Setting up invoice and credit note numbering

In AdminPulse, you can flexibly configure how your invoices and credit notes are numbered. Numbering is managed separately for the current and the next financial year. This gives you flexibility, maintains control, and helps prevent confusion or errors.
Go to Settings > General settings > Invoicing configuration to configure the numbering.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• How to choose the format of the year
• How to set up a separate numbering sequence for credit notes
• How to build an invoice and credit note number format (e.g. 2025-0001 or INV-25-001)
• How to configure a custom starting value for your invoice and credit note counters

Overview of available settings for invoice and credit note numbering

In AdminPulse, you configure numbering separately for each financial year (Settings > General settings > Invoicing configuration). Settings per year are grouped under Current financial year and Next financial year.

For each financial year, you can configure the following separately:

• Start date of the financial year
• Whether to use a separate counter for credit notes
• The format of invoice numbers
• The format of credit note numbers
• Starting value of the invoice number counter
• Starting value of the credit note number counter

Higher up, you’ll find the Format of year in invoice numbers setting (e.g. "Year of start date fiscal year"). This determines how the year is inserted into your number format when using the [YY] or [YYYY] elements.

This article walks through each setting one by one.

Setting the format of the year in invoice numbers

You can select how the year appears in your invoice numbers. This controls the value assigned to the [YY] and [YYYY] elements, in your number format. These elements are explained in more detail later in this article.

You have three options under ‘Format of year in invoice numbers’:

• Year of start date fiscal year (default)
  • Uses the year in which the fiscal year starts.
  • Example: Fiscal year starts on 1 January 2025 → year is 25.
  • Example (non-calendar fiscal year): 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025 → January 2025 invoice uses 24 as the year.
• Year of invoice date
  • Uses the calendar year of the invoice date, regardless of the fiscal year.
  • Example: Invoice dated 15 March 2025 → year is 25 even if the fiscal year is 2024.
• Year of end date fiscal year
  • Uses the year in which the fiscal year ends.
  • Example: 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025 → invoices use 25 as the year.

Which year format should you choose?

• Non-calendar fiscal year? Consider your option carefully to avoid confusion.
• Want the year to match the invoice date? Choose “Year of invoice date.”
• Working strictly by fiscal year? Choose either start or end year — depending on your preference.

💡 If you don’t select anything, AdminPulse will use the default: Year of start date fiscal year.

👉 The selected option applies to all invoices and credit notes.

Setting the start of the financial year

In AdminPulse, you decide when your financial years begin. This is configured in two fields:

• Start financial year in the Current financial year section
• Start financial year in the Next financial year section

These dates are selected via a date field. Which start dates you can change depends on whether you are using a new AdminPulse environment or an existing one.

Setting the financial year start date in a new AdminPulse environment

If you’ve just started using AdminPulse, you have the most flexibility:

• You can freely choose the start date for the current financial year
• You can also configure the start date for the next financial year
• Conditions:
  • Current financial year: the date cannot be more than 1 year in the past
  • Next financial year: must be today or a future date

This allows you to align your accounting perfectly with your working year.

Setting the financial year start date in an existing AdminPulse environment

If you’ve already closed a fiscal year or created invoices or credit notes, there are some restrictions — to ensure consistency in your accounting:

Start of the current financial year

• Cannot be changed once a previous financial year exists in AdminPulse
• Cannot be changed if invoices or credit notes have already been numbered in the current financial year

Start of the next financial year

• This can still be changed, as long as no credit notes or invoices have been numbered for that year

Setting up a separate numbering sequence for credit notes

In AdminPulse, you can choose whether credit notes should receive a separate numbering sequence or follow the same sequence as your invoices. This is controlled by the Separate counter credit notes option. Check or uncheck the box depending on how you wish to organize your numbering:

• Disabled (default) – Shared counter for invoices and credit notes:
  • Invoices and credit notes share the same numbering sequence
  • The numbering flows continuously across both document types
• Enabled – Separate counters for invoices and credit notes:
  • Invoices and credit notes each have their own counter
  • You can set a separate starting value and number format for credit notes

👉 Once a credit note has been created in a financial year, you can no longer change the separate numbering setting for that year.

💡 Regardless of whether you use shared or separate counters, you can always assign a custom format to both invoices and credit notes.

Setting the invoice number format

In AdminPulse, you build your own invoice number format using a set of elements. This gives you a clear, recognizable, and professional numbering structure that matches your workflow.

Click the field next to Invoice number format to open the invoice number configurator.

What do you see in the invoice number configurator?

At the top, you’ll see the available elements. Click any element to add it to your number format:

• [YY] – 2-digit year (e.g., 25)
• [YYYY] – 4-digit year (e.g., 2025)
• [MM] – 2-digit month (e.g., 01)
• [Counter:Nx] – auto-incrementing counter with x digits (e.g., 0001)
• [Text] – any custom text or separators (e.g., INV-, or a dash)

👉 The [Counter:Nx] element only appears if it hasn’t been added yet.

In the middle section of the configurator, you can structure your format:

• Drag elements to re-order them
• Remove an element by clicking the (×) icon
• For the counter: specify the number of digits (e.g., 4 to show 0001)
• For text: type the desired value or separators

Below that, you’ll see previews and warnings based on your format:

• Example – displays what your invoice number will look like
• First invoice number – shows the first number that will be generated
• Warnings

Use the buttons at the bottom of the configurator to save, clear, reset, or cancel. The Save button is disabled until a counter is added.

Rules for invoice number formats

Keep the following rules in mind when configuring invoice numbers:

• Your format must include at least one [Counter:Nx] element
• The starting number must be at least 1
• The format is set per financial year
• AdminPulse automatically adds leading zeroes so the number always matches the specified number of digits (e.g., 0001 for the first invoice in a format with 4 digits).
  If the counter exceeds the number format (e.g., value 1000 with a 3-digit counter), the full number will still be shown — the counter will grow automatically.
• The final invoice number can be up to 50 characters long

👉 These settings can always be edited. If you adjust the format, it will immediately apply to the next invoice that receives a number.

💡 Tips for your invoice number format

• Choose a format that makes the year and counter clearly visible
• Use separators like "-" or "/" for better readability
• Include enough digits (4 or 5) depending on how many invoices you generate
• Add a prefix like INV- or CN- to clarify the document type
• 👉 Make sure your format is compatible with your accounting software.
  Ensure the total length of your invoice number does not exceed what your accounting system supports.
  Check your accounting system’s documentation for any length limits.
• Set up your invoice number format at the start of the financial year, before numbering your first invoice.

Examples of invoice number formats

• [YY]-[Counter:N4] → 25-0001, 25-0002,…
• [YYYY]/[Counter:N3] → 2025/001, 2025/002,…
• INV-[YY]-[Counter:N5] → INV-25-00001,…
• [YYYY]-[MM]-[Counter:N3] → 2025-01-001,…
• Detailed example: Setting the invoice number to "FAC-000001"
  
  Want your invoice numbers to follow this format: FAC-000001? Follow these steps in the configurator:
  1. Click 'Clear' to start from scratch
  2. Click the [Text] element
  3. Type FAC- in the text field
  4. Click the [Counter:Nx] element to add a counter
  5. In the # field, enter the number of digits for the counter (e.g., 6 for “000001”)

💡 AdminPulse automatically provides the correct number of leading zeroes so the counter always fills the required number of digits.

Setting the credit note number format

Configuring the credit note number format is done separately under Credit note number format, but works exactly the same way as for invoices. You'll use the same number format configurator with the same elements: [YY], [YYYY], [MM], [Text], and [Counter:Nx]. A counter is also required here.

Setting the start value of the invoice number counter

The start value of the invoice counter determines the first number your invoices will receive in a financial year. For example, you might want your numbering to start from 100 or 1000 instead of 1.

Why use a custom invoice counter start value?

• To create a more professional appearance
• If you issue few invoices but want to display a larger sequence
• To stay consistent across multiple years
• To align with other systems such as accounting software

Important notes for setting start values

• The default start value is 1
• The start value is configured separately for each financial year
• The counter start value can only be set while no invoices have yet been numbered in that financial year. Once an invoice has been numbered, the setting becomes locked.

💡 Tip: Set the start value before you generate your first invoice.

Setting the start value of the credit note counter

If you want your credit notes to start from a specific number — different from your invoices — you’ll need to configure a separate starting value. This is only possible if Separate counter credit notes is enabled.

When can you set the credit note counter start value?

• Only when separate numbering for credit notes is enabled
• Only as long as no credit notes have been numbered in that financial year

💡 Tip: Set this value before creating your first credit note.

Why use a custom start value for credit note counters?

• To assign different starting numbers to credit notes and invoices
• To use a different range (e.g., CN-2001 for credit notes and IN-1001 for invoices)
• To better integrate with your accounting software or other systems