# Your First Invoice

An invoice in Frihet takes under a minute. Here's how.

## Option 1: From the Dashboard (fastest)

1. On the Dashboard, click the **"+ New invoice"** button
2. You'll land in the invoice editor

## Option 2: With keyboard shortcuts (even faster)

1. Press `Cmd+K` to open the **Command Palette**
2. Type "New invoice"
3. Press Enter

Or directly: `Cmd+K` → `new invoice` → Enter.

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## Step by step: creating the invoice

### 1. Select or create a client

In the **"Client"** field:

- **Existing client:** Start typing the name. Frihet shows matches. Select one.
- **New client:** Keep typing. You'll see a **"+ Create client"** button. Click it.
  - Frihet asks for name, email, and address (all optional except name)
  - You can fill in more details later (phone, tax ID, etc.) from `Clients`

### 2. Add line items

In the **"Lines"** section:

**Option A: From the product catalog**
- Click **"+ Product"**
- Search for an item (if you've added one before)
- Frihet auto-fills description, price, and taxes
- Adjust quantity as needed

**Option B: Manual entry**
- Click **"+ Line"**
- Type the description (e.g., "SEO consulting — 5 hours")
- Enter the quantity and unit price
- Default VAT is applied automatically

**Option C: With the AI assistant**
- Just say: *"Create an invoice for John for $500"*
- The assistant can fill in clients, amounts, and line items based on your history

### 3. Review taxes and totals

Frihet calculates automatically:

- **Subtotal** — sum of line items
- **VAT/Tax** — calculated based on client type and line item
- **Withholding** — if the client has withholding configured
- **Total** — final amount to charge

You can adjust tax rates per line if needed.

### 4. (Optional) Add metadata

- **Invoice number** — Auto-generated. You can change it if needed.
- **Date** — Today by default
- **Due date** — 30 days out by default
- **Notes** — Payment terms, project references, etc.
- **Payment terms** — Bank transfer, cash, etc.

### 5. Generate a PDF preview

Before sending or saving:

1. Click **"Preview"**
2. Frihet generates the PDF and displays it on screen
3. Verify everything looks correct

The PDF includes:
- Your logo and tax details
- Client information
- Line items, taxes, total
- Valid fiscal numbering (VeriFactu compliant for Spanish accounts)

### 6. Save or send

**Option A: Save as draft**
- Click **"Save"**
- You can edit it later

**Option B: Send by email**
- Click **"Send by email"**
- Enter the client's email (or use the one in their profile)
- Frihet sends the PDF and a payment link (if you have one configured)

**Option C: Download**
- Click **"Download PDF"**
- Save the file locally

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## Productivity tips

### Use the AI assistant

Instead of filling everything manually, you can say:

- *"Create invoice for Maria for 800 euros"*
- *"Invoice to John — 200 design, 100 hosting"*
- *"New invoice to Acme Corp for February services"*

The assistant understands context, searches your client database, and creates the invoice with the right data.

### Quick templates

If you repeat the same invoice (monthly services, retainers, etc.):

1. Create the first invoice with all the details
2. At the bottom, you'll see a **"Save as template"** button
3. Next time: `Cmd+K` → "From template" → select → fill in date/client

### Recurring clients

For clients you invoice every month:

1. Set their email in their profile (`Clients > [Client] > Email`)
2. When creating an invoice: Frihet automatically suggests their previous data
3. Fewer clicks every time

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## What happens next

Once saved, the invoice appears in:

- **Invoices** (`G then F`) — list of all your invoices
- **Dashboard** — recent income summary
- **VeriFactu** — SHA-256 hash and AEAT QR code are generated automatically (Spanish accounts)

If it's a draft, you can keep editing. If finalized, it appears as issued with its official sequence number.

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**Next step:** [Learn keyboard shortcuts to go even faster](./atajos-teclado.md)