Issue with setting "invoice date" as payment due date

Question

Since Honeybook does not have a native “quote” feature, I create quotes using a services page and send that by itself. If the client decides to move forward, I will take that same smart file and add the contract, payment, and invoice page.

The issue I’m facing is that I would like the first payment to be due on the “Invoice Date”, as in the day I’m sending the full proposal, but Honeybook backdates the Invoice Date to whenever I originally sent the Quote, even though that smart file did not contain an invoice. If I were to send it as-is, that payment would be marked as ‘overdue’ right out of the gate. What am I missing here?

I have a feeling that the answer to this problem is that I’m not using Honeybook as intended, but if that’s the case I am then wondering what the best method is for sending a quote and then converting it into a contract without any repetition of effort.

Alicia Bauer · Answer

​@Joe Underbakke-You’re not missing anything, this is happening because HoneyBook timestamps the Smart File based on when it was originally sent, even if an invoice page wasn’t included at that time. So when you later add the invoice, the system still uses that original send date as the invoice date, which is why it appears overdue.One way to avoid this is to duplicate the Smart File once the client is ready to move forward and then add the contract and invoice to the duplicated version before sending it. That way the invoice date will match the new send date instead of the original quote date.Another option some people use is to send the services page as a separate Smart File or brochure-style file, and then send the proposal (with contract + invoice) as a new Smart File once the client confirms they want to book.HoneyBook’s intended flow is typically proposal → contract → invoice all together, which is why the quote-first approach can create these small hiccups.Your approach makes sense though, especially if you prefer letting clients review pricing first without the full proposal attached. Using a duplicated Smart File when they’re ready to book is usually the easiest way to avoid the backdating issue without having to rebuild everything.

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