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Billing Settings in Uku

Billing settings let you control invoice creation, numbering, rounding, and email delivery. Set them once and they’ll apply across your whole company.

Maria Müürsepp avatar
Written by Maria Müürsepp
Updated today

Billing settings control who can create invoices, how invoice numbers are formatted, rounding rules, and email delivery options. Configure these once in Settings & Apps -> Billing -> Settings tab, and they'll apply across your entire company. Key settings include member permissions, default invoice dates, time rounding options, and invoice numbering prefixes.

Accessing Billing Settings

To configure your company's billing settings:

  1. Click Settings & Apps from the main menu

  2. Find and open the Billing app

  3. Navigate to the Settings tab

  4. Make your changes and click Save at the bottom

Note: Only company owners and administrators can access billing settings. Changes apply company-wide to all users.

Member Rights and Permissions

Control which team members can view and manage invoices, contracts, and products. These permissions help you maintain oversight while allowing appropriate access.

Available Permission Settings:

Allow managers to view and create their client contracts and invoices

  • When enabled, the client's primary member (default user) can create and edit contracts and invoices for their assigned clients

  • They see the Billing menu in the left sidebar

  • They can only manage invoices for clients where they are the primary member

Allow members to view and create their client invoices

  • Members can see and create invoices for their assigned clients

  • They see invoices on the client profile under the Billing tab

Allow members to view their client invoices

  • Read-only access to client invoices

  • Members see invoices on the client profile but cannot edit or create new ones

Allow only owners to add and update products

  • Restricts product creation and editing to company owners only

  • Prevents unauthorized changes to your service catalog and pricing

Allow members to send invoices to clients

  • Members can email invoices directly to clients from Uku

  • Works in combination with other permissions

Email Delivery Settings

Send PDF Invoice

Configure how invoice PDFs are delivered via email.

Email service (custom domain)

Send invoice copy

  • Enter email addresses that should receive a copy of every invoice sent

  • Useful for keeping management or bookkeeping informed

Default Rounding Configuration

Set company-wide time rounding rules that apply when creating invoices from tracked time.

Time Rounding Increment

Choose how precisely you want to round tracked time:

  • No rounding - Bill exact tracked time (e.g., 1.37 hours)

  • 5 minutes (0.1 hours) - Round to nearest 6-minute increment

  • 15 minutes (0.25 hours) - Common for professional services

  • 30 minutes (0.5 hours) - Half-hour increments

  • 1 hour - Full hour rounding

Apply Time Rounding To

Determine at what level rounding occurs:

Invoice line

  • All time for a product/service is totaled first, then rounded

  • Example: Three 15-minute entries (45 minutes total) round to 1 hour

  • More accurate for clients paying by service

Task

  • Time is rounded separately for each task

  • Example: Three separate 15-minute tasks each round to 30 minutes (1.5 hours total)

  • Better when billing specific deliverables

Default Invoice Configuration

These settings determine default values when creating new invoices. You can override them for individual clients in their billing settings.

Invoice Date

Set when invoices are dated:

  • Last day of month - Invoice dated on the final day of the billing period

  • First day of month - Invoice dated on the first day of the following period

  • Custom date - Choose any specific day

Due Date In

Enter the number of days after the invoice date when payment is due:

  • Default is typically 7, 14, or 30 days

  • Can be customized per client if needed

  • Example: "14" means payment due 14 days after invoice date

Bill Tracked Time By

Determines which month time entries appear on invoices:

Time entry (Default)

  • Time is billed in the month it was tracked

  • Most common and straightforward approach

Task start date

  • Time is billed based on when the task started

  • Useful for project-based work spanning multiple months

Task due date

  • Time is billed when the task is due

  • Good for aligning billing with deliverable deadlines

Task finish date

  • Time is billed when the task is marked complete

  • Ensures work is finished before billing

Bill Task Field By

Similar logic for billing custom field quantities:

Task start date (Default)

  • Custom field values are billed in the month the task started

  • Works well for most recurring services

Invoices from the Same Period

Control whether multiple contracts create separate or combined invoices:

Create separately

  • Each contract generates its own invoice

  • Better for detailed tracking per service

Combine into one invoice

  • All contracts for a client in the same period merge into one invoice

  • Cleaner for clients, easier to pay

Hide Zero Sum Lines

No

  • All invoice lines appear, even those with $0.00 amount

  • Shows full scope of services

Yes

  • Lines with zero value are hidden

  • Creates cleaner, more professional invoices

  • Still tracks the work internally

By Default, Time Entry is Billable

Yes

  • All new time entries are automatically marked billable

  • Staff must manually mark non-billable time

No

  • Time entries default to non-billable

  • Staff must intentionally mark time as billable

Invoice and Credit Note Numbering

Control how invoice and credit note numbers are formatted.

Invoice Number Prefix

  • Text or numbers that appear before the invoice number

  • Common examples: "INV-", "2025-", company initials

  • Leave blank if you don't want a prefix

Invoice Number Suffix

  • Text or numbers that appear after the invoice number

  • Leave blank if not needed

NB! Example: With prefix "INV-" and suffix "-2025", invoice number 100 appears as INV-100-2025

Credit Note Prefix

  • Prefix for credit notes

  • Common examples: "CN-", "CR-", "CREDIT-"

  • Default is "CN-"

  • Helps distinguish credit notes from invoices

Setting the Next Invoice Number

If you're migrating from another system or need to align with your accounting software:

  1. Go to Billing menu -> All Invoices tab

  2. Look for "Next invoice number" setting

  3. Click on three dots menu -> Change invoice number

  4. Enter the number for your next invoice

  5. Uku will continue sequentially from that number

NB!: Set this BEFORE creating new invoices to avoid numbering conflicts.



FAQ

Q: Who can change billing settings?

A: Only company owners and administrators. If you need settings changed and don't have access, contact your company owner.

Q: Can I have different rounding rules for different clients?

A: Default rounding applies company-wide, but you can customize rounding for specific products or adjust invoices manually before sending.

Q: What happens if I change invoice numbering after creating invoices?

A: Only new invoices use the new format. Existing invoices keep their original numbers. This prevents accounting conflicts.

Q: Should I use invoice prefix or suffix?

A: Most firms use a prefix only. Common formats: "INV-123", "2025-123", or "ABC-123" where ABC is your company code.

Q: Can individual team members have their own invoice numbering?

A: No. Invoice numbering is company-wide to maintain consistency and comply with accounting standards.

Q: What's the difference between "Allow members to view and create" vs "Allow client admins to view and create"?

A: "Allow members" gives access to ALL team members.

"Allow client admins" only gives access to each client's primary assigned member. Use client admins for individual accountability.

Q: Why can't I see the Settings tab in Billing?

A: You may not have owner or administrator permissions. Contact your company owner to grant access or request setting changes.

Q: How do I test my settings before using them with real clients?

A: Create a test client, set up a test contract, and generate a draft invoice. Review it thoroughly before activating for real clients.

Q: Can I use different email addresses for different clients?

A: Yes! In each client's billing settings, you can set a custom reply-to email address. This is separate from the sending email server configuration.

Q: What does "By default, time entry is billable" actually do?

A: It sets whether the "Billable" checkbox is automatically checked when team members track time. It doesn't prevent marking time as non-billable later.

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