By [verified author name], small-business billing support editor with [verified years] of invoicing-platform experience
Last reviewed: July 10, 2026
Invoice2go lets a business send an estimate for approval, request a fixed or percentage deposit, and convert the accepted work into an invoice. Refunds, credit memos, and chargebacks use separate processes and should not be treated as interchangeable adjustments. This independent guide is not affiliated with Invoice2go or BILL.
What Invoice2go does
Invoice2go is a web and mobile billing platform for small businesses, contractors, consultants, and freelancers. Its tools include estimates, invoices, client records, projects, expenses, reports, online payments, credit memos, and document-status tracking.
Estimate or invoice?
An estimate describes proposed work before final billing. An invoice requests payment for work, products, or an agreed balance.
Start with the correct document.
Create an estimate without rebuilding the job later
Invoice2go’s estimate screen includes a Bill to field, Add client, Add items, item descriptions, rates, quantities, discounts, document totals, and other configurable details. A client can approve or decline the estimate after it is sent.
Once the estimate is accepted, it can be converted directly into an invoice without re-entering the client, date, amount, and line-item information. On mobile, the documented path is Estimates > open the estimate > Convert to invoice > Save. The resulting invoice follows the company’s invoice-number sequence rather than retaining the estimate number as its invoice number.
Conversion does not prevent edits. Invoice2go allows the newly created invoice to be reviewed and changed before it is saved or sent, which matters when the final quantity, completion date, tax treatment, or scope differs from the original estimate.
Check the estimate status first; skip creating a separate invoice from scratch unless the original estimate should remain unrelated to the final bill. Re-entering the job manually increases the chance of using the wrong client, duplicating an item, or breaking the document trail.
What happens when the client approves an estimate?
A customer who receives the estimate can select Approve estimate. Approval moves the estimate from Pending to Done, but approval alone does not automatically create an invoice.
Payment changes that behavior.
When online payments are enabled and the customer approves the estimate and makes either a full or partial payment, Invoice2go automatically generates an invoice. The estimate also moves to the Done tab. When the customer approves without paying, the estimate moves to Done but is not automatically converted.
That distinction explains why two accepted jobs may appear differently:
| Customer action | Estimate result | Invoice result |
|---|---|---|
| Approves without payment | Moves to Done | Not created automatically |
| Approves and pays | Moves to Done | Generated automatically |
| Declines | Marked Declined | Not created |
The business can also update an estimate manually. On mobile, open the pending estimate and use Status > Approve or Decline. On the web, open the estimate, select the three-dot control, choose the status, and use Save and close. Bulk status changes are also supported from the estimate list.
Manual approval records the status chosen by the business. It should not be presented as proof that the client personally selected the approval button.
Request a deposit before starting work
Invoice2go supports deposit requests on estimates and invoices. The amount can be entered as a fixed dollar value or a percentage of the document total, with a separate due date.
For an estimate on the web, open the estimate and choose Add deposit request. Select Percent (%) or Fixed ($), enter the amount, choose the accepted payment methods, add the due date, and save. A percentage-based request can also be configured for future invoices through the available toggle.
Supported offline methods can include direct transfer, check, cash, or another method configured under Client payment options. The associated payment details are shown on the estimate when that method is enabled for the deposit request. Availability and online payment choices vary by account and region.
Online payments are required when adding a deposit request directly to an invoice. Invoice2go’s documentation separately allows certain estimate-deposit workflows using configured offline methods, though Android has a documented limitation when online payments are not enabled.
Review the payment method before sending. Skip vague instructions such as “pay the deposit normally” when the document can state the accepted route and due date.
Mark an outside deposit as paid
A client may pay an estimate deposit outside the Invoice2go payment portal by direct transfer, check, cash, or another configured method. The customer can then notify the business from the estimate flow. Invoice2go sends the business an email from its communications domain with a Mark deposit as paid action.
The business must confirm that the payment was actually received before recording it. After selecting Mark deposit as paid, choose the payment method and date, then complete the action. The estimate is treated as approved and is automatically converted into an invoice.
No email? The deposit can be marked manually from the estimate’s preview and management screen or from the equivalent web controls. That fallback is also used when the customer paid externally but did not select the notification button.
Record the deposit only after matching it to the business’s actual payment records. Skip marking it paid merely because the customer says a transfer was initiated.
Edit a deposit request carefully
An existing deposit can be changed to a new percentage or fixed amount. It can also be removed through Cancel this request. On the web, these controls appear after selecting View deposit request below the document balance.
The revised document must be sent again. Invoice2go states that the customer cannot complete the updated deposit request unless the changed document is delivered by email.
This is a practical trap. Editing the deposit inside the account does not mean the customer’s older email now contains the new request. Send the updated version and confirm that the current amount and due date are visible.
Use a credit memo for account credit, not a card refund
Invoice2go supports credit memos for items a customer returned or did not receive. A credit memo can be created in the mobile app or web application and sent to the client.
Credit memos can also be included on client statements. Their total is deducted from the invoice total shown on the statement, while the Only show unpaid invoices setting can be used to exclude credit memos from that statement view.
A credit memo and a payment refund are separate actions. The memo adjusts what is represented in the client’s billing documents; a refund returns a transaction through the applicable payment provider or support process.
Issue the refund through the correct payment route first; skip creating a credit memo as a substitute for returning money that was already collected.
Refund the payment through the right processor
Stripe payments can be refunded from the paid invoice. On mobile, open the invoice, select Transaction history, choose the card payment, tap Refund payment, and confirm. On the web, open View transaction history, expand the relevant payment, choose Refund, and confirm again.
Invoice2go Money Card Payments use a different route. Invoice2go says the business must contact its support team to process the refund, and sufficient funds may be required in the Invoice2go Money account. The documented support route includes in-app live chat under More > Help > Chat or chat through the Support Center.
This processor distinction matters. A control shown for a Stripe transaction should not be assumed to appear for Invoice2go Money, PayPal, ACH, or another payment method.
Refunds can also affect processing charges. Invoice2go’s terms state that card-processing fees from the original payment are not refunded when the payment is refunded or becomes subject to a chargeback.
A chargeback is no longer an ordinary refund
A dispute changes the route.
Invoice2go’s Stripe guidance says that once a transaction has been disputed, the merchant cannot refund that paid invoice through the normal refund process. The customer’s bank has already returned or provisionally returned the disputed amount through the chargeback process.
The merchant may submit evidence through the processor’s dispute process. If the dispute is won, Invoice2go says the disputed amount and chargeback fee are returned to the merchant’s bank account. Excessive chargebacks can lead to the payments account being closed and future card acceptance being disabled.
The Fair Credit Billing Act is the US federal framework for certain credit-card billing-error disputes. The Federal Trade Commission describes it as requiring acknowledgment and investigation of qualifying consumer complaints; it is not an Invoice2go merchant-refund feature.
Keep the approved estimate, final invoice, client communications, payment history, and evidence that the agreed work or product was provided. Whether particular material is persuasive depends on the processor and dispute circumstances.
Invoice2go FAQ
Does an approved estimate become an invoice?
Not unless it is paid or converted.
Can a customer pay an Invoice2go estimate?
Yes. When online payments are enabled, the customer can approve the estimate and make a full or partial payment. Invoice2go then generates an invoice automatically and moves the estimate to the Done tab.
Can I request a percentage deposit?
Yes. Select Percent (%) when adding the deposit request.
What happens when I mark an estimate deposit paid?
The estimate is considered approved and is automatically converted into an invoice. Confirm receipt of an outside payment before using this action.
Why can’t the customer see my revised deposit?
The updated document may not have been resent. Invoice2go requires the changed version to be emailed before the customer can complete the revised request.
Is a credit memo the same as a refund?
No. A credit memo applies billing credit and can reduce the amount displayed on a client statement. Returning an actual payment uses the refund procedure for the processor that handled the transaction.
Can I refund a payment after a chargeback begins?
Invoice2go says a disputed Stripe transaction cannot be refunded through the normal paid-invoice process because the chargeback has already returned the disputed amount through the customer’s bank. Review the processor’s dispute case instead.