Invoicing 101 | A complete guide to invoicing and getting paid with Programa

Skip the product data import

The products you specified and the hours you tracked already live in your Programa project. Instead of painstakingly transferring all this data into a third-party tool, you can use it to create beautiful, custom-branded invoices directly in Programa itself.

Generate invoices from any mix of three sources:

• From your schedule: products, quantities, images, and pricing, including markups. Bill exactly what you specified, with no copy and paste required.
• From time entries: logged design hours at your hourly rate, turned into billable lines in a click.
• Custom line items: fees, consulting, disbursements, or delivery. Anything that isn't on the schedule.

All three can sit side by side on a single invoice.

A little setup (mostly optional)

You can create your first invoice right now, with just a little setup to get you on the right track from the start.

Your branding is automatic. Your logo and studio details flow onto every invoice from your studio profile, so each invoice effortlessly meets your branding standards.

If you want, set your defaults once under Settings → Invoices: a default tax rate, payment terms, payment details, and invoice numbering. New invoices inherit them, and you can override any of them on an individual invoice. None of this is required to send an invoice on its own but it does provide an additional level of customization and control.

Then choose how you'll get paid: online with Programa Pay, your own methods like card payment, bank transfer (ACH) or both.

Build your first invoice

Every invoice lives inside the project it bills for, so it always traces back to the right job. From your project, open the Financials tab, select Invoices, and click New Invoice. Programa opens a fresh invoice with your details and defaults already filled in, and it auto-saves every few seconds, so you can close it and return any time.

To access a studio-wide overview of all invoices, exit out of your project and select Invoices under the Financials tab in the side navigation menu.

Add your line items, such as products from your Schedule or time entries. Once they're in, edit any field inline, drag the handle to reorder, and enter quantities. Hours on a sent invoice lock automatically, so the same time can never be billed twice.

Tax and discounts, made clear

Each line item carries its own tax rate, drawn from your defaults. Programa automatically adapts the terminology to your region. Rates are entered manually rather than looked up, and several rates can appear on one invoice, with the breakdown showing the amount per rate.

You can discount at two levels, using either a percentage or a fixed-dollar amount: on a single line, or across the whole invoice total. Either way the discount shows as its own line, so your client sees exactly what was applied. Every invoice displays a clear subtotal, tax per rate, and total.

Preview, then send

To help catch any last-minute changes, Programa requires you to preview your invoice before sending. Click Preview to see the exact PDF your client will receive. Catch anything that’s not quite right before it goes out.

Then send it whichever way suits you:

• Email from Programa: Add a custom subject line, a personalized message, and up to 5 CC recipients (such as a bookkeeper or project manager). Your client is then emailed a link to view and pay the invoice.
• Download as a PDF: Download a copy and manually send it from your own email address, if you would rather invoices come from your business inbox.
• Share via the Client Portal: New invoices appear automatically for clients to view and pay without digging through their inboxes.

Need a similar invoice next time? Duplicate an existing one and Programa copies the line items, tax, and settings into a new draft that’s ready to go.

Get paid

There are two ways to collect invoice payments through Programa and you can choose which method works best for your studio and your clients.

Programa Pay (optional): The safest payments platform ever built for interior designers, Programa Pay allows clients to pay invoices within your own branded portal, with no redirects to third-party tools and no login required.

It accepts card, bank transfer (ACH), and Link one-click payments, with Stripe Connect handling processing securely behind the scenes. Fees are flat and transparent and vary by method (card is highest, bank debit is lower), and you can pass them on at checkout. Payouts typically land in your account within 2 business days.

Custom payments: You don’t need Programa Pay set up to send invoices and receive payments. You can still set your preferred payment methods for each invoice, such as card or cheque and record the payment in Programa by selecting Mark as Paid when it arrives in your bank account. Your client receives the same invoice either way.

For deposits, milestones, or phased work, split any invoice into up to 6 named installments. Each carries a name your client sees (such as Deposit, Milestone 1, or Final Payment), a fixed amount or percentage, and a due date. Programa tracks each one separately and sends automated reminders 24 hours before each is due, with no manual follow-up.

Track everything in one place

Once invoices have been sent, you can manage them all from a single list within Programa. Each one moves through a clear lifecycle (Draft → Sent → Viewed → Paid, plus Partially Paid, Overdue, and Void), so you always know its status. Filter and sort by invoice number, client, date, or status to surface exactly what you need.

Send a manual reminder with a payment link from any invoice, or let split-payment reminders fire on their own. Keep records tidy by labeling invoices as Mark as Paid, Void, and Archive (sent invoices can be voided, but not deleted).

Behind the scenes, Programa keeps your schedules in sync by automatically marking invoiced products as Invoiced or Paid. Plus, keep your studio’s bookkeeping in sync by connecting tools such as QuickBooks and Xero to your Programa account.

Designed to remove the friction

Invoicing in Programa was designed to remove the biggest points of friction designers experience around invoicing.

Project data flows directly into invoices, eliminating hours of manual data entry and reducing the risk of errors. Split payments allow billing to match project milestones, improving cashflow and making it easier for clients to move forward without friction.

Invoices now reflect the quality of your studio. Instead of sending a generic invoice disconnected from your design work, clients see a document that demonstrates the same level of care and clarity as the rest of your project presentation.

The goal is simple: do the work, send the invoice and get paid.

Ready to see how it works?

Log into Programa and navigate to Financials in the side navigation menu to access the new invoicing experience. From there, you can create invoices, structure payments, and manage billing directly alongside your projects.

New to Programa? Click here to start a 7-day free trial. Already tried Programa in the past? Log in to activate a new free trial.

Invoicing and payments are available to studios in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Admin and Owner roles can create and send invoices.