Invoice Settings

Invoice Settings

The invoice builder is flexible, but behind it sits a small set of defaults that shape every new invoice you create. Setting these once — correctly — saves you repetition and keeps your brand consistent across every PDF and public page your renters see.

Where to find it

Open Settings → Invoicing. The page is a set of cards; this article covers Invoice defaults and Invoice appearance. Late fees, online payments, security deposits, and payment reminders each have their own card lower on the same page.

Default payment terms

Pick how long renters have to pay from the moment the invoice is sent or the due date anchor:

• Due on receipt — payment expected immediately. Most common for short-term rentals.
• NET-7 — due one week out. A gentle default that covers most personal rentals.
• NET-14 — two weeks. Works well for repeat customers.
• NET-30 — thirty days. Standard for commercial accounts.
• Due at pickup — due before the renter takes the trailer off your lot. Useful for walk-in rentals where payment is collected in person.

The default applies to all new invoices. You can override on any individual invoice — for example, a commercial account on NET-30 even when your default is NET-7.

Default tax rate and label

Three fields control tax on new invoices: a single Default tax rate (one percentage, e.g. 7.5%), a Tax label (the words shown on the tax line renters see, e.g. "Sales Tax"), and Apply tax by default — when on, the rate pre-fills automatically on new invoices; you can still change it, or set it to 0%, on any single invoice. TrailerBase applies ONE flat rate — it does not look up rates by address and does not support multiple named rates. See How taxes work in TrailerBase for exactly where the rate is applied.

Invoice number prefix

Every invoice gets a unique number. The prefix is the first part — usually a short abbreviation of your business name. Common choices:

• "INV-" — safe and universally recognized
• "TB-" — a short acronym for your business

TrailerBase completes the number as INV-2026-0001 and increments it per year. Changing the prefix does not renumber existing invoices.

Invoice appearance

The Invoice appearance card controls branding on emailed and printed invoices, with a Preview button to check a sample before you save:

• Show company logo — include your logo (set under Settings → Company Branding) on the invoice.
• Show company address — include your business address.
• Company address — the address text shown when the toggle above is on.

Accent color

A single Accent color is applied to the invoice's headings and totals, on both the printed/emailed invoice and the public invoice page. Pick a hex color, or leave it empty to fall back to your brand's primary color; TrailerBase chooses a readable text color against whatever you set.

The other Invoicing cards

The same Settings → Invoicing page also configures Late fees (turn on automatic late fees; flat or percentage; grace period; optional cap), Online payments (which methods renters can use to pay online, plus a processing-fee note), Security deposits (a default amount and type, how deposits are handled, and your refund policy), and Payment reminders (an automatic reminder schedule, a send cap, an option to copy the owner, and a test send). Each has its own help article. Note: discounts are always applied BEFORE tax, and amounts are in US dollars.

Testing your settings

After any change, create a throwaway Draft invoice and open the Preview. Sanity-check the logo, color, numbers, and terms. Delete the draft when you're satisfied.

Good defaults mean every invoice goes out polished without a second thought. Set them once, review them annually, and let the builder do the rest.