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Invoice Delivery

BillaBear provides a flexible invoice delivery system that allows you to send invoices to your customers through multiple channels and formats. This ensures that your customers receive invoices in the way that works best for them and your business.

Available Delivery Methods​

BillaBear supports the following delivery methods for invoices:

Email Delivery​

Send invoices directly to your customers' email addresses. This is the most common delivery method and works well for most businesses.

Benefits:

  • Immediate delivery
  • No additional setup required for customers
  • Delivery confirmation tracking
  • Customizable email templates

SFTP Delivery​

Securely transfer invoice files to your customers' servers using SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol). This method is ideal for customers who prefer automated processing of invoices.

Benefits:

  • Secure, encrypted file transfer
  • Automated delivery to customer systems
  • Suitable for high-volume invoice processing
  • Integration with customer's accounting systems

Webhook Delivery​

Send invoice data to a URL specified by your customer. This allows for real-time integration with your customers' systems.

Benefits:

  • Real-time notification of new invoices
  • Integration with custom systems
  • Programmable responses and handling
  • Reduced manual processing

Supported Invoice Formats​

BillaBear can deliver invoices in the following formats:

PDF Format​

Standard PDF documents that can be viewed, printed, and stored by your customers.

ZUGfERD v1​

A structured electronic invoice format that complies with European standards including XRechnung and Factur-X. This format embeds machine-readable XML data within a PDF, allowing for both human readability and automated processing.

Setting Up Invoice Delivery​

Viewing Customer Delivery Settings​

To view a customer's current invoice delivery settings:

  1. Navigate to the customer's profile
  2. Select the Invoice Delivery tab to see all configured delivery methods

Customer invoice delivery settings

Creating a New Delivery Method​

To set up a new invoice delivery method for a customer:

  1. Navigate to the customer's profile
  2. Select the Invoice Delivery tab
  3. Click Add Delivery Method
  4. Select the delivery method (Email, SFTP, or Webhook)
  5. Configure the required settings:
    • For Email: Enter recipient email addresses
    • For SFTP: Enter server details, credentials, and file path
    • For Webhook: Enter the destination URL and authentication details
  6. Select the invoice format (PDF or ZUGfERD)
  7. Save the configuration

Creating a new invoice delivery method

Viewing Delivery Methods for an Invoice​

To see which delivery methods were used for a specific invoice:

  1. Navigate to the invoice details page
  2. Look for the Delivery section, which shows all delivery methods used
  3. Check the delivery status for each method

Viewing delivery information on an invoice

Managing Invoice Delivery​

Testing Delivery Settings​

Before relying on a delivery method for production invoices, you can test the configuration:

  1. Set up the delivery method as described above
  2. Click the Test button to send a test invoice
  3. Verify that the test invoice was received correctly

Troubleshooting Delivery Issues​

If invoice delivery fails, BillaBear provides error information to help identify the problem:

  • For Email: Check for incorrect email addresses or email server issues
  • For SFTP: Verify server details, credentials, and network connectivity
  • For Webhook: Ensure the destination URL is accessible and returns proper responses

Best Practices​

  • Set up multiple delivery methods for critical customers to ensure they always receive invoices
  • Use PDF format for general business use and ZUGfERD for customers who require structured data
  • Regularly verify that delivery settings remain current, especially for SFTP and webhook configurations
  • Consider your customers' preferences and technical capabilities when choosing delivery methods