The typical professional service firm uses at least three separate tools for what should be one workflow: a document collection portal, an e-signature platform, and an invoicing tool. Each tool has its own login, its own subscription, its own interface. When you finish a client engagement — collected their documents, got signatures, completed the work — you have to context-switch into a third application just to bill them.
Middledoc was built on the premise that document collection and invoicing belong together. The same client relationship that drives document requests also drives invoices. The same portal link that collects files should also be where clients receive and acknowledge invoices. Built-in invoicing is not a feature bolt-on; it is a logical extension of what a professional service portal should do.
What Middledoc Invoicing Includes
Before walking through the setup, it helps to understand the full scope of what is included. Middledoc invoicing supports professional PDF invoices with your branding, multi-currency billing in seven currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, Nigerian Naira, Ghanaian Cedi, Kenyan Shilling, and South African Rand), up to four recipients per invoice with CC and BCC fields, corrective invoices for adjustments or credits, and invoice status tracking (draft, sent, viewed, paid).
Free plan users can invoice up to five clients per month. Solo, Team, and Firm plans include unlimited invoicing. There are no transaction fees, no payment processing fees (Middledoc is a send-and-track tool, not a payment processor), and no per-invoice charges.
Creating Your First Invoice
From your Middledoc dashboard, navigate to the Invoices section in the left sidebar. Click "New Invoice" and you will see a form-based builder — not a blank canvas, but a structured interface with fields for each part of the invoice: your billing address (pulled from your firm's profile), the client's billing address, invoice number (auto-incremented, though you can customize the format), invoice date, due date, line items, tax rate, and optional notes.
Line items are the core of the invoice. Add one line per service or deliverable: a description, quantity, unit price, and the total calculates automatically. You can add as many line items as needed. If you prepare tax returns and charge separately for federal and state filings, for instance, each appears as its own line. This makes invoices easy to parse and reduces payment disputes.
Previewing Before Sending
Before sending any invoice, Middledoc generates a live PDF preview that shows exactly what the client will receive. The preview renders in your browser — no need to download and open — and updates in real time as you edit the form. This preview step is valuable because it catches formatting issues before they reach the client: a description that wraps awkwardly, a line item total that does not add up visually, or a currency symbol that looks wrong.
The PDF uses a clean, professional template with your firm's name, logo, and contact information at the top, followed by invoice details, line items in a table, totals (subtotal, tax, grand total), and payment instructions in a footer. Clients who receive your invoices will see a document that looks like it came from a specialized billing platform — not a DIY tool.
Sending the Invoice
When the invoice looks right, click "Send." You will be prompted for the recipient's email address (pre-populated from the client record if it exists), up to three additional recipients (useful for billing contacts at larger organizations), and an optional personal message to appear in the email body.
The email the client receives contains a link to view the invoice online and a PDF attachment. Viewing online gives them a formatted view with all the invoice details; the PDF attachment is suitable for their own records or their accounts payable system. Both versions contain the same information — the online view just makes it easier to read on a phone.
Tracking Invoice Status
After sending, the invoice moves to "Sent" status in your dashboard. When the client opens the email and views the invoice, it moves to "Viewed" — giving you visibility into whether the invoice has been seen without requiring you to follow up blindly. If a client claims they never received an invoice, you can check whether it was viewed and when.
Marking an invoice paid is manual — Middledoc does not connect to your bank account or payment processor. When you receive payment (by wire, check, ACH, or however your clients pay), you click "Mark as Paid" on the invoice. This updates the status in your dashboard and in the client's record. If you need to generate a corrective invoice (for a credit, discount, or adjustment after the original was sent), the "Create Corrective Invoice" option generates a new invoice pre-populated with the original's details, which you can adjust.
Multi-Currency Invoicing for International Firms
For firms with clients in multiple countries, multi-currency invoicing is not optional — it is essential. Sending a USD invoice to a client in Lagos or Nairobi is confusing at best and off-putting at worst. Middledoc supports invoicing in local currencies: Nigerian Naira (NGN), Ghanaian Cedi (GHS), Kenyan Shilling (KES), and South African Rand (ZAR), in addition to USD, EUR, and GBP.
Currency is set per invoice, not per client, which gives you flexibility: you can invoice one project in USD and another for the same client in EUR if that is what the engagement specifies. The PDF and online view both display the correct currency symbol and format. There is no currency conversion — you enter the amount in the billing currency and that amount is what appears.
Replacing Standalone Invoicing Tools
If you are currently using FreshBooks, Wave, Zoho Invoice, or a similar standalone invoicing tool primarily for professional service billing, Middledoc's invoicing covers the same core functionality at no additional cost. The tools you might want to keep are accounting-specific platforms (QuickBooks, Xero) that handle bookkeeping, payroll, and financial reporting — these are categorically different from invoice-sending tools.
Making the switch means one less login in your workflow, one less subscription renewal to manage, and one less set of export and import steps when you need consolidated client records. For firms that have been paying $15-30/month for a dedicated invoicing tool, the consolidation savings add up quickly — and the integrated workflow, where the same dashboard that tracks document submissions also tracks outstanding invoices, makes client status reviews faster and more complete.