Chapter3 short sections

Send a proper invoice

Start the clock the right way

Part 1

Not just any invoice, a 'proper' one

Every framework requires a handful of specific things on an invoice before the payment clock starts: your name and address, the period, the contract reference, line items with quantities, the amount payable, payment terms, the recipient's details, and the date. The list is modelled on the Ontario Construction Act's proper-invoice section (s. 6.1), which the provincial statutes mirror.

A couple of provinces add a wrinkle: Alberta requires the invoice to say, in writing, that it is a "proper invoice" under the PPCLA, while Manitobarequires the payment recipient’s name, title, phone number and mailing address. Tiercord validates the right set live as you type and won't let you send something incomplete.

Part 2

Record delivery, then review deadlines

Tiercord uses the recorded invoice events and governing law to calculate deadlines. Manitoba also requires a reviewed applicability record and the date the proper invoice was given to the owner. Provincial owner-tier rules include:

28 days, the owner-payment deadline.
14 days, the owner's non-payment notice window.
7 days, the deemed-proper / deficiency window, only in BC and Ontario. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have no "deemed proper" rule, so Tiercord simply doesn't draw that clock there.
The unpaid-cascade fallback depends on the payer's tier. In Manitoba, the contractor's deadline to pay its subcontractor is day 35; the next payer's deadline is day 42, then day 49, day 56 and onward. These dates run from the proper invoice given to the owner. Payment received upstream can start an earlier seven-day duty for the attributable amount. Other regimes have their own rules.

BC's prompt-payment clocks remain marked pending commencement. Federal work uses separate notice periods and counting rules. Confirm the underlying facts before relying on the dashboard date.

Create an invoice

Part 3

Manage saved drafts

Open Invoices → Manage drafts to find unfinished invoices. The shortcut appears when drafts match your search and invoice direction; you can also choose Drafts in the invoice view filter. Choose Open draft to continue with the actions available on its record. A draft alone does not establish delivery or receipt.

Unfinished edits appear under Unfinished invoices when you choose Manage drafts or the Drafts view. Each new invoice has its own draft; starting another invoice keeps earlier unfinished work. Use All invoicesat the top of the form to return to the list. These drafts are saved on this device for 7 days, for your signed-in account and company. Open draft restores the form, including its line items. Generating the invoice replaces that unfinished form with an invoice record and PDF.

Use the Delete draft button beside a draft in the invoice list or on its record to remove unused work. The confirmation identifies exactly which draft will be removed.

Deletion requires permission to write financial records. Invoices with delivery, payment, legal or integration evidence are protected. The delete action explains known restrictions instead of hiding the draft's actions. Saved documents and activity history are retained.

Invoices marked Imported already exist in QuickBooks, Xero or Procore and may include payments. Find them in All invoices; they do not appear in Manage drafts or offer draft deletion. Open Source and validation on the invoice to see what evidence is recorded. An import without a recorded proper-invoice check is not treated as a failed check.

Manage invoice drafts

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