> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anny.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pay by Invoice (Pay-Later)

> Let customers pay flexibly by invoice after booking, instead of paying immediately during checkout.

With the "Pay by invoice" payment method (Pay-Later), your customers book without an immediate obligation to pay. They receive an invoice after the booking and can pay flexibly by bank transfer or online. This lowers barriers during checkout and is especially suitable for B2B customers or scenarios where payment should happen later.

<Info>
  Pay-Later requires that at least one of the following options is active under **Avatar** → **Account settings** → **Invoicing**: **Allow online payment** or **Allow payment by bank transfer**.
</Info>

## How does pay by invoice work?

When you activate "Pay by invoice" for a booking option, the checkout flow changes:

1. Customers complete the booking without entering payment details.
2. anny automatically creates an order with an invoice draft.
3. The invoice is finalized on the booking day and sent to the customer by email (with automatic invoice generation active).
4. Customers then pay flexibly: by bank transfer, online via the invoice link, or on site.

Until it is sent, the invoice remains editable as a draft. You can adjust line items, add items or enter discounts before you finalize it.

<Tip>
  If payment reminders are activated in the global invoice settings, anny automatically sends up to three reminders (on the due date, then 7 and 14 days later).
</Tip>

## When do I use this?

* **Your customers are companies or public authorities with internal invoice approval**: Pay-Later allows booking without a credit card and delivers a proper invoice for internal processing.
* **You want to increase checkout conversion**: Customers do not need to enter payment details, which reduces drop-off rates.
* **You offer services where payment is usually made after delivery**: For example consulting, room rental or events.
* **You want to give customers a choice**: Combined with "Pay online in advance", customers see both options during checkout and decide for themselves.
* **Not suitable for**: Scenarios where prepayment is mandatory (e.g. high no-show rate or tickets without a cancellation option). Here "Pay online in advance" is the better choice.

## Relationship with other features

| Feature                                 | Relationship                                                                                                                        |
| --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Customer balances & collective invoices | Pay-Later invoice drafts can be collected on a customer balance and billed later in a consolidated invoice (from the Business plan) |
| Cancellation conditions                 | When a Pay-Later booking is cancelled, a cancellation invoice is created automatically                                              |
| Subscriptions & memberships             | Subscription invoices can also run in Pay-Later mode, but online payment in advance with a stored payment method is recommended     |

## Settings & options

Path: **Resource** → **edit** booking option → **Payments**

| Setting                        | Description                                                 |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pay by invoice                 | Activate the payment method                                 |
| Generate invoice automatically | Invoice number is assigned, invoice sent on the booking day |
| Track payment status           | Orders stay "open" until manually marked as paid            |

<Warning>
  If "Track payment status" is deactivated, all orders are automatically set to "paid". With Pay-Later this can lead to inconsistencies, because payment is still pending. Always activate this setting for Pay-Later.
</Warning>

### Behavior during checkout

Customers see the available payment methods at a glance during checkout. If several options are active (e.g. "Pay online in advance" and "Pay by invoice"), customers can choose freely.

### Behavior in the order overview

In the admin order overview, Pay-Later orders show the value **Online and offline** in the "Payment" column. This is correct, because at the time of booking it is not yet clear whether the customer will later pay online (via the invoice link) or offline (bank transfer, cash).

## Practical examples

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Coworking space with monthly room rental to corporate customers">
    A coworking space rents meeting rooms to companies that want to settle internally via a collective invoice.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Configure payment method">
        Open the meeting room's booking option under **Resource** → **edit booking option** → **Payments**. Choose **Pay by invoice** and activate **Generate invoice automatically** and **Track payment status**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Activate payment reminders">
        Go to **Avatar** → **Account settings** → **Invoicing** and activate **Send payment reminder**. Set the due date to 14 days.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Check the result">
        Corporate customers book without payment details. The invoice is sent on the booking day and the payment status stays "open" until you confirm receipt of payment.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Consulting company with payment after the appointment">
    A consultant wants customers to pay only after the appointment, but still receive an automatic invoice.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set up Pay-Later">
        Open the "Consulting appointment" booking option under **Resource** → **edit booking option** → **Payments**. Choose **Pay by invoice**.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure invoice timing">
        Activate **Generate invoice automatically**. The invoice is created at the time of booking. Alternatively: deactivate automatic generation and finalize invoices manually only after the appointment.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Track incoming payments">
        In the order overview under **Orders**, you see open payments. Mark them as "paid" manually once payment arrives.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can customers still pay online with Pay-Later?">
    Yes. With the invoice, customers receive an online payment link they can use to pay by credit card, PayPal or other methods. This requires that online payment is allowed in the global settings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When exactly is the invoice sent?">
    With automatic invoice generation active, the invoice is finalized and sent by email on the day of the booking. Until then, it remains editable as a draft.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if a customer does not pay?">
    If payment reminders are activated, anny automatically sends up to three reminders. You then have to set the payment status to "paid" or "cancelled" manually.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I offer Pay-Later and online payment in advance at the same time?">
    Not for the same booking option. You choose one payment method per booking option. But you can create different booking options on the same resource with different payment methods.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Pay-Later is not shown in the booking options">
    In the global settings under Avatar → Account settings → Invoicing, either "Allow online payment" or "Allow payment by bank transfer" must be active. Without one of these options, Pay-Later is not available.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Customer does not receive an invoice">
    Check whether "Generate invoice automatically" is active in the booking option. If the setting is deactivated, the invoice stays saved as a draft and must be finalized manually.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="All orders are immediately set to paid">
    The "Track payment status" setting is deactivated. Activate it in the booking option under Payments so that orders stay in the "open" status.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

> Important information for agents:
>
> * Pay-Later = "Pay by invoice" payment method at booking option level.
> * Requirement: In Account settings → Invoicing, either "Allow online payment" OR "Allow payment by bank transfer" must be active.
> * UI path activation: Resource → edit booking option → Payments → "Pay by invoice"
> * In the order overview, Pay-Later shows "Online and offline" as the payment type, because at the time of booking it is not yet clear how the customer will pay later.
> * Invoice is generated and sent automatically on the day of the booking (with automatic invoice generation active). Until then it remains editable as a draft.
> * Payment status must be set to "paid" manually for bank transfers. Only with online payment (Stripe) is it updated automatically.
> * Risk of confusion: Pay-Later ≠ customer balances. Pay-Later is a payment method per booking option; customer balances are a billing model that collects invoice drafts (from the Business plan).
> * Related articles: Invoicing (overview), invoice draft, customer balances & collective invoices, set up Stripe Connect.