ZepDesk accounting software
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Home / Invoices and dunning

From quote to payment reminder.

In ZepDesk a job runs through one set of data: quote, invoice, prepayments and a final invoice where needed, credit note, and when the money does not arrive, the reminder. Every finalised invoice goes out as an e-invoice.

From quote to finalised invoice

The format in which the invoice reaches the customer, with ZUGFeRD or as an XRechnung with routing ID (Leitweg-ID), is described under E-invoicing; what the page looks like, under Letterhead and PDF builder.

Final invoice with prepayments

In the form you choose the invoice type: prepayment invoice or final invoice. On the final invoice you tick the prepayment invoices of the same customer. What was paid on them up to the supply is deducted, per tax rate with net amount and tax, as § 14 (5) UStG requires. The same calculation applies to the page, the e-invoice, the open item and the VAT return.

View as table
Example: a supply of 12,000.00 € net at 19 %, one prepayment invoice paid in full before the supply
ItemNetTaxGross
Whole supply12,000.00 €2,280.00 €14,280.00 €
less prepayment5,000.00 €950.00 €5,950.00 €
Amount due7,000.00 €1,330.00 €8,330.00 €

If a prepayment was only partly paid by the time of the supply, ZepDesk deducts pro rata; a prepayment invoice that was never paid is not deducted. Once the result is on the finalised final invoice, a later payment no longer changes it.

Credit note, reversal and recurring invoice

  • 01
    Credit note

    Reduces an invoice under § 17 UStG, for a return, a price reduction or a refund, also several times and at most up to the open amount. Without reference to a single invoice, for example for an annual bonus, with a stated reason.

  • 02
    Reversal

    Reverses a finalised invoice completely: a cancellation invoice with the reason on it is created, and the original is kept.

  • 03
    Recurring invoice

    Monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or yearly a template produces a new invoice as a draft, with the next service period. You send it yourself.

When the money does not arrive: dunning

ZepDesk keeps open items with due date, days overdue, fees and interest. Every Monday a dunning run creates the due reminders as drafts, one per customer and level; you check them and send them as a PDF by e-mail. The next level is only created once the previous one has been sent and its new payment period of seven days has expired.

View as table
Levelfrom days overdueDefault fee
1 Payment reminder142.50 €
2 Reminder305.00 €
3 Final reminder4510.00 €
Collection60no further reminder
Default interest to the day on the claim: base rate plus nine percentage points if the customer has a VAT ID, otherwise plus five (§ 288 BGB).
Flat fee of 40.00 € for customers with a VAT ID at the first level, credited against the fee and not added on top (§ 288 (5) BGB).
Dunning block per customer: the run skips them, and their items stay as they are.
Reversal instead of deletion: a reminder that has been sent is kept and reversed with a reason.
Open items in ZepDesk with due date, days overdue, fees, interest and dunning level, plus the dunning run button

How a payment finds its open item is described under Bank reconciliation.

Number ranges

Every document type has its range, and you can add your own. You build the format from year, month, prefix and running number; a global company prefix can precede every range.

A new format opens a new range, and no number is issued twice.

Existing numbers can move with it as far as the law allows: finalised invoices, issued credit notes, sent quotes and delivery notes, and booked or linked receipts and bank transactions keep their number (§ 14 (4) UStG, § 146 (4) AO).

Numbers from the demo company
  • MC-2026-003Invoice
  • MC-A-2026-004Quote
  • 2026-LS-100001Delivery note
PrefixYearRunning number

What ZepDesk does not take on

Orders and order confirmations. A quote becomes an invoice directly; there is no order in between.
Your own dunning periods and fees. The days per level are fixed, and there is no form yet for fees and reminder texts; the defaults above apply.
Handing over to a collection agency. In ZepDesk collection is a status on the open item; you pass on the documents yourself.
Offsetting the prepayment in the journal. With double-entry bookkeeping ZepDesk currently posts the prepayment invoice and the final invoice each with its full amount as revenue; you make the reclassification of the prepayment yourself. The VAT return is calculated correctly.

Write your first quote.

Add a customer, write a quote, convert it to an invoice and finalise it.

Secure early access See e-invoicing