Skill · v1.0

Invoice & Payment Tracker

Invoice and Payment Tracker is a skill for generating a complete invoice the moment a job closes and maintaining a running paid/unpaid ledger. Four platform paths: Wave, FreshBooks, generic markdown-PDF or paste-into-other-tool. Same-day invoicing on job close is the load-bearing discipline. A delayed invoice is a cash-flow leak with no upside.

Install

Claude Code (CLI / WSL / Git Bash)

/plugin marketplace add https://www.infinitegameos.io/marketplace.json
/plugin install invoice-payment-tracker@igos-library

Claude Code (VS Code)

Install in VS Code

Opens the Claude Code plugins dialog with the marketplace and skill prefilled. Requires the Claude Code VS Code extension installed and signed in. Or paste the snippet below into .claude/settings.json for VS Code, JetBrains or any setup that prefers manual config.

{
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "igos-library": {
      "source": {
        "source": "url",
        "url": "https://www.infinitegameos.io/marketplace.json"
      }
    }
  },
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "invoice-payment-tracker@igos-library": true
  }
}

Direct markdown URL (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI)

https://www.infinitegameos.io/markdown/skills/invoice-payment-tracker

Cursor (.mdc rules file)

curl -O https://www.infinitegameos.io/install/cursor/invoice-payment-tracker.mdc

Aider, Cline, any agent with --read

curl -O https://www.infinitegameos.io/markdown/skills/invoice-payment-tracker
aider --read invoice-payment-tracker.md

Definition

Invoice and Payment Tracker generates a complete, accurate invoice the moment a job closes and maintains a running paid/unpaid ledger. First-run setup routes the operator to one of four platform paths: Wave (free tier), FreshBooks (paid), generic markdown-PDF or paste-into-other-tool. Same-day invoicing on job close is the load-bearing behavior the skill enforces on every run. A one-week delay on three $500 jobs is $1,500 of float absorbed by the business for no reason. Overdue invoices hand off to Customer Follow-Up for the reminder sequence; the boundary is firm. The tracker, not the inbox, is where overdue accounts live.

Platform routing and same-day discipline

First-run setup surfaces one routing question: Wave, FreshBooks, generic markdown-PDF or paste-into-other-tool. The answer determines which template loads, which field labels apply and how the tracking row gets written. Subsequent runs skip the question and load the matching branch. When a Quote Builder output is available, line items, labor rate, materials and terms flow in without re-entry. The invoice is the confirmed quote with a due date attached.

Same-day invoicing on job close is enforced at Step 4 of every run. If the job closed today, the invoice goes out today. Not at end of week. Not when the next batch is ready. Today. If the operator indicates a preference to batch or delay, the skill surfaces the cost directly. The discipline is the skill's highest-leverage contribution to solopreneur cash flow.

Overdue check and handoff

Every run scans the payment tracker for rows where status is unpaid and the due date has passed. Overdue invoices surface with client, amount, days outstanding and the recommended action per the overdue ladder: reminder message at due date, phone-call prompt at plus 3 days, final notice at plus 7 days. The actual message drafting and touchpoint scheduling belong to Customer Follow-Up. The boundary is firm: this skill generates and tracks; Customer Follow-Up communicates.

Generic-path operators track paid/unpaid in a local markdown table at invoices/payment-tracker.md. Platform-coupled operators (Wave, FreshBooks) rely on the platform's native status and log a backup entry in a lightweight sent log. The tracking surface is the operator's choice; the structural discipline (invoice number, client, amount, due date, status, paid date) holds across all surfaces.

Use Cases

Same-day invoice on job close for a tree trimmer

Joel finishes a dead-limb removal at 4:30 PM. He opens Invoice and Payment Tracker on his phone, pulls the inputs from his Quote Builder output, confirms the markdown-PDF path and has an invoice in Sandra Park's inbox before he is off the property. Net 7. $372.50. The tracker row appends. He does not carry it to Friday.

Weekly overdue sweep during a Friday morning review

Daily Admin Orchestrator surfaces three overdue invoices during the Friday weekly review. Two are past 7 days. Invoice and Payment Tracker flags both for a phone call, not another email, and generates the handoff notes for Customer Follow-Up. The 30-day receivables total surfaces as a single number. No spreadsheet needed.

FreshBooks path for a freelance designer with complex tax handling

A Texas-based freelance designer uses FreshBooks and charges 8.25% sales tax on consulting services. Invoice and Payment Tracker routes to the FreshBooks branch, applies the correct tax rate per her configured terms, reminds her to enable the online payment link before sending and logs the sent entry. Each invoice takes under three minutes.

Markdown-PDF path for a coaching practice

A coach without a dedicated billing platform uses the generic markdown-PDF path. Invoice and Payment Tracker produces a complete markdown invoice at invoices/YYYY-MM-DD-client-slug-number.md, which she exports to PDF via Obsidian and emails directly. Net 14 terms. Deposit already collected at booking deducted from the total due.

Morning briefing invoice trigger from Email Triage

Daily Admin Orchestrator surfaces a completed-job email from triage that has not yet been invoiced. Invoice and Payment Tracker picks up the trigger and prompts for the inputs before the morning briefing closes. The job does not leave the briefing without an invoice issued or an explicit practitioner decision to defer.

FAQ

Why is same-day invoicing the load-bearing behavior?

Delayed invoicing is the single highest-leverage failure point in solopreneur cash flow. A one-week delay on a week of completed jobs is a week of float absorbed for no reason. The invoice is the final act of the job. A job is not done until the invoice is sent. The skill treats this as a hard constraint, not a soft recommendation.

Does this skill handle overdue follow-up messages?

No. Invoice and Payment Tracker identifies overdue invoices and generates the handoff trigger. Customer Follow-Up drafts and schedules the actual messages. The boundary is firm. Having one skill track status and another manage client communication keeps each skill clean and prevents duplicate outreach.

What if I switch billing platforms?

Re-run the first-run setup in Step 1. Pick the new platform. The invoice template content (labor rate descriptions, payment terms, late-fee language, tax handling) carries over; only the field labels and output format shift to match the new platform. No other steps change.

Do I need to subscribe to Wave or FreshBooks?

No. The generic markdown-PDF path requires no subscription. You produce a markdown invoice file and export to PDF via any tool you already have (Obsidian, Pandoc, VS Code, Typora). The paste-into-other-tool path requires no platform at all. Platform paths (Wave, FreshBooks) are options for operators who already use those tools.

How does this skill connect to Quote Builder?

When a Quote Builder output is available, line items, labor rate, materials and terms flow into the invoice without re-entry. The invoice is the confirmed quote with a due date attached. No double-entry. If the quote was built in Quote Builder, the invoice takes under two minutes to generate.

Related

Invoice and Payment Tracker is one skill in the Solopreneur Admin Toolkit. The full toolkit runs as a daily ritual through the Daily Admin Orchestrator. The design frame for a service business that runs on systems rather than end-of-week catch-up is the Sovereign Life Playbook.

See the Sovereign Life Playbook