# Wave: Create an Invoice and Record the Payment

> A beginner Wave accounting walkthrough on real screens: create an invoice, approve it, mark it sent, record the payment so income is counted once, and…

Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/wave-invoice-and-payment · Updated 2026-10-23 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com)

## Practice it step by step

[Start the free practice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/wave-invoice-and-payment)

[Take the free module: why it matters, practice and a quick check →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/wave-accounting-for-beginners/2)

You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Wave. It checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, about 10 minutes, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Open full screen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/wave-invoice-and-payment)

Free · Live now · [Accounting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/accounting) · [Wave](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/wave) · ~10 min · 12 steps · Beginner

Updated October 23, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. [How we check this lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about#how-we-check)

A beginner Wave accounting walkthrough on real screens: create an [invoice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/invoice), approve it, mark it sent, record the payment so income is counted once, and check [Aged Receivables](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ar-aging-report). Free Starter plan.

## At a glance

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| What you build | A beginner Wave accounting walkthrough on real screens: create an invoice, approve it, mark it sent, record the payment so income is counted once, and check Aged Receivables. Free Starter plan. |
| Tools | Wave |
| Time | About 10 minutes, 12 steps in 4 parts |
| Level | Beginner, no coding needed |
| Cost | Free |
| Ways to learn it | [Practice it step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/wave-invoice-and-payment) |

### The 4 parts, in short

1. Create the invoice: Invoices, Set up the template, Add a customer, Name the customer, and 1 more step.
2. Approve and send: Approve the draft, Mark as sent.
3. Record the payment: Record a payment, Payment details, Paid in full.
4. Check who owes you: Aged Receivables, Nothing owed.

**Start here first:** [Wave: Chart of Accounts, Transactions and Reports](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/wave-first-steps) (module 1 of Accounting)

## What you'll build

Maya (made up) once recorded a client’s payment as a brand-new sale and overstated her revenue. In this lesson you create a $420 invoice in [Wave](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/wave), approve it, mark it as sent without emailing anyone, record the payment against it and check that nobody owes you anything. Every screen is a real Wave screen.

You created a $420 invoice, approved the draft, marked it sent, recorded the check against it so the receivable became cash, and saw $0.00 unpaid in Aged Receivables. Now try it in your own Wave account: the lesson page has the checklist.

- Tools: Wave
- Time: about 10 minutes, 12 steps in 4 chapters
- Level: beginner, no coding needed
- Price: free

## Practice first, then build it for real

Practice copy built from real Wave screens (free Starter plan, captured 22 October 2026). Nothing here touches your Wave account. The customer, vendor and amounts are practice data. To build it for real you need your own Wave account, and some services charge once you use them for real work, so check each tool's current pricing.

## Try it yourself, free

Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive module walks you through every click in a practice copy of Wave, checks each step, and never touches your real accounts.

[Start “Wave: Create an Invoice and Record the Payment”](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/wave-invoice-and-payment)

## Step by step: Wave: Create an Invoice and Record the Payment

All 12 steps of the interactive module, in order. In the module you watch each one, then do it yourself in a practice copy that checks your work.

### 1. Create the invoice

1. **Invoices.** Under **Sales & Payments**, click **Invoices**.
   Under Sales and Payments, click Invoices.
2. **Set up the template.** The first time, Wave asks for a logo, an accent colour and a style. You can keep the defaults: click **Looks great, let’s go**.
   The first time, Wave sets up your template. Keep the defaults.
3. **Add a customer.** A **New invoice** opens. Click **Add a customer**.
4. **Name the customer.** Only the **Customer** name is required. Type it and click **Save**.
   Only the name is required.
5. **Add the line.** Add a line: **Office cleaning**, quantity 1, price **420**. **Amount Due** shows **$420.00**. Then scroll up and click **Save and continue**.
   Add a line. Office cleaning, four twenty. Then Save and continue.

### 2. Approve and send

6. **Approve the draft.** It is saved as a **Draft**: nothing sent, nothing owed yet. Click **Approve draft**.
   It is only a draft.
7. **Mark as sent.** Status: **Unsent**. **Send invoice** would email it; **Mark as sent** just records that it went out. Click **Mark as sent**.
   Mark as sent records it without emailing anyone.

### 3. Record the payment

8. **Record a payment.** Status: **Sent**, $420.00 due. When the customer pays, click **Record a payment**.
   When the customer pays, click Record a payment.
9. **Payment details.** $420.00, "Invoice will be fully paid". Method **Check**, Account **Cash on Hand**. Click **Submit**.
   Method, Check. Account, Cash on Hand. Submit.
10. **Paid in full.** Amount due **$0.00**, "paid in full". No new income was added: the receivable became cash. Click **Close**, then open **Reports**.
    Paid in full. No new income was added. Close, then open Reports.

### 4. Check who owes you

11. **Aged Receivables.** Under **Customers**, click **Aged Receivables**.
12. **Nothing owed.** Columns run from **Not Yet Overdue** to **91 or More** days. Total unpaid is **$0.00** because the invoice is paid. Click the total.
    Total unpaid, zero. The invoice is paid.

## Screenshots

[Start this module free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/wave-invoice-and-payment)

- Previous in Accounting: [Wave: Chart of Accounts, Transactions and Reports](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/wave-first-steps)
- Next in Accounting: [Wave: Enter a Bill, Pay It and Reconcile](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/wave-enter-and-pay-bills)

## Free cheat sheet

Print it or save the PDF: the key steps and checks from this lesson on one page, free.

- [Wave Accounting Cheat Sheet: Invoices, Bills, Reports](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets/wave-accounting-basics): A free one-page Wave accounting cheat sheet: chart of accounts, categorized transactions, invoice to payment, bills, reconciling and the two reports.

[All free printable cheat sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/cheat-sheets)

## Terms in this lesson

Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson.

[Invoice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/invoice) · [AR aging report](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ar-aging-report)

[The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)

## Browse related tutorials

[Accounting (3)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/course/accounting) · [Wave tutorials (3)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/wave)

Want AI working like this in your business? Robert Breen, the instructor behind this lesson, helps small and mid-sized teams put AI assistants, agents and automations to work. [Work with Robert on AI consulting](https://ynteractive.com/)