Set invoice numbers and prefixes

Use this guide if you want to control the number printed on your invoices: add a prefix, follow your Shopify order numbers, or run your own sequence such as 1001, 1002, 1003. By the end, every new invoice gets a number in the format you chose.

Before you begin

• Numbering is set per template, in the visual editor under Order information.
• Your own sequence only works on the template that is the default for Orders. On any other template, the setting is saved but not used. See Rename a template and set a default.
• Use order number and Next invoice number only appear for stores that started on the current version of Invoice Falcon. If your store used Invoice Falcon before, its invoices keep the numbering they had. Contact us to change it.
• Invoice numbering is on every plan.

Choose your setup

Use this	When	Example
Use order number on (the default)	You want the invoice number to match the Shopify order.	Order #1001 gets invoice INV#1001.
Use order number off, with a Next invoice number	Your accountant or local rules need an unbroken sequence of invoice numbers.	Invoices are INV1001, INV1002, INV1003, whatever the order numbers.

How each one treats existing invoices:

• Order number: the prefix is added when the invoice is printed, downloaded or sent, using the template it’s printed with. If you change the prefix later, existing invoices show the new prefix the next time they are printed or sent. A number you typed by hand on an invoice is never changed.
• Your own sequence: each invoice gets its number, prefix included, when it is created, and the sequence moves up by one. Later changes to the prefix or the next number don’t change invoices that already have a number. Quotes for draft orders don’t use up numbers.

What customers will see

The number appears next to the Invoice number label on the PDF. To rename the label itself, see Change labels and the date format.

Set it up

1. Open your Shopify admin and click Invoice Falcon in the left menu.
2. Click Templates in the app’s menu, then click the template that is the default for Orders.
3. In the Visual editor section, click Open visual editor.
4. In the editor’s sidebar, under Content, click Order information.
5. Under Order identification, tick Invoice number so the number prints on the invoice.
6. In Invoice number prefix, type your prefix, for example INV or TAX-. Up to 15 characters.
7. Optional, to run your own sequence:
   1. Untick Use order number.
   2. In Next invoice number, type the number the next invoice should get, for example 1001. Use digits only.
8. Click Save changes in the bar at the top of the editor.

Credit note numbers

Credit notes are numbered separately: 1, 2, 3 and so on, with the prefix of the template that is the default for Credit notes. To tell them apart from invoices, use a separate template for credit notes with its own prefix, such as CN-. See Create credit notes.

To give each credit note the number of the order it credits instead, for example GS#1042:

1. Open the template that is the default for Credit notes in the visual editor.
2. In the editor’s sidebar, under Content, click Order information.
3. Under Order identification, check Use order number for credit notes. It sits under Use order number, so it appears in the same cases.
4. Click Save changes in the bar at the top of the editor.

The template’s prefix goes in front of the order number. If that number is already taken by another credit note for the same order, the new one gets -2, -3 and so on at the end. Credit notes you already created keep their numbers.

Check your setup

1. Close the editor. On the template page, the Invoice number box in the Visual editor section shows your format, for example “INV + order number” or “INV1001 and up”.
2. Place a test order, or wait for the next one, then open it from Orders, click Actions, and click Print. Check the invoice number on the PDF.

Troubleshooting

My sequence isn't being used

Check these in order:

1. The template is the default for Orders. A sequence on any other template is ignored.
2. Use order number is unticked and Next invoice number has a value.
3. You clicked Save changes.

Invoices created before you set the sequence keep their order-based numbers.

Next invoice number must be a number

The field only accepts digits. Remove letters, spaces and symbols, and put them in Invoice number prefix instead.

I don't see Use order number or Next invoice number

Tick Invoice number first; the other fields appear below it. If they still don’t appear, your store used Invoice Falcon before the current version and keeps its earlier numbering. Contact us to change it.

An old invoice shows my new prefix

That’s expected with Use order number on: the prefix is added each time the invoice is printed or sent, from the template used. To keep a specific number on one invoice, edit it by hand on that invoice, which needs the Pro plan. See Edit an invoice.

Invoice numbers repeat or jump back

Next invoice number was set to a lower value, often by restoring an older version or making a duplicated template the default. Open Order information and set Next invoice number to one more than your last invoice number, then click Save changes.

FAQ

Does changing the prefix change my existing invoices?

With Use order number on, yes: existing invoices show the new prefix the next time they are printed, downloaded or sent. With your own sequence, no: invoices keep the number they were given.

Can I start my numbering from a specific number?

Yes. Untick Use order number and type the starting number in Next invoice number. The next invoice gets that number and each one after goes up by one.

Can I remove the # from the invoice number?

Use your own sequence. With Use order number on, the number follows the Shopify order name, including the #.

Can each template have a different prefix?

Yes. The prefix is set per template, so invoices, quotes and credit notes can each have their own.

Do quotes for draft orders use up invoice numbers?

No. Draft orders don’t take a number from your sequence.

Can I show both the order number and the invoice number?

Yes. Tick both Order number and Invoice number under Order identification. Customers then see the Shopify order number they know, plus your invoice number.

Related guides

• Rename a template and set a default, since your sequence runs on the default template for orders.
• Show order numbers, dates and tags, to show the order number alongside the invoice number.
• Edit an invoice, to change one invoice’s number.
• Keep issued invoices unchanged, if your country needs invoices to stay as issued.