What is a Sales Invoice?
A sales invoice is a document issued to customers and clients to record sales transactions and request payment.
CSPs are able to sell goods and services to external customers in exchange for income or it can be used for sponsorship or donations. In these cases, you will need to raise a sales invoice on eActivities to the customer/sponsor you are dealing with.
You are responsible for sending the invoice to the customer and resolving any queries they might have.
How to raise a Sales Invoice
Once you have completed all the customer details, a new section will appear which allows you to enter the description, quantity, amount, VAT code and account codes for each invoice line you wish to create.
VAT coding Common VAT Codes | eActivities (ic.ac.uk):
S1 - Sales Standard Rated 20%: for most goods and services, this includes sponsorships.
SN - Sales No VAT Outside Scope: for all sales outside UK and donations.
SE - Sales Exempt 0% VAT: for sports clubs core activities income such as participation fees.
SE - Sales Trips and Tours 0% VAT: applicable to any income for trips and tours delcared exempt by the Union.
Supporting documentation from the customer needs to be uploaded – e.g. a signed Sponsorship Contract, Booking form or Customer's official Purchase Order – this is so that the Union can prove that your group is owed this money if they later fail to pay.
Some companies are adamant about their PO numbers and will refuse payment if not provided - NO PO, NO PAY, such as Imperial College London. Therefore please check before raising a sales invoice if this is required.
Sales invoices will get checked and fully approved by the Union Finance Team (3-5 working days). You will receive notification once approved.
Send sales invoice, with PO if applicable, in PDF format to the customer.
Once payment has come through to the Union's bank account, the Finance Team will transfer it to the Club's account and it will show in the transaction page.
Sometimes payment is delayed and the reason could be that: Company has not received sales invoice, PO is missing, details on sales invoice are incorrect, slow payment process. Please check with customer first if payment has been made before contacting the Union Finance Team.
How to cancel an Invoice
Sometimes you may need to cancel a sales invoice - e.g. when you have entered some details incorrectly.
If the invoice has already been authorised you will need to raise a credit note.
How to raise a Credit Note
A Credit Note is to correct a mistake on an order or an invoice, or to refund an amount paid for products or services. It is effectively a negative invoice - it's a way of showing a customer that they don't have to pay the amount of an invoice.
Fill out all details required. You will receive a notification once it has been aproved by the Union Finance Team (usually 3-5 working days). The credit note will be attached to the e-mail you receive.
