New in Ledgerly: 5 invoice layouts, your own colour and compliant late fees

An invoice is often the only document your client keeps from you. It goes through their accounting department, sometimes their bank, and stays in their files for years. It might as well look like you, be clear and help you get paid on time.

Ledgerly gets three new features designed for freelancers and small businesses in Belgium.

5 layouts to choose from

Until now, every Ledgerly invoice looked the same, only the colour changed. You can now choose from five layouts:

• Classic: the coloured band at the top and the large coloured total.
• Clean: white background, a simple coloured rule and the amount due framed at the top of the page. It is also the version that uses the least ink.
• Compact: tighter text for invoices with many lines, so they fit on a single page.
• Window envelope: your client's address is placed to the millimetre so it falls right into the window of a DL envelope. Fold in three, slide it in, ready to post.
• Elegant: centred monogram, serif typography and fine rules.

The legal statements are the same in all five layouts: VAT number, VAT breakdown per rate, structured payment reference, payment QR code and terms and conditions on the back. Changing the look never changes the compliance of your invoices.

Your colour, not ours

The fixed colours give way to a free setting. In Settings → Invoice colour, four sliders are all you need: hue, intensity, depth and the transparency of the coloured backgrounds.

Have a logo? The Logo colour button picks up its dominant colour straight away. And if you choose a very light colour, Ledgerly darkens it just enough to keep the text readable. A PDF preview of your invoice updates with every change: you see exactly what your client will receive.

Late fees that follow the law

A client who pays late is cash sitting idle. Belgian law lets you charge fees, with rules that differ depending on the client:

• Business client: the law of 2 August 2002 provides, without formal notice, late interest at the legal rate from the day after the due date and a fixed compensation of €40.
• Private client: the Code of Economic Law first requires a free reminder with mandatory statements, followed by a 14-day period. Only then, and if your terms and conditions provide for it, can you claim interest and a capped compensation.

A Late payment fees button appears on every overdue invoice. It calculates the statement and emails it to your client. This statement is not a new invoice: these amounts are damages, without VAT, and they affect neither your numbering nor your VAT return.

Want to see it for real?

A full demo is available with no sign-up: one click and you explore a Ledgerly that is already filled in. Try the demo