Invoice Groups

The Invoice Groups feature helps to group invoices for the customers. It gives greater flexibility in meeting the customer’s expectations for how and when they receive invoices by combining multiple invoices into one invoice group. Each customer can have multiple invoice groups.

The invoice grouping feature allows you to group existing invoices that share the same Customer, Currency, Terms, Subsidiary, and Bill To. Invoices also have the option to be grouped by PO number. NetSuite automatically designates the invoice group based on its characteristics, but users can select whether to include individual invoices in a group.

USER BENEFITS 

• Personalize your invoice groups: The user can customize the invoice group to fit their business needs. After the criteria for the group has been selected, the invoices will be automatically grouped accordingly.  
• Accept customer payments easily: With this feature, users are able to accept payments from their respective customers against the consolidated invoice group. All the invoices for a single customer will be found in one place, so keeping tabs on payments is much simpler.  
• Set up custom numbering: NetSuite now allows users to setup custom numbering for the consolidated invoice. 
• This reduces manual grouping, ensures accurate invoices, and improves cash flows by decreasing days of sales outstanding. 

After the Invoice Groups feature is enabled, it is difficult to disable the feature. Before you enable Invoice Groups, it is recommended that you enable this feature in your sandbox account. 

Enable the feature in the account

Setup> company> enable features

Under the transactions subtab, the billing section enables the group invoicing feature.

Enable the auto-generated number for the group invoice.

Setup> company> auto-generated numbers

Under the document subtab, give a number for the group invoices.

Also, enable this feature in the customer record. It will be under the financial subtab of the customer record.

List> Relationships> Customers

Select the customer that you want to consolidate the invoices with.

Now when you create a sales order the invoice grouping feature will be shown in the record.

Creation of Group Invoice

When you generate the invoice the invoice grouping is automatically enabled by the system.

Save this ungrouped invoice and create the other invoices that are to be consolidated.

Then create the invoice group.

Transactions> sales> group invoices. Select the check box that you want to consolidate.

Check the box near the invoices that you want to consolidate.

After submitting this it will start processing.

Click the refresh button until this is completed.

Now the new consolidated invoice will be created by the system.

Once invoices have been selected to be grouped and submitted, the invoice group record is created. The invoice group displays summary and detailed invoice data. Invoices can be added and removed from the invoice group if required characteristics are shared. The group invoice record supports Advanced PDF form customization, record numbering options, SuiteScript, and SuiteFlow features.

To make the customer payment

Trasactions> Customers> make payment

Select the customer and the invoice which is grouped and save the payment.

Invoice groups can accept full or partial payments. When accepting payment for an invoice group, individual invoices are selected, as the standard functionality of accepting payments in NetSuite. An invoice that is part of an invoice group cannot individually accept payment. All payments must be created through the invoice group. After applying a payment to an invoice, the invoice cannot be removed from the invoice group. Credit memos cannot be created from an invoice group but can be applied to invoices that are included in an invoice group.

The invoice group doesn’t have any G/L impact. But when we make payment it shows the general ledger impact in the respective books.

You can print the invoice by clicking the print button in the invoice group.

The invoice group provides the opportunity to mail the group invoice to another related person.

Limitations in the Group Invoice

•  NetSuite automatically designates the invoice group based on its characteristics, but users can select whether to include individual invoices in a group. An important limitation to note is that invoices not created from a sales order cannot be grouped. This is noted as a future enhancement by NetSuite.
• After an invoice is grouped, you can make edits to the invoice, but there are limitations. You cannot edit the following fields:

• Due Date
• PO #
• Terms (located on the Billing subtab)