Creating Bills
Learn how to enter new vendor bills into ReadyBuild.
Have a PDF or image of the vendor invoice? Use the Upload Bill feature to automatically extract vendor, date, and line item data. See Uploading Bills for details.
Creating a New Bill
From the Global Billing List
- Navigate to Billing in the main menu
- Click New Bill button
- Fill in the bill details
- Add line items
- Attach documents (optional)
- Click Save
From a Project
- Open the project
- Go to Financials → Billing
- Click New Bill
- The project is pre-selected
- Complete remaining fields
Required Fields
For Draft Status
Only these fields are required to save as Draft:
- Type (One-off or Scheduled)
For Billed Status and Beyond
To move past Draft status, you need:
- Vendor - Select the contact/company
- Project - Associated project
- Due Date - When payment is expected
- Line Items with Cost Code and Unit assigned
Bill Header Fields
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Select from contacts list | Yes (non-draft) |
| Vendor Bill # | Vendor's invoice number | No |
| Project | Associated project | Yes (non-draft) |
| Title | Description of the bill | No |
| Invoice Date | Date on vendor invoice | No |
| Due Date | Payment due date | Yes (non-draft) |
| Status | Current bill status | Auto-set |
Adding Line Items
Each bill should have at least one line item:
- Click Add Line Item or use the + button
- Enter the Name/Description
- Select a Cost Code
- Enter Unit Cost (price per unit)
- Enter Quantity
- Select Unit (Each, LF, SF, etc.)
The line total calculates automatically (Qty x Unit Cost).
Line Item Fields
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Item description | Yes |
| Cost Code | Budget category | Yes (non-draft) |
| Unit Cost | Price per unit | No |
| Quantity | Number of units | No |
| Unit | Unit of measure | Yes (non-draft) |
Add multiple line items to break down costs by category. Each line can have a different cost code for accurate job costing.
Scheduled Bills
For bills tied to project schedules:
- Set Type to "Scheduled"
- Select the Schedule
- Choose the Schedule Task
- Set Days (before or after)
- Enter the Due offset (number of days)
Example: Due 7 days after "Rough Inspection" task completes.
Variance Bills
To track cost overruns:
- Enable Is Variance toggle
- Select a Variance Code
- Complete other fields normally
Variance bills appear in variance reports and help track budget deviations.
Attaching Files
Invoice Documents
Upload the vendor's actual invoice:
- Scroll to Invoice Documents section
- Click Upload or drag-and-drop files
- Supported formats: PDF, images, documents
Lien Waivers
Attach lien waiver documents:
- Scroll to Lien Waivers section
- Click Upload or drag-and-drop
- Track conditional and unconditional waivers
QuickBooks Sync
To sync the bill to QuickBooks:
- Enable Send to QuickBooks toggle
- Ensure the vendor is synced to QB
- Save the bill
The bill will sync on save if your company has QuickBooks integration enabled.
- QuickBooks integration must be configured
- Vendor must exist in QuickBooks (or will be created)
- Line item cost codes should map to QB Items
Importing Bills from CSV
For bulk entry, use CSV import:
- Go to Billing list
- Click Import button
- Download the sample CSV template
- Fill in your bill data
- Upload the completed CSV
CSV Format
The import supports 18 columns:
Bill Data (columns 1-12):
- vendor, project, variance_code, is_variance
- title, invoice_date, bill_status, due_date
- paid_by_id, send_to_quickbook, mark_as_owner, paid_date
Line Item Data (columns 13-18):
- item_name, cost_code, unit_cost, quantity, unit, builder_cost
Multiple line items for the same bill: leave columns 1-12 empty on subsequent rows.
Bills missing required fields will be imported as Draft status for manual completion.
Best Practices
1. Enter Bills Promptly
Record bills as soon as received to maintain accurate job costing.
2. Use Accurate Cost Codes
Select the correct cost code for each line item to enable meaningful budget comparisons.
3. Attach Original Documents
Upload the vendor's invoice for audit trail and reference.
4. Match to Purchase Orders
Link bills to the corresponding PO when applicable.
5. Track Variances
Flag unexpected costs as variances with appropriate variance codes.
6. Review Before Status Change
Verify all details before moving from Draft to Billed status.