Add the Client Tax Number to a Previously Saved Invoice Template
To show the client’s tax number on the printed invoice, add the VAT number placeholder to the Client info section of the invoice template. This guide explains how to add the placeholder to a previously saved template, why the number may not appear on an issued invoice even after editing the template, and how to update the client data in issued invoices in Saudi accounts.
Contents
Add the client tax number to the template
- From the main menu, click Templates.
- Choose Printable Templates.
- Click the Invoices & Estimates card.
- Click the invoice template used in your account to open the template editing screen.
- Click Client info in the template editing screen.
- The client data placeholders appear; add the {%client_bn1%} placeholder (VAT Number) on a new line. You can write a title before it, such as: VAT Number: {%client_bn1%}.
- Click Save at the top of the screen to save the template.
From now on, the client’s tax number appears on any invoice viewed or printed with this template, as long as the number is saved in the invoice.
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Note: These steps are for the tax number of the client the invoice is issued to. To show your business’s tax number, see the How to add the VAT number to an invoice guide.
Why doesn’t the number appear on an issued invoice?
When an invoice is issued, the system saves a copy of the client’s data inside it (name, address, tax number, and so on) as it was at the time of issue. The template shows the data saved in the invoice, not the current data in the client’s profile:
| Case | After adding the placeholder to the template |
|---|---|
| The tax number was saved for the client when the invoice was issued | The number appears on the invoice, even if it was issued before the template was edited. |
| The tax number was added to the client after the invoice was issued | It doesn’t appear, because the invoice has the client data saved without the number. It appears on new invoices. |
In Saudi accounts, you can update the client data in issued invoices as explained in the next section.
Update client data in issued invoices (Saudi accounts)
The Sync Invoice Clients Data action copies the client’s current data from their profile to the invoices you select, including the tax number. Use it only as long as the invoice hasn’t been sent to the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority.
- Open the client’s profile from Clients, click Edit, enter the tax number, then save.
- Open Sales → Manage Invoices.
- Select the invoices you need using the checkbox next to each invoice. You can filter the list by client first to select their invoices.
- From the actions menu for the selected invoices, choose Sync Invoice Clients Data.
- Confirm the action.
A message appears confirming that the invoices were synced with their clients’ data, and the tax number appears on the selected invoices when you view or print them with the template you added the placeholder to.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| When the action appears | In accounts registered in Saudi Arabia only, in the Manage Invoices list and the Refund Receipts list. |
| Permissions | Add New Invoices to All Clients, or Edit & Delete All Invoices, or Edit & Delete His Own (Created) Invoices. |
| Data that’s updated | Business name, first and last name, email, both phone numbers, address, city, state, postal code, country, tax number, commercial registration, ID number, and client type. |
| What doesn’t change | The invoice items, amounts, taxes, and journal entries. |
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Warning: Use the sync only for invoices that haven’t been sent to the authority yet. The buyer’s data can’t be changed in an invoice that was sent to and accepted by the authority, because the approved copy at the authority would differ from the invoice in your account. To correct the client data in a sent invoice, create a credit note for it, then issue a new invoice with the correct data.
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Note: If a validation error in the client data appears on the electronic invoice with a link to edit the client, then after you edit and save the client from that link, the system updates the client data in that invoice automatically, unless the invoice was accepted by the authority.
FAQs
I edited the template, but the client’s tax number doesn’t appear on an issued invoice. Why?
Because the invoice has the client data saved at the time it was issued, and the tax number wasn’t saved then. In Saudi accounts, add the number to the client’s profile, then run Sync Invoice Clients Data on the invoice, as long as it hasn’t been sent to the authority.
Does editing the template affect old invoices?
Yes; the template is applied when any invoice is viewed or printed, old or new. But it shows the data saved in each invoice; if the tax number is saved in it, it appears, and if not, it doesn’t.
Can I update the client data in an invoice that was sent to the authority?
The data of an invoice sent to the authority isn’t updated. Correct it with a credit note, then issue a new invoice with the correct data.
I don’t see the Sync Invoice Clients Data action. Why?
Because the action is available in Saudi accounts only, requires permission to add or edit invoices, and appears after you select at least one invoice in the list.