparing a draft, entering an approved record or sending an invoice under an established procedure.
Those are separate actions. A complete draft is not automatically approved for delivery. The working brief should name the reviewer and explain what to do when the source is incomplete, conflicting or outside the normal billing arrangement.
Check the fields that affect the customer
Compare the customer and contact, work description, quantities, approved amounts, dates, references and payment terms with the source. Use the settings and instructions supplied by the authorized owner. Questions about tax treatment, concessions or unusual terms go to the responsible reviewer rather than being inferred from a previous invoice.
Keep the source reference with the prepared record. If a required detail is missing, list the exact question and who can answer it. Avoid filling a blank with a plausible value just to make the draft look complete.
Example: the instruction and purchase order disagree
The owner's billing instruction names one reference, while the customer's purchase order names another. The assistant preserves both documents and describes the discrepancy. They ask which reference belongs on the invoice before sending it.
The reviewer resolves the question and records the instruction. The assistant updates the draft within the authorized scope, then confirms the changed field against that instruction. The original question remains linked to the record so the reason for the correction is available later.
Review before delivery
Use the agreed review step to confirm the draft matches its source and any exceptions are resolved. Check the recipient and delivery channel separately from the invoice content. A correct invoice sent to an outdated contact can still create avoidable follow-up work.
After the authorized delivery, record what was sent and when, along with any failed-delivery notice or customer reply. Route later corrections through the void-and-reissue log rather than overwriting history. For recurring draft preparation, define the task with payables and receivables support.
Related resources
Compare the service fit on the QuickBooks VA services page, then use the free consultation form to map the first handoff. For platform context, review QuickBooks Online.
