Manage Invoices Using the Invoices API

The Square invoices platform enables sellers to request or automatically collect payments from their customers. Sellers can use the Square Seller Dashboard or mobile applications (Square Point of Sale (POS) and Square Invoices) to create and manage invoices. In addition to these first-party applications, developers can use the Invoices API to integrate Square invoices into third-party applications.

Overview

Integrating the Invoices API into your application flow can help simplify the invoice management process and reduce your application development costs:

• You can create an invoice to request payment for an order. Square follows up with customers for the invoices you create, so you do not need to collect payments or send invoices, reminders, and receipts. Depending on the invoice settings you specify, Square can automatically email the invoice or charge a credit or debit card on file, even when invoices are split into multiple payment requests. By default, Square also emails invoice status and payment notifications to sellers.

• Square generates and hosts a web page where customers can easily pay the invoice. After each payment, Square sends a receipt to the customer and updates the invoice status as needed.

• The Invoices API requires an order ID and a customer ID to create and publish an invoice. This enables built-in integration with the Orders API and Customers API. For example, the Invoices API ensures that the invoice payment requests are equal to the total order amount and retrieves the customer's email address from the customer profile.

• All invoices can be managed using the Invoices API or first-party Square applications. However, note the following:

  • To create an invoice with the Invoices API, the associated order must be created with the Orders API. You cannot use orders created from first-party Square applications because they do not include an order ID, which is required by the CreateInvoice endpoint.

  • Invoices created from first-party applications do not include an order_id field unless a payment has been made on the invoice.

  • The Invoices API does not support all invoice features that are available from first-party Square applications. For example, you cannot set an SMS delivery method or BANK_ON_FILE automatic payment method. For more information, see Limitations.

• You can subscribe to receive webhook notifications about invoice events.

How it works

The following high-level steps represent a typical workflow for using Square APIs to create an invoice:

After you publish the invoice, Square processes it based on the invoice settings and handles the remaining workflow. For example, Square can email the invoice, charge a customer's card on file, or take no action if you or the seller want to follow up with the customer directly. For more information, see Configuring how Square processes an invoice.

Square manages automatic payments and payments that customers make from the invoice page. Square also updates the invoice payment status and sends reminders and receipts.

Developers cannot use Square APIs to pay invoices or manage payment status. Therefore, no action is required from you after the invoice is published, unless you need to update the invoice or cancel the invoice.

Invoice object

The core of the Invoices API is the Invoice object. Consider the following draft invoice that requests a single payment of $12 by the due date:

{
   "invoice": {
      "id": "s0XFqYEBhBWDYERexample",
      "version": 0,
      "location_id": "S8GWD5example",
      "order_id": "4NuiKTlFzWmbLnRz9YfoL8example",
      "payment_requests": [
         {
            "uid": "83c2716e-f859-4d75-a015-77489example",   
            "request_type": "BALANCE",  
            "due_date": "2020-05-27",
            "computed_amount_money": {
               "amount": 1200,
               "currency": "USD"
            },
            "total_completed_amount_money": {
              "amount": 0,
              "currency": "USD"
            },
            "automatic_payment_source": "NONE"
         }
      ],
      "invoice_number": "000020",
      "title": "Downtown Print Shop",
      "status": "DRAFT",
      "timezone": "Etc/UTC",
      "created_at": "2020-05-26T15:40:34Z",
      "updated_at": "2020-05-26T15:40:34Z",
      "primary_recipient": {
         "customer_id": "HXJKX5BBKGWX34XEMS2example",
         "given_name": "John",
         "family_name":"Doe",
         "email_address":"doe@email.com"
      },
      "accepted_payment_methods": {
        "card": true,
        "square_gift_card": true,
        "bank_account": false
      },
      "custom_fields": [
        {
          "label": "Rules",
          "value": "You must agree to the following terms and conditions ...",
          "placement": "ABOVE_LINE_ITEMS"
        },
        {
          "label": "Refund Policy",
          "value": "Refunds will be made on the original payment method ...",
          "placement": "ABOVE_LINE_ITEMS"
        }
      ],
      "delivery_method": "EMAIL"
   }
}

The following fields represent several key invoice settings:

• order_id is the ID of the corresponding order that was created using the Orders API. You can create one invoice for each order. The sum of the computed_amount_money amounts in all invoice payment requests equals the total_money of the order. For more information about orders integration, see Requirements and limitations.

• payment_requests is the payment schedule for the invoice. This example contains one payment request for the full order amount, due by the specified date.

• computed_amount_money is the amount due for the payment request, and total_completed_amount_money is the amount the customer has paid for the payment request. Square calculates these values and adds them to the invoice.

• delivery_method is the method Square uses to send invoices, reminders, or receipts to the customer. If set to SHARE_MANUALLY, Square does not send the invoice or receipt.

• primary_recipient is the customer responsible for the invoice. You only specify the customer ID when creating an invoice. The rest of the information is taken from the customer profile in the seller's Customer Directory. Note that the person receiving the invoice can be different from the person who placed the order.

• status indicates that the invoice is a DRAFT. You must publish the draft invoice for the customer to receive the invoice. You must also publish invoices that are scheduled to be processed at a later date.

• invoice_number is a user-friendly string that displays on the invoice. You might use the invoice number for client-side operations. If you do not provide a value, Square assigns one. Do not confuse this field with the Square-assigned invoice id used for requests to the Invoices API.

• version is 0 because it is the first version of the invoice. Square increments this value each time the invoice changes. You must provide the current version of the invoice for PublishInvoice, UpdateInvoice, andCancelInvoice requests. You cannot perform actions on previous versions of the invoice.

• accepted_payment_methods defines the payment methods that customers can use to pay the invoice on the Square-hosted invoice page. This setting is independent of any automatic payment requests for the invoice. It is also independent of the default Payment method setting that applies to invoices created on the Seller Dashboard.

• custom_fields can contain up to two customer-facing, seller-defined custom fields.

• public_url is the URL of the Square-hosted invoice page. This field is added after the invoice is published.

For more information, including additional requirements, see Create and publish an invoice.

Payment requests

The payment_requests field defines the payment schedule for an invoice, which includes payment amounts, due dates, and other related settings. The example invoice in the previous section contains one payment request for the full order amount, but you can optionally split the invoice into multiple payment requests. A payment request is represented by the InvoicePaymentRequest object.

An invoice can contain up to 13 payment requests, with a maximum of 12 installments. You can specify deposit or installment payments by percentage or as a fixed amount.

The following table shows supported payment scenarios and the corresponding request_type combinations for the invoice payment requests.

Example payment requests

The following examples show how you can define payment scenarios in the payment_requests field when you create an invoice:

• Invoice with one payment request. Suppose you want to request one payment in full. An example payment_requests object is shown:

  Copy

  ...
  "payment_requests": [
     {
        "request_type":"BALANCE",
        "due_date":"2030-02-01"
     }
  ]
  ...
  

  The single BALANCE payment request represents the total amount of the order.

• Invoice with two payment requests (a deposit followed by the balance request). Suppose you want to request a 50% deposit and the remaining 50% balance at a later date. An example payment_requests object is shown:

  Copy

  ...
  "payment_requests": [
     {
        "request_type":"DEPOSIT",
        "due_date":"2030-02-01",
        "percentage_requested":"50"
     },
     {
        "request_type":"BALANCE",
        "due_date":"2030-03-01"
     }
  ]
  ...
  

  The first DEPOSIT payment request indicates 50% of the total amount on the order. Therefore, the balance is for the remaining amount and is not explicitly specified.

• Invoice with three payment requests (a deposit followed by two installments). Suppose you want to request a 50% deposit and the balance paid in two equal installments. An example payment_requests object shows the payment schedule:

  Copy

  ...
  "payment_requests": [
     {
        "request_type":"DEPOSIT",
        "due_date":"2030-02-01",
        "percentage_requested":"50"
     },
     {
        "request_type":"INSTALLMENT",
        "percentage_requested":"50",
        "due_date":"2030-03-01"
     },
     {
        "request_type":"INSTALLMENT",
        "percentage_requested":"50",
        "due_date":"2030-04-01"
     }
  ]
  ...
  

  Note that the 50% in the installments refers to the amount after the deposit is paid. Suppose the order is for $100. This invoice then requests a $50 deposit, followed by two installments of $25 each. Instead of percentages, you can specify exact amounts in payment_requests:

  Copy

  ...
  "payment_requests": [
     {
        "request_type":"DEPOSIT",
        "due_date":"2030-07-30",
        "fixed_amount_requested_money":{
           "amount":5000,
           "currency":"USD"
        }
     },
     {
        "request_type":"INSTALLMENT",
        "fixed_amount_requested_money":{
           "amount":2500,
           "currency":"USD"
        },
        "due_date":"2020-08-30"
     },
     {
        "request_type":"INSTALLMENT",
        "fixed_amount_requested_money":{
           "amount":2500,
           "currency":"USD"
        },
        "due_date":"2030-09-30"
     }
  ]
  ...
  

Configuring payment requests

The following requirements and considerations apply when configuring payment requests:

• The total payment amounts in payment_requests must equal the total_money amount of the associated order.

• The due_date and request_type fields must be specified for all payment requests.

• For DEPOSIT or INSTALLMENT payment requests, you can specify a fixed amount or a percentage-based amount.

  • To specify a fixed amount, set the fixed_amount_requested_money field.

  • To specify a percentage-based amount, set the percentage_requested field.

    • For a DEPOSIT request, base the percentage on the total order amount.

    • For INSTALLMENT requests, base the percentage on the total order amount minus any deposit amount. The percentages of all installment payment requests must add up to 100%, as shown in the preceding example.

• The automatic_payment_source field of the payment request indicates whether the request is configured for automatic payments. The following are valid values:

  Value	Description
  NONE	No automatic payment is configured. This is the default value.
  CARD_ON_FILE	Directs Square to charge the credit or debit card on file specified by the card_id field of the payment request. To get a card ID, call ListCards and include the customer_id. To set up automatic payments from a card on file, you must set the delivery_method of the invoice to EMAIL.
  BANK_ON_FILE	Directs Square to initiate a transfer from the bank account on file, which is provided by the customer during the payment flow. This value cannot be set from the Invoices API. It applies only to recurring invoices that sellers create in first-party Square applications. Invoices with a bank account payment can have only one payment request of type BALANCE.

  If an automatic payment fails, Square sends an invoice to the customer.

• The minimum amount of a single payment request is $1.00.

• Reminders are scheduled relative to the due_date of the payment request. For more information, see InvoicePaymentReminder. Square sends reminders at 11:00 AM in the timezone specified for the invoice.

Custom fields

You can use the Invoices API to add up to two custom fields to an invoice, each of which can be placed above or below the line items on the invoice. This enables sellers to customize their invoices by adding information such as their terms of service or a refund policy. Custom fields are visible to sellers and buyers on the invoice Square-hosted invoice page and in emailed or PDF copies of invoices. They also display in the details pane of the invoice in the Seller Dashboard.

For example, this invoice includes a "Special Offer" custom field above the invoice line items and an "Arrival instructions" field below the invoice line items.

The following CreateInvoice request creates an invoice similar to the preceding example:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices \
  -X POST \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "order_id": "AdSjVqPCzOAQqvTnzy46VLexample",
      "custom_fields": [
        {
          "label": "Special Offer",
          "value": "Refer a friend and get 10% off your next visit! Check our website for offer details.",
          "placement": "ABOVE_LINE_ITEMS"
        },
        {
          "label": "Arrival instructions",
          "value": "Please arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment.\nWe offer free parking behind our office.",
          "placement": "BELOW_LINE_ITEMS"
        }
      ],
      "primary_recipient": {
        "customer_id": "DJREAYPRBMSSFAB4TGAexample"
      },
      "delivery_method": "EMAIL",
      "payment_requests": [
        {
          "request_type": "BALANCE",
          "due_date": "2020-12-31"
        }
      ],
      "accepted_payment_methods": {
        "card": true,
        "square_gift_card": true
      },
      "title": "Sports Medicine Group"
    }
  }'

The following considerations apply to custom fields:

• If two custom fields use the same placement above or below line items, the custom fields are rendered in the order that they are specified.

• In the text field, you can use \n to render a new line. No other formatting characters are supported.

• You cannot use the Invoices API to store custom fields for an account. If you want to enable sellers to reuse custom fields for their invoices, you must define your own storage mechanism.

• The Invoices API does not support sparse updates for custom fields. To update a custom field, you must provide the complete custom_fields list in the update request. For more information, see Update custom fields.

Manage invoices

This section explains how you use the Invoices API to create and manage invoices for orders created using the Orders API.

Create and publish an invoice

Creating an invoice is a two-step process: first create a draft invoice and then publish it. Only after you publish the invoice does Square process it. For example, Square can email an invoice to the customer or charge the customer's card on file. You must also publish an invoice that you want to schedule for processing.

To create and publish an invoice, you must provide the following information:

• The order_id of the associated order. An invoice can be associated with one order only.

  • The order must be created using the Orders API.

  • The order status must be OPEN.

  • The order cannot be associated with another invoice.

  • The order cannot include rewards.

  • The order cannot use rule-based pricing options. Therefore, the pricing_options.auto_apply_discounts and pricing_options.auto_apply_taxes fields cannot be set to true.

• The customer_id of the invoice recipient.

  • This customer can be different than the customer who created the order. The customer ID is not required until you publish the invoice.

  • The customer profile must exist in the seller's Customer Directory and include either email_address or phone_number. You can call ListCustomers or SearchCustomers if you do not use the customer ID from the order.

  • The customer profile must have a valid email address if the invoice is delivered by email, which includes invoices configured for automatic payments. Square uses this email address to send invoices, reminders, and receipts to the customer.

    Note

    After an invoice is created, the Invoices API does not update the contact information of the recipient if the name, phone number, or email address changes in the associated customer profile. To update the customer profile information for a draft invoice, use the Customers API to update the profile and then update the invoice by first clearing the primary_recipient field and then re-adding it.

    The Invoices API does update the customer_id of the recipient if the customer profile is merged.

• The payment_requests for the invoice, with one or more payment requests that equal the total_money of the order. The Invoices API computes percentage-based payment amounts based on the total_money in the payment schedule. For more information, see Payment requests.

• The accepted_payment_methods that customers can use to pay the invoice on the Square-hosted invoice page. At least one payment method must be enabled. This setting is independent of any automatic payment requests for the invoice. Customers can choose to make a payment from the invoice page even when the invoice is configured for automatic payments. For supported payment methods, see InvoiceAcceptedPaymentMethods.

Step 1: Create a draft invoice

You call CreateInvoice to create a draft invoice as shown:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices \
  -X POST \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "order_id": "AdSjVqPCzOAQqvTnzy46VLexample",
      "primary_recipient": {
        "customer_id": "DJREAYPRBMSSFAB4TGAexample"
      },
      "delivery_method": "EMAIL",
      "payment_requests": [
        {
          "request_type": "BALANCE",
          "due_date": "2021-06-29"
        }
      ],
      "accepted_payment_methods": {
        "card": true,
        "square_gift_card": true
      },
      "title": "My Invoice Title"
    }
  }'

The request body provides the invoice details. In this example, the payment_requests field specifies one payment request (of type BALANCE) for the total order amount, due by the specified due date. In response, the Invoices API returns an invoice with status set to DRAFT.

You can also set a reminder on a payment request. The following CreateInvoice request directs Square to send a reminder to the customer one day before the due date. If the invoice is paid, Square does not send a reminder.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices \
  -X POST \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "order_id": "AdSjVqPCzOAQqvTnzy46VLexample",
      "primary_recipient": {
        "customer_id": "DJREAYPRBMSSFAB4TGAexample"
      },
      "delivery_method": "EMAIL",
      "payment_requests": [
        {
          "request_type": "BALANCE",
          "due_date": "2021-06-29",
          "reminders": [
            {
              "relative_scheduled_days": -1,
              "message": "Your payment is due tomorrow."
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "accepted_payment_methods": {
        "card": true,
        "square_gift_card": true
      },
      "title": "My Invoice Title"
    }
  }'

For more CreateInvoice request examples, see Example Walkthrough: Create and Publish Invoices.

Step 2: Publish the invoice

You call PublishInvoice to publish the draft invoice. In the request, you provide the invoice ID and current version.

You can get the ID and version from the invoice returned in the CreateInvoice response. You can also call ListInvoices to retrieve the ID and version or call GetInvoice if you have the ID but need to retrieve the version.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id}/publish \
  -X POST \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "version": 0,
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}"
  }'

The following is an example response:

{
  "invoice": {
    "id": "gt2zv1z6mnUm1V7example",
    "version": 1,
    "location_id": "S8GWD5example",
    "order_id": "AdSjVqPCzOAQqvTnzy46VLexample",
    "payment_requests": [
      {
        "uid": "ccc0fc9b-c2a5-42a9-836d-92d01example",
        "request_type": "BALANCE",
        "due_date": "2021-06-29",
        "computed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 100,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "total_completed_amount_money":{
           "amount":0,
           "currency":"USD"
        },
        "automatic_payment_source": "NONE"
      }
    ],
    "invoice_number": "000028",
    "title": "My Invoice Title",
    "public_url": "https://squareupsandbox.com/pay-invoice/gt2zv1z6mnUm1V7example",
    "status": "UNPAID",
    "timezone": "Etc/UTC",
    "created_at": "2021-05-30T19:01:32Z",
    "updated_at": "2021-05-30T19:05:01Z",
    "primary_recipient": {
      "customer_id": "DJREAYPRBMSSFAB4TGAexample",
      "given_name": "John",
      "family_name": "Doe",
      "email_address": "doe@email.com"
    },
    "accepted_payment_methods": {
      "card": true,
      "square_gift_card": true,
      "bank_account": false
    },
    "next_payment_amount_money": {
      "amount": 100,
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    "delivery_method": "EMAIL"
  }
}

After you publish an invoice, Square generates an invoice payment page and returns the page URL in the public_url field. Then, Square uses the invoice settings to determine how to process the invoice. Square takes no action on draft invoices.

Configuring how Square processes an invoice

After you publish an invoice, Square performs activities to manage the payment schedule, such as sending an invoice, reminder, or receipt to the customer, or initiating an automatic payment.

You can configure invoice settings to control how Square processes the invoice.

Option 1: Send an invoice to request payment. Square sends the customer an invoice requesting payment by the due date. Square also sends a receipt after a payment is made.

• scheduled_at. To send an invoice immediately after publishing, omit this field. Otherwise, specify the date to send the invoice.

• delivery_method. Specify EMAIL.

• accepted_payment_methods. Specify true for one or more payment methods that customers can use to pay the invoice on the Square-hosted invoice page.

• For each payment request, configure the following fields:

  • due_date. Specify the date that the payment is due.

  • automatic_payment_source. Keep the default value of NONE.

  • request_type, reminders, and other payment fields, as needed. For more information, see Payment requests. For invoices with multiple payment requests, Square sends invoices and reminders according to the payment schedule.

Option 2: Automatically charge a credit or debit card on file. If the invoice is published on the due date, Square charges the card on file and sends a receipt. If the payment is due later, Square sends an invoice notifying the customer about the upcoming automatic payment. On the due date, Square charges the card on file and sends a receipt.

• scheduled_at. To send the invoice or receipt immediately after publishing, omit this field. Otherwise, specify the date to send the invoice.

• delivery_method. Specify EMAIL.

• accepted_payment_methods. Specify true for one or more payment methods that customers can use to pay the invoice on the Square-hosted invoice page. This field is required even when the invoice is configured for automatic payments because customers can optionally make a payment from the invoice page.

• For each payment request, configure the following fields:

  • due_date. Specify the date that the payment is due.

  • automatic_payment_source. Specify CARD_ON_FILE.

  • card_id. Specify the ID of the card on file to charge. To get a card ID, call ListCards and provide the customer_id.

  • request_type,reminders, and other payment fields, as needed. For more information, see Payment requests. For invoices with multiple payment requests, Square sends invoices and reminders according to the payment schedule.

Option 3: Square takes no action. In this case, the seller or the application developer follows up with the customer. Square does not send the invoice or receipt to the customer.

• delivery_method. Specify SHARE_MANUALLY.

• accepted_payment_methods. Specify true for one or more payment methods that customers can use to pay the invoice on the Square-hosted invoice page.

• For each payment request, configure the following fields:

  • due_date. Specify the date that the payment is due.

  • automatic_payment_source. Keep the default value of NONE.

  • request_type, reminders, and other payment fields, as needed. For more information, see Payment requests.

Update an invoice

You call UpdateInvoice to update an invoice. You can modify invoice fields, clear invoice fields, or do both.

In the request body, you provide one or both of the following:

• A sparse Invoice object that contains only the fields you want to add or change, along with the new values.

• A fields_to_clear array with a comma-separated list of fields to remove.

The following restrictions apply to updating an invoice in a DRAFT state:

• You cannot update the order_id or location_id field.

The following restrictions apply to updating a published invoice:

• You cannot update the primary_recipient, order_id, or location_id field.

• You cannot update an invoice in the PAID, REFUNDED, CANCELED, or FAILED terminal states.

• You cannot update an invoice in the PAYMENT_PENDING state. You must wait for the payment to complete before you can update it. In addition, the seller or customer cannot initiate another payment for an invoice in this state.

When you update a published invoice, Square notifies the seller that the invoice was updated. Square might also notify the customer, depending on the invoice delivery method:

• EMAIL. Square sends an email to the customer.

• SMS. Square sends a text message to the customer, unless the customer has opted out of text message updates from Square invoices.

• SHARE_MANUALLY. Square does not notify the customer.

You must provide the invoice ID and current version for all UpdateInvoice requests. You can call ListInvoices to retrieve the ID and version, or you can call GetInvoice if you have the ID but need to retrieve the version.

Example 1: Update an invoice number and title

The following UpdateInvoice request updates the title and invoice_number:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id} \
  -X PUT \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "version": 0,
      "title": "My Updated Title",
      "invoice_number": "new-number-100"
    }
  }'

If these fields are not previously set, the update operation adds them to the invoice. The invoice version increments each time the invoice is updated.

Example 2: Update payment requests by removing the deposit request

Consider the following draft invoice that requests a deposit payment and a balance payment due at a later date. The invoice is configured to automatically charge a card on file and to accept credit and debit card payments on the Square-hosted invoice page.

{
   "invoice":{
      "id":"bn9CXYfwPZh6Ednexample",
      "version":0,
      "location_id":"S8GWD5example",
      "order_id":"81b7Ar7KPHmlXHs2qhjMc5example",
      "payment_requests":[
         {
            "uid":"a17ee758-fb36-4226-a535-95916example",
            "request_type":"DEPOSIT",
            "due_date":"2020-06-15",
            "percentage_requested":"20",
            "card_id":"ccof:aD1D4q9aUXTkexample",
            "computed_amount_money":{
               "amount":100,
               "currency":"USD"
            },
            "total_completed_amount_money":{
               "amount":0,
               "currency":"USD"
            },
            "automatic_payment_source":"CARD_ON_FILE"
         },
         {
            "uid":"79e1d50d-6a35-40fc-bfd2-05913example",
            "request_type":"BALANCE",
            "due_date":"2020-07-01",
            "card_id":"ccof:aD1D4q9aUXTkexample",
            "computed_amount_money":{
               "amount":400,
               "currency":"USD"
            },
            "total_completed_amount_money":{
               "amount":0,
               "currency":"USD"
            },
            "automatic_payment_source":"CARD_ON_FILE"
         }
      ],
      "invoice_number":"000034",
      "status":"DRAFT",
      "timezone":"Etc/UTC",
      "created_at":"2020-06-10T18:49:06Z",
      "updated_at":"2020-06-10T18:49:06Z",
      "primary_recipient":{
         "customer_id":"DJREAYPRBMSSFAB4TGAexample",
         "given_name":"John",
         "family_name":"Doe",
         "email_address":"doe@email.com"
      },
      "accepted_payment_methods": {
        "card": true,
        "square_gift_card": false,
        "bank_account": false
      },
      "delivery_method":"EMAIL"
   }
}

The following UpdateInvoice request removes the deposit payment request from the preceding invoice and allows customers to use a Square gift card to make a payment on the invoice page. Note the fields_to_clear field, which specifies payment_requests[a17ee758-fb36-4226-a535-95916example] as the field to remove. The uid index value for payment_requests identifies the specific payment request to remove.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/bn9CXYfwPZh6Ednexample \
  -X PUT \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "version": 0,
      "accepted_payment_methods": {
        "square_gift_card": true
      }
    },
    "fields_to_clear": [
      "payment_requests[a17ee758-fb36-4226-a535-95916example]"
    ]
  }'

The following is the updated draft invoice. It now requests only one automatic payment in full (no deposit) and accepts credit card, debit card, and Square gift card payments on the invoice page.

{
   "invoice":{
      "id":"bn9CXYfwPZh6Ednexample",
      "version":1,
      "location_id":"S8GWD5example",
      "order_id":"81b7Ar7KPHmlXHs2qhjMc5example",
      "payment_requests":[
         {
            "uid":"79e1d50d-6a35-40fc-bfd2-05913example",
            "request_type":"BALANCE",
            "due_date":"2020-07-01",
            "card_id":"ccof:aD1D4q9aUXTkexample",
            "computed_amount_money":{
               "amount":500,
               "currency":"USD"
            },
            "total_completed_amount_money":{
               "amount":0,
               "currency":"USD"
            },
            "automatic_payment_source":"CARD_ON_FILE"
         }
      ],
      "invoice_number":"000034",
      "status":"DRAFT",
      "timezone":"Etc/UTC",
      "created_at":"2020-06-10T18:49:06Z",
      "updated_at":"2020-06-10T20:28:50Z",
      "primary_recipient":{
         "customer_id":"DJREAYPRBMSSFAB4TGexample",
         "given_name":"John",
         "family_name":"Doe",
         "email_address":"doe@email.com"
      },
      "accepted_payment_methods": {
        "card": true,
        "square_gift_card": true,
        "bank_account": false
      },
      "delivery_method":"EMAIL"
   }
}

Example variation: Remove the deposit request and change the balance due date

Now consider the following variation. Suppose you want to remove the deposit payment request and also change the due date of the remaining balance payment request. In other words, you want to remove one payment request and update another.

In this case, the UpdateInvoice request body must include:

• A payment_requests field in the invoice object that specifies the uid of the payment request to update, along with the new value for the due_date field.

• The fields_to_clear field that specifies the uid of the payment request to remove.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/bn9CXYfwPZh6Ednexample \
  -X PUT \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "version": 0,
      "payment_requests": [
        {
          "uid": "79e1d50d-6a35-40fc-bfd2-05913example",
          "due_date": "2020-06-15"
        }
      ]
    },
    "fields_to_clear": [
      "payment_requests[a17ee758-fb36-4226-a535-95916example]"
    ]
  }'

Example 3: Remove and add payment requests

The following UpdateInvoice request removes an existing payment request and adds two new payment requests:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id} \
  -X PUT \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "version": 0,
      "invoice_number": "new-number-100",
      "payment_requests": [
        {
          "request_type": "DEPOSIT",
          "due_date": "2020-11-30",
          "percentage_requested": "25",
          "automatic_payment_source": "CARD_ON_FILE",
          "card_id": "ccof:I6pHF8bMQghMexample"
        },
        {
          "request_type": "BALANCE",
          "due_date": "2020-12-30",
          "automatic_payment_source": "CARD_ON_FILE",
          "card_id": "ccof:I6pHF8bMQghMexample"
        }
      ]
    },
    "fields_to_clear": [
      "payment_requests[ea89248e-ff10-4958-98e9-2433bexample]"
    ]
  }'

Note the following:

• fields_to_clear identifies the specific payment request to remove by providing its uid value.

• invoice specifies payment_requests without referring to any existing uid value. Therefore, the Invoices API adds these payment requests. If you added a uid value to any of these payment requests, it would indicate you wanted to update the values of an existing payment request.

Example 4: Replace payment request percentages with exact amounts

Consider the following draft invoice that has two payment requests: a deposit of 20% and the remaining balance due at a later date. Here is an excerpt of the invoice:

{
  "invoice": {
    "id": "lsBlUr0vkDIu_mAexample",
    "version": 0,
    "location_id": "S8GWD5example",
    "order_id": "8tXvK5qwjkEPbeLixWaKSxexample",
    "payment_requests": [
      {
        "uid": "32d69642-1614-4d84-ae4a-75d51example",
        "request_type": "DEPOSIT",
        "due_date": "2020-06-22",
        "percentage_requested": "20",
        "computed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 100,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "total_completed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 0,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "automatic_payment_source": "NONE"
      },
      {
        "uid": "622a0315-e640-4a7a-9763-87461example",
        "request_type": "BALANCE",
        "due_date": "2020-09-01",
        "computed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 400,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "total_completed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 0,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "automatic_payment_source": "NONE"
      }
    ],
    ...
  }
}

Now suppose you want to specify the exact amount for these payment requests instead of percentages. These are two distinct updates to the same payment request:

• Add a new fixed_amount_requested_money field.

• Remove the percentage_requested field.

The following UpdateInvoice request performs both of these updates:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id} \
  -X PUT \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "version": 0,
      "payment_requests": [
        {
          "uid": "32d69642-1614-4d84-ae4a-75d51example",
          "fixed_amount_requested_money": {
            "amount": 100,
            "currency": "USD"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    "fields_to_clear": [
      "payment_requests[32d69642-1614-4d84-ae4a-75d51example].percentage_requested"
    ]
  }'

Both invoice and fields_to_clear specify the same uid value. As a result, the specified update is applied to the same payment request:

• invoice adds the fixed_amount_requested_money field.

• fields_to_clear removes the percentage_requested field.

The updated invoice is shown:

{
  "invoice": {
    "id": "lsBlUr0vkDIu_mAexample",
    "version": 1,
    "location_id": "S8GWD5example",
    "order_id": "8tXvK5qwjkEPbeLixWaKSxexample",
    "payment_requests": [
      {
        "uid": "32d69642-1614-4d84-ae4a-75d51example",
        "request_type": "DEPOSIT",
        "due_date": "2020-06-22",
        "fixed_amount_requested_money": {
          "amount": 100,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "computed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 100,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "total_completed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 0,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "automatic_payment_source": "NONE"
      },
      {
        "uid": "622a0315-e640-4a7a-9763-87461example",
        "request_type": "BALANCE",
        "due_date": "2020-09-01",
        "computed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 400,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "total_completed_amount_money": {
          "amount": 0,
          "currency": "USD"
        },
        "automatic_payment_source": "NONE"
      }
    ],
    ...
}

Example 5: Update custom fields

Unlike other invoice fields, the Invoices API does not support using sparse updates to add or change custom fields. To make these changes, you must provide the complete custom_fields list in the update request. For example, consider an invoice that includes the following custom fields:

...
"custom_fields": [
  {
    "label": "Rules",
    "value": "You must agree to the following terms and conditions ...",
    "placement": "ABOVE_LINE_ITEMS"
  },
  {
    "label": "Refund Policy",
    "value": "Refunds will be made on the original payment method ...",
    "placement": "ABOVE_LINE_ITEMS"
  }
]
...

If you want to change the label from "Rules" to "Terms and Conditions", the invoice object in the request must include complete definitions for both custom fields. For example:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id} \
  -X PUT \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "version": 0,
      "custom_fields": [
        {
          "label": "Terms and Conditions",
          "value": "You must agree to the following terms and conditions ...",
          "placement": "ABOVE_LINE_ITEMS"
        },
        {
          "label": "Refund Policy",
          "value": "Refunds will be made on the original payment method ...",
          "placement": "ABOVE_LINE_ITEMS"
        }
      ]
    }
  }'

Omitting a custom field object or field from the request removes the object or field, or returns an error if the field is required. However, you can use the fields_to_clear field if you want to remove all custom fields from the invoice. For example:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id} \
  -X PUT \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "idempotency_key": "{UNIQUE_KEY}",
    "invoice": {
      "version": 0
    },
    "fields_to_clear": [
      "custom_fields"
    ]
  }'

Cancel an invoice

You call CancelInvoice to cancel a published invoice. When you cancel an invoice, Square does the following:

• Sends an email notification to the customer.

• Sets the status of the invoice to CANCELED.

• Sets the state of the associated order to CANCELED.

• Stops any automatic scheduled actions, such as emailing reminders or charging a card on file. Sellers cannot collect payments for a canceled invoice.

The following is an example CancelInvoice request. You must provide the invoice ID and current version for all CancelInvoice requests. You can call ListInvoices to retrieve the ID and version, or call GetInvoice if you have the ID but need to retrieve the version.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id}/cancel \
  -X POST \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "version": 1
  }'

The canceled invoice is returned in the response, as shown in the following example excerpt:

{
  "invoice": {
    "id": "gt2zv1z6mnUm1V7example",
    "version": 2,
    "location_id": "S8GWD5example",
    "order_id": "AdSjVqPCzOAQqvTnzy46VLexample",
    ...
    "status": "CANCELED",
    ...
  }
}

You cannot cancel invoices in the DRAFT state or in the PAID, REFUNDED, CANCELED, or FAILED terminal states. Canceled invoices remain accessible in the seller account. The GetInvoice, ListInvoices, and SearchInvoices requests return canceled invoices.

Delete an invoice

You call DeleteInvoice to delete a draft invoice. You cannot delete published invoices, including those scheduled for processing at a later time. Deleted invoices are removed from the account and are not returned by GetInvoice, ListInvoices, or SearchInvoices requests.

When you delete a draft invoice, Square changes the state of the associated order to CANCELED.

The following is an example DeleteInvoice request. You must provide the invoice ID for all DeleteInvoice requests. You can call ListInvoices to retrieve the ID.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id} \
  -X DELETE \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json'

The following is an example response:

{}

Retrieve an invoice

Use the GetInvoice, ListInvoices, or SearchInvoices endpoint to retrieve invoices. You can retrieve a specific invoice, list invoices at a specific location, and search for invoices at a specific location for a specific customer.

Get an invoice by ID

Call GetInvoice if you know the invoice ID.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/{invoice_id} \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json'

List invoices

Call ListInvoices to retrieve invoices at a specific location. The following example specifies a maximum page size of three results. The default page size is 100.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices?location_id=S8GWD5example&limit=3 \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json'

The following is an excerpt of an example paged response:

{
  "invoices": [
    {
      "id": "avWaZewQ42Np4PCexample",
      ...
    },
    {
      "id": "7OXWh6-VEakBWtUexample",
      ...
    },
    {
      "id": "VnxeTa-xrHPNz0Aexample",
      ...
    }
  ],
  "cursor": "PNEhVUKHBuTOuRIZoUcX5VQexample"
}

When a response is truncated, the response includes a cursor to use in the next ListInvoices call. You add the cursor query parameter in the request as shown:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices?location_id=S8GWD5example&limit=3&cursor=PNEhVUKHBuTOuRIZoUcX5VQexample \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json'

Search invoices

Call SearchInvoices to retrieve invoices that match a specific query. You must provide a location ID, and you can optionally include a customer ID if you want to retrieve invoices for a specific customer at the specified location.

The following example request filters by a specific customer and location. In the current implementation, the SearchInvoices endpoint supports only a single customer ID and a single location ID in the filter.

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/search \
  -X POST \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "query": {
      "filter": {
        "location_ids": [
          "S8GWD5example"
        ],
        "customer_ids": [
          "HXJKX5BBKGWX34XEMS2example"
        ]
      }
    }
  }'

The following is an excerpt of an example response:

{
  "invoices": [
    {
      "id": "UcPT3fgiZi8lbX3example",
      ...
    },
    {
      "id": "BSW5ck83F7JoDqIexample",
      ...
    },
    ...
  ]
}

The following example request filters by a specific customer and location, and also sorts the results in order from oldest to newest:

curl https://connect.squareupsandbox.com/v2/invoices/search \
  -X POST \
  -H 'Square-Version: 2021-07-21' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "query": {
      "filter": {
        "location_ids": [
          "S8GWD5example"
        ],
        "customer_ids": [
          "HXJKX5BBKGWX34XEMS2example"
        ]
      }
    },
    "sort": {
      "field": "INVOICE_SORT_DATE",
      "order": "ASC"
    }
  }'

The sort field INVOICE_SORT_DATE works as follows:

• If the invoice is a draft, it uses the invoice created_at date.

• If the invoice is scheduled for publication, it uses the scheduled_at date.

• If the invoice is published, it uses the invoice publication date.

Refund an invoice

You can call the RefundPayment endpoint in the Refunds API to refund invoice payments.

The invoice status must be PAID, CANCELED, or FAILED to refund a payment. Invoices with a status of PARTIALLY_PAID must be canceled using CancelInvoice before they can be refunded.

Refunding an invoice payment

To refund an invoice payment, you need the ID of the tender that was used to pay for the order. An order can have multiple tenders. You must make a separate call to RefundPayment for each tender that you want to refund.

After a refund is processed, the invoice status changes to REFUNDED if the entire amount paid for the invoice is refunded or changes to PARTIALLY_REFUNDED if only a portion of the payment is refunded. The original order remains unchanged and set to the COMPLETED status.

Requirements and limitations

The following requirements and limitations apply when using the Invoices API.

Requirements

• The Invoices API requires the following OAuth permissions:

  • INVOICES_READ to use the following endpoints:

    • GetInvoice

    • ListInvoices

    • SearchInvoices

  • INVOICES_WRITE and ORDERS_WRITE to use the following endpoints:

    • CreateInvoice

    • UpdateInvoice

    • DeleteInvoice

    • CancelInvoice

    • PublishInvoice

  • CUSTOMERS_READ and PAYMENTS_WRITE to charge cards on file.

• When creating an invoice, the location of the associated order must have an ACTIVE status. If you specify the optional location_id field in a CreateInvoice request, the value must match the location_id of the order.

• You can create an invoice for a customer only if the customer has a profile in the seller's Customer Directory. For more information about creating customer profiles, see Manage Customers and Integrate with Other Services.

• The minimum amount for an invoice payment request is $1.00.

• The seller account must be set up to accept payments before Square can accept payments on any invoices. The Invoices API does not allow you to publish any invoices configured for automatic payments if the seller is not enabled to accept payments. For invoices scheduled for a future date, the Invoices API also cancels the order and deletes the invoice when the invoice is scheduled to be sent. This requirement also applies to testing with your own Square account in the production environment.

Limitations

• An order associated with an invoice has the following restrictions:

  • Canceling an invoice cancels the order. If you cancel an invoice, the corresponding order is also canceled.

  • Paying for the order. You can only pay for the order by paying the invoice. You cannot use Square APIs (such as PayOrder, CreatePayment, or Charge) to process the payment for the order. After the invoice is paid in full, the state field of the order is set to COMPLETED.

    Note

    Although Square APIs cannot be used to pay an invoice, you can call ListPayments or GetPayment using the tender ID from the order to retrieve the corresponding Payment object after a payment is made. Payments also appear on the Transactions page of the Seller Dashboard.

  • Updating an order. You cannot update order fields (such as line items, taxes, and discounts) that change the order amount. To update these order fields, you must cancel the invoice, which also cancels the order (sets the order status to CANCELED). You then create a new order and a new invoice. You can update order fields that do not change the order amount.

  For more information about order-related requirements and limitations, see Create and publish an invoice.

• When you create an invoice using the Invoices API, the order ID is required. However, an invoice created using the Seller Dashboard, Square Point of Sale application, or Square Invoices application is created without an order ID. When you retrieve such an invoice using the Invoices API, the invoice does not include an order_id field unless a payment has been made on the invoice.

• When a bank account payment is made on an invoice, the payment is shown in the tenders field of the corresponding order retrieved through the Orders API. However, bank account payments cannot be accessed or managed using the Payments API, Refunds API, or other Square APIs.

• The Invoices API does not support some of the features available in the Square Seller Dashboard, Square Point of Sale application, and Square Invoices application. For example, you cannot use the Invoices API to create or configure the following features:

  • Color and logo customization for your email invoices and customer payment page.

  • Recurring invoices.

  • Estimates.

  • Automatic payments from a bank account on file.

  • Attaching a file to an invoice. The Invoices API preserves any existing attachments on an invoice but the API does not support accessing and modifying invoice attachments.

  • Adding or viewing a shipping address. You cannot add a shipping address to an invoice that you create with the Invoices API. In addition, the shipping address is not included in invoices that you retrieve with the Invoices API.

  • SMS (text message) delivery method. Note that when an invoice is configured to use the SMS delivery method, Square sends invoices and receipts but not reminders.

    Although you cannot use the Invoices API to specify SMS for the invoice delivery_method field, you can use the API to update other invoice fields or change delivery_method to EMAIL or SHARE_MANUALLY.

    You should be aware of the following considerations when an invoice is configured for SMS delivery, but the customer opted out of text message updates from Square invoices:

    • Square cannot send a text message to notify the customer about a change after the invoice is updated.

    • Calling the PublishInvoice endpoint for the invoice returns a Bad Request error.

Webhooks

You can subscribe to webhook notifications for the following invoice events. All events require the INVOICES_READ permission.

All notifications include the invoice ID and the invoice object (except invoice.deleted), as shown in the following excerpt of an example invoice.created notification:

{
  "merchant_id": "031FEVexample",
  "location_id": "S8GWD5example",
  "type": "invoice.created",
  "event_id": "b407d383-c47f-4eeb-6785-c235Aexample",
  "created_at": "2020-10-25T23:01:51Z",
  "data": {
    "type": "invoice",
    "id": "inv:0-ChCSnXxUPe6t4laN_uCKexample",
    "object": {
      "invoice": {
        // invoice fields
      }
    }
  }
}  

For more information about subscribing to events and validating notifications, see Square Webhooks.

Migration notes

New Invoice.accepted_payment_method

The Invoice.accepted_payment_method field represents the payment methods that customers can use to make a payment on the Square-hosted invoice page.

In Square version 2021-04-21 and later, this field is required to create an invoice and is included in returned invoices. At least one payment method must be set to true. For valid values, see InvoiceAcceptedPaymentMethods.

This setting is independent of any automatic payment requests for the invoice. It is also independent of the default Payment method setting that sellers can configure for invoices created from first-party Square applications. The default Payment method setting cannot be accessed by the Invoices API.

Deprecated InvoicePaymentRequest.request_method

The InvoicePaymentRequest.request_method field and corresponding InvoiceRequestMethod enum are deprecated. Request method options are now represented by the following fields:

• Invoice.delivery_method specifies how Square should send invoices, reminders, and receipts to the customer. For valid values, see InvoiceDeliveryMethod.

• InvoicePaymentRequest.automatic_payment_source specifies the payment method for an automatic payment. For valid values, see InvoiceAutomaticPaymentSource.

Deprecated in version: 2021-01-21
Retired in version: TBD

The Invoices API continues to accept request_method in create and update requests until the field is retired, but you should use delivery_method and automatic_payment_source when possible. However, starting in version 2021-01-21, request_method is not included in returned Invoice objects. The API migrates request_method options in responses as follows: