Setting Up Invoice Numbering
Every invoice Rentablez issues carries a unique number like INV-25-06-00042. Invoice Numbering lets you shape that number to match your business — set the prefix, choose which date parts appear, and decide when the counter starts over. Build the format once and every future invoice follows it automatically.
Why Customize Invoice Numbers?
The auto-incrementing counter is always there to keep numbers unique — but everything around it is yours to design:
- Match your accounting — mirror the numbering your accountant or tax authority expects.
- Stay organized — embed the month or financial year so numbers sort and file themselves.
- Look professional — swap the default
INVprefix for your own branded code.
Changing the format only affects future invoices. Numbers already issued never change, so your records stay intact.
Who Can Change This?
Invoice Numbering lives under Settings in the Documents & Templates group. Editing a format requires the settings.write permission. Without it you can view the current formats and preview, but the fields and buttons are read-only.
The Two Document Types
Rentablez keeps a separate format for each kind of invoice, so you can number them differently:
| Document type | What it numbers | Default format | Default reset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental Invoice | Invoices generated from rental and lease orders | INV-25-06-00001 | Never |
| Standalone Invoice | Standalone / quick invoices raised outside an order | INV-25-26-00001 | Every financial year |
Each type appears as its own card on the page, with its own fields, live preview, and Save button. Changing one never touches the other.
How a Format Is Built
A format is a template made of tokens. When an invoice is created, Rentablez swaps each token for a real value. You control three surrounding fields plus the template itself:
- Prefix — the leading text, e.g.
INVorTAX. Inserted wherever the template uses the prefix token. - Separator — the character between parts, e.g.
-or/. Inserted wherever the template uses the separator token. - Reset counter — when the running counter goes back to 1 (see below).
- Format template — the token string that lays out the whole number.
Available Tokens
Use these tokens inside the Format template field. The counter token is required; the rest are optional.
| Token | Becomes | Example |
|---|---|---|
{PREFIX} | Your Prefix field | INV |
{SEP} | Your Separator field | - |
{YYYY} | 4-digit year | 2026 |
{YY} | 2-digit year | 26 |
{MM} | 2-digit month | 05 |
{FY} | Financial year | 25-26 |
{SEQ} | The counter, padded to 5 digits | 00042 |
{SEQ:n} | The counter, padded to n digits (1–9) | {SEQ:3} gives 042 |
The counter token (
{SEQ}or{SEQ:n}) is required in every format — it is what keeps each number unique. A format without it cannot be saved.
For example, the template {PREFIX}{SEP}{YY}{SEP}{MM}{SEP}{SEQ:5} with prefix INV and separator - produces INV-26-05-00042.
Choosing When the Counter Resets
The Reset counter dropdown controls when numbering starts over at 1:
| Option | Counter restarts |
|---|---|
| Never | Runs continuously, forever |
| Every month | On the 1st of each month |
| Every financial year | At the start of your financial year |
| Every calendar year | On 1 January |
Reset needs a matching date token. If you pick any reset other than Never, the format must include a matching date part so numbers stay unique across periods — otherwise Rentablez blocks the save and tells you what’s missing:
- Yearly resets (financial or calendar) need a year token:
{FY},{YYYY}, or{YY}.- Monthly reset needs both
{MM}and a year token — because05on its own repeats every year.
The financial year used by {FY} and the Every financial year reset follows your organization’s financial-year start month (for example, April in India). Set this in your business profile.
Setting Up a Format — Step by Step
1. Open Invoice Numbering
Go to Settings, open the Documents & Templates group, and select Invoice Numbering.
2. Pick the document type
Scroll to the card for the invoice you want to change — Rental Invoice or Standalone Invoice.
3. Set the prefix and separator
Type your Prefix (e.g. INV) and Separator (e.g. -). These fill in wherever the {PREFIX} and {SEP} tokens appear in the template.
4. Choose a reset schedule
Pick a Reset counter option. Remember that anything other than Never requires the matching date token in your format.
5. Edit the format template
Adjust the Format template using the tokens above. As you type, the Preview below updates live to show a real example (using a sample counter value). If the template is invalid, the field shows an inline error explaining what to fix — for instance a missing counter or a reset without its date token.
6. Save
Click Save. The button stays disabled while the format is invalid, so you can only save a working format. A confirmation appears once it’s stored, and every invoice created from then on uses the new number.
Starting Over
Made a mess of a template, or cleared it by accident? Click Reset to default on that card. This repopulates the fields with Rentablez’s built-in default prefix, separator, format, and reset schedule for that document type.
Reset to default only fills in the fields — it does not save on its own. Review the restored values and click Save to make them stick.