The five-minute guide

From "hi" to paid.
The A to Z.

Everything WhatInvoice does, in the order you'll actually use it. No manual, no training video — if you can WhatsApp, you already know how.

A

Save the number

Save +27 64 339 7344 as WhatInvoice. That contact is now your invoicing department. Then create your free account at whatinvoice.uk — 30 seconds, your name, email and business name. No card.

B

Say hi

Message hi and it greets you by name. That first message also opens the line so codes and PDFs reach you instantly.

hi
Hi Sipho 👋 Send me line items and I'll turn them into a PDF invoice for *Dlamini Plumbing*.
C

Send your first invoice

Type the job the way you'd tell a friend. Each item goes on its own line with a price — the currency symbol is optional. Any line under an item (with no price) becomes that item's description.

invoice Hardware 300 Hammer, screwdrivers Labour 400 2 assistants customer Yellow Market
INVOICE for *Yellow Market* • Hardware — Hammer, screwdrivers — R300.00 • Labour — 2 assistants — R400.00 Total: R700.00
💡 Three shortcuts: a bare number is the price ("Hardware 300"); a line with no price becomes the description of the item above it; and "20 x 15" means 20 units at R15 each. Plain sentences work too: "invoice Yellow Market for hardware three hundred rand".
D

Check, then tap ✓

Nothing ever sends without your say-so. Tap ✓ Send it and the PDF lands back in your chat and in your customer's inbox — your logo, your banking details, a payment reference.

E

Change anything by talking

Tap ✎ Change and just say what's different. It shows the updated total and asks again.

1. geyser element — R450.00 2. labour — R350.00 Tell me what to change…
change labour to 500 and add callout fee R150
Updated: Total: R1,100.00
F

Not ready? Save a draft

Reply DRAFT instead of sending — it's saved privately, the PDF comes to you only, and it doesn't use your daily free allowance. When you're ready, tap ✓ Make invoice (or reply MAKE 45) to issue it and email your customer.

G

It remembers your customers

Second job for Mrs Naidoo? Just her name is enough — email and details auto-fill. Spell it slightly wrong and it politely checks: "did you mean Mrs Naidoo?" — one tap.

H

Mark it paid

Money in? PAID 45 and the books balance. Your portal shows what's outstanding at a glance.

I

Late payers get chased (politely)

The moment an invoice goes past its due date, you get a nudge — not the awkward silence. One reply sends the customer a courteous reminder with the invoice re-attached.

⏰ Now overdue: • INV-0045 · Mrs Naidoo · R1,100.00 Reply CHASE 45 to send a polite reminder.
CHASE 45
✓ Polite reminder emailed to [email protected]
J

Quotes win the work

Start a message with quote instead of invoice. When they say yes: CONVERT 12 — it becomes a numbered invoice, zero retyping. The paperwork is done the moment you win the job.

K

Month-end in one word

STATEMENT — issued, paid, outstanding for the month. Your accountant gets a tidy story instead of a shoebox.

L

The portal — your paper trail, searchable

Log in at whatinvoice.uk/app with your number — a code comes to your WhatsApp or email, no password to forget. Every document, filterable and downloadable. Add it to your home screen and it behaves like an app.

M

Make it yours

Portal → ⚙ Settings: upload your logo, pick one of three PDF styles, set your accent colour, banking details (protected by a WhatsApp code), VAT number if you're registered — and even what number your invoices start from. INV-1000 sounds established; that's allowed.

N

Grow into it

Free is 1 invoice + 1 quote a day, forever. Business unlocks unlimited documents, reminders and statements. Business Plus runs up to 3 businesses — each with its own logo, numbering and banking — from the same WhatsApp number. Reply UPGRADE or tap your plan badge in the portal.

Z

Your data stays yours

Download everything as a ZIP or delete your account entirely — both in Settings, both instant, no phone call required. That's the whole alphabet. Now go send one: it takes less time than reading this page did.

Open WhatsApp and try it →

Cheat sheet

Every word it understands.

HELP
The tappable menu — start here anytime
LIST
Your last 5 documents with statuses
PAID 45
Mark invoice 45 as settled
CHASE 45
Politely remind a late payer
CONVERT 12
Turn accepted quote 12 into an invoice
EDIT 45
Get a secure link to edit a sent document
DRAFT
At the confirm step: save without sending
MAKE 45
Turn draft 45 into the real thing & email it
STATEMENT
This month: issued, paid, outstanding
BUSINESS
See or switch between your businesses
UPGRADE
Plans and prices, in your currency
quote …
Start any message with it for a quotation