How to send one-time invoices in Stripe?

How to Send One-Time Invoices in Stripe: A Comprehensive Tutorial

 

Step 1: Set Up Your Stripe Account

 

Before you can send invoices, you need to have a Stripe account set up and properly configured:

• Sign up for a Stripe account at https://stripe.com if you don't already have one
• Complete your business profile with company details
• Verify your identity to activate your account
• Connect your bank account for receiving payments
• Configure your payment settings according to your business needs

 

Step 2: Install and Set Up the Stripe SDK (For Programmatic Creation)

 

If you plan to create invoices programmatically, you'll need to install the Stripe SDK for your preferred programming language:

For Node.js:

npm install stripe

For Python:

pip install stripe

For PHP:

composer require stripe/stripe-php

Once installed, initialize the Stripe client with your API key:

Node.js:

const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_your_test_key');
// Use 'sk_live_your_live_key' for production

Python:

import stripe
stripe.api_key = "sk_test_your_test\_key"
# Use 'sk_live_your_live_key' for production

PHP:

\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey('sk_test_your_test_key');
// Use 'sk_live_your_live_key' for production

 

Step 3: Create a Customer in Stripe

 

Before creating an invoice, it's best to create or identify a customer record in Stripe:

Through the Stripe Dashboard:

• Go to Customers in the sidebar
• Click "+ New" or "Create customer"
• Enter customer details (name, email, etc.)
• Click "Create customer"

Programmatically with Node.js:

const customer = await stripe.customers.create({
  email: '[email protected]',
  name: 'Jenny Rosen',
  phone: '+15551234567',
  address: {
    line1: '123 Main St',
    city: 'San Francisco',
    state: 'CA',
    postal\_code: '94111',
    country: 'US',
  },
  description: 'Customer for invoice',
});

 

Step 4: Create an Invoice Using the Stripe Dashboard

 

For a simple, manual approach:

• Log in to your Stripe Dashboard
• Navigate to "Billing" > "Invoices" in the sidebar
• Click the "Create invoice" button
• Select an existing customer or create a new one
• Add line items with descriptions, quantities, and prices
• Set payment terms and due date
• Add any applicable discounts or tax rates
• Click "Create" to save the invoice as a draft

 

Step 5: Create an Invoice Programmatically

 

For programmatic invoice creation, follow these steps:

Node.js example:

// First, create an invoice item
const invoiceItem = await stripe.invoiceItems.create({
  customer: 'cus_customer_id',
  amount: 2000, // Amount in cents (e.g., $20.00)
  currency: 'usd',
  description: 'One-time consultancy fee',
});

// Then create the invoice with the invoice item
const invoice = await stripe.invoices.create({
  customer: 'cus_customer_id',
  auto\_advance: false, // draft invoice
  collection_method: 'send_invoice',
  description: 'Consultancy Services',
  footer: 'Thank you for your business!',
  due\_date: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) + 7 _ 24 _ 60 \* 60, // 7 days from now
});

Python example:

import time

# First, create an invoice item
invoice\_item = stripe.InvoiceItem.create(
  customer='cus_customer_id',
  amount=2000,  # $20.00
  currency='usd',
  description='One-time consultancy fee',
)

# Then create the invoice with the invoice item
invoice = stripe.Invoice.create(
  customer='cus_customer_id',
  auto\_advance=False,  # draft invoice
  collection_method='send_invoice',
  description='Consultancy Services',
  footer='Thank you for your business!',
  due\_date=int(time.time()) + 7 _ 24 _ 60 \* 60,  # 7 days from now
)

 

Step 6: Finalize and Send the Invoice

 

Through the Stripe Dashboard:

• Navigate to the draft invoice
• Review all details
• Click "Finalize invoice"
• Click "Send invoice" to email it to the customer

Programmatically with Node.js:

// Finalize the invoice
const finalizedInvoice = await stripe.invoices.finalizeInvoice(invoice.id);

// Send the invoice
const sentInvoice = await stripe.invoices.sendInvoice(invoice.id);

Python:

# Finalize the invoice
finalized_invoice = stripe.Invoice.finalize_invoice(invoice.id)

# Send the invoice
sent_invoice = stripe.Invoice.send_invoice(invoice.id)

 

Step 7: Customize Your Invoice Template (Optional)

 

To brand your invoices:

• Go to "Settings" > "Branding" in your Stripe Dashboard
• Upload your company logo (recommended size: 128x128px)
• Set your brand color
• Customize invoice details like company name, address, and payment instructions
• Click "Save" to apply changes to all future invoices

 

Step 8: Monitor Invoice Status

 

Track the status of your sent invoices:

Through the Stripe Dashboard:

• Go to "Billing" > "Invoices"
• View all invoices and their current status (draft, open, paid, void, uncollectible)
• Click on an individual invoice to see its detailed payment history

Programmatically with Node.js:

// Retrieve an invoice to check its status
const invoice = await stripe.invoices.retrieve('in_invoice_id');
console.log(`Invoice status: ${invoice.status}`);

// List all invoices
const invoices = await stripe.invoices.list({
  limit: 10,
});
invoices.data.forEach(invoice => {
  console.log(`Invoice ${invoice.id}: ${invoice.status}`);
});

 

Step 9: Set Up Webhook Events for Invoice Notifications (Advanced)

 

To get real-time updates when an invoice is paid or becomes past due:

// Express server example for handling webhook events
const express = require('express');
const app = express();

// Use JSON parser for webhook requests
app.use('/webhook', express.raw({type: 'application/json'}));

app.post('/webhook', async (req, res) => {
  const sig = req.headers['stripe-signature'];
  let event;

  try {
    event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(
      req.body,
      sig,
      'whsec_your_webhook_signing_secret'
    );
  } catch (err) {
    return res.status(400).send(`Webhook Error: ${err.message}`);
  }

  // Handle invoice events
  switch (event.type) {
    case 'invoice.paid':
      const invoicePaid = event.data.object;
      console.log(`Invoice ${invoicePaid.id} was paid!`);
      // Update your database, send a thank-you email, etc.
      break;
    case 'invoice.payment\_failed':
      const invoiceFailed = event.data.object;
      console.log(`Invoice ${invoiceFailed.id} payment failed!`);
      // Follow up with the customer
      break;
  }

  res.json({received: true});
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Running on port 3000'));

 

Step 10: Handle Invoice Payments and Receipts

 

When a customer pays an invoice:

• Stripe automatically processes the payment
• The invoice status changes to "paid"
• Stripe sends a payment receipt to the customer by default

To customize receipt emails:

• Go to "Settings" > "Customer emails"
• Edit the receipt template
• Toggle on/off receipt emails as needed

 

Step 11: Troubleshooting Common Issues

 

If you encounter problems with invoices:

• Check that your Stripe account is properly verified
• Ensure customer email addresses are correct
• Verify your invoice settings (currency, tax rates, etc.)
• For API errors, check the response for detailed error messages
• Review Stripe logs in the Dashboard under "Developers" > "Logs"

Example error handling in Node.js:

try {
  const invoice = await stripe.invoices.create({
    customer: 'cus_customer_id',
    collection_method: 'send_invoice',
    days_until_due: 30,
  });
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Error creating invoice:', error.message);
  // Handle specific error types
  if (error.type === 'StripeInvalidRequestError') {
    console.error('Invalid parameters were supplied to Stripe API');
  }
}

 

Final Tips for Effective Invoicing in Stripe

 

• Always test the invoice flow in Stripe's test mode before going live
• Set up automated reminders for overdue invoices
• Consider offering multiple payment methods to increase payment likelihood
• Use descriptive line items to minimize customer confusion
• Leverage Stripe's reporting tools to track invoice metrics
• Keep your API keys secure and never expose them in client-side code
• Consider implementing a retry strategy for failed invoice payments