Guides
- How to write a statement of account A monthly summary of an account, sent alongside invoices rather than instead of them.
- A statement of account template Set up the columns once and a monthly statement takes five minutes per customer.
- Open item or balance forward Two ways to lay out a statement, and which one your customer's accounts team can actually use.
How to make a statement of account
- Enter your details and the customer's account name and number.
- Set the statement date and the period it covers.
- List each invoice and payment as a line with date, reference and amount, entering payments as the amount already settled.
- Check the closing balance, then send it as a PDF.
When to use one
Send a statement monthly to customers with an ongoing account, or whenever someone asks what they owe. It catches invoices that never arrived and payments applied to the wrong account, which is where most 'we never got that invoice' disputes end. For a single overdue invoice, chase the invoice itself instead.
Questions
Is a statement the same as an invoice?
No. An invoice creates a debt for a specific piece of work. A statement summarises the account and cannot be used to claim tax, since customers need the original invoices for that. Send statements alongside invoices, never instead of them, or the customer has nothing to approve. How to write a statement of account covers what belongs on it.
Should I list paid invoices too?
On an open-item statement, list only what is outstanding. On a full statement, show the opening balance, everything invoiced and paid in the period, and the closing balance. Which suits depends on how the customer pays: invoice by invoice, or a rolling sum. Open item or balance forward compares the two.
How do I show a payment?
As a line carrying the payment date and its reference, with the amount entered so the balance falls. Every line on a statement should point at a document number the customer can look up, and a payment with no reference is the most commonly queried entry on any statement.
Do I need to create an account?
No. There is no sign-up, no login and no trial, and nothing is held back behind one. The page works the first time you open it and the hundredth. Since nothing you type is stored anywhere, there would be nothing for an account to hold. The privacy page sets out what that means in practice.
Can I put my own logo on it?
Yes. Click the logo box at the top left of the sheet and choose an image. Resize it to around 600 pixels wide first: a photo straight off a phone can be several megabytes, and that weight goes into your saved file and any PDF you export. The logo is stored inside the sheet, so it comes back with the statement next time you open it.
Can I save it and change it later?
Use Save as file to write a small .json file to your own disk, then Open a saved file to bring it back with everything in place, logo included. That file is also the quickest way to build a template: fill in your own details once, save it, and open that copy each time. The statement template guide covers what to fix and what to leave blank.
How do I get a PDF?
Choose Print or save PDF, then pick Save as PDF as the destination in your browser's print dialogue. The file is produced on your own machine and never passes through a server. Two settings decide how it looks: background graphics on, and scale at 100%. Turning an invoice into a PDF explains both, and they behave the same on every sheet here.
Which currencies can I use?
Every currency in common use. The picker opens on the one that matches your country, worked out from your browser's own locale rather than by looking anything up over the network. Change it whenever you like and the symbol follows through to every figure on the statement. If you bill across a border, invoicing a client in another currency covers the decisions worth making first.
Is anything I type sent anywhere?
No. There is no server behind this page. Client names, prices, notes and your logo stay in the browser tab while it is open and go when you close it, which is why saving to a file matters. The privacy page sets out exactly what does and does not happen, including the one external request the site still makes.
How often should I send a statement?
Monthly is usual, at the same point each month so the customer's accounts team learns to expect it. Send it in addition to invoices, never instead of them, or there is nothing for them to approve. How to write a statement of account covers what belongs on it.
Should I include paid invoices?
On an open-item statement, list only what is still outstanding, which suits customers paying invoice by invoice. On a full statement, show the opening balance, everything invoiced and paid in the period, and the closing balance. Open item or balance forward compares the two.
Can a customer pay against a statement?
They can, and many do, particularly customers who settle a rolling balance rather than individual invoices. Put your payment details on the statement and state the reference you want quoted. A QR code linking to your payment page works well here, since the payment usually covers the whole balance.