Invoice numbering templates

Coffer assigns every invoice a unique number from a template you control. Templates are short format strings with named tokens: {prefix}, {year}, {counter}. You can set one default for your whole business, or a per-client override if you want each client to have their own sequence.

The default template

Out of the box, Coffer uses {prefix}-{year}-{counter:3} with a prefix of INV. That produces:

• INV-2026-001 (the first invoice of 2026)
• INV-2026-002 (the second)
• INV-2027-001(the first invoice of the next calendar year — counter resets because {year} is in the template)

Template grammar

A template is a literal string with one or more tokens in braces. The supported tokens:

• {prefix}: the active prefix. In global mode this is your account-wide prefix (set in Settings); in per_client mode it's the client's prefix.
• {year}: the 4-digit calendar year of the invoice's issue date. Present in the template = counter resets every January 1. Absent = one counter that runs forever.
• {counter}: the next number in the sequence, no padding (7).
• {counter:N}: the next number, zero-padded to N digits. {counter:3} renders 007; {counter:5} renders 00007. N is bounded between 1 and 10.

Templates must contain exactly one {counter} or {counter:N} token. Coffer's validator rejects anything else (empty templates, unknown tokens, stray braces) with an inline error before save.

Examples

With prefix = “INV”, year = 2026, and the counter currently at 7:

• {prefix}-{year}-{counter:3} renders INV-2026-007 (the default)
• {prefix}-{counter:4} renders INV-0007 (no year reset; padded to 4)
• {prefix}{year}{counter:3} renders INV2026007 (no separators)
• Invoice #{counter} renders Invoice #7 (plain, never resets)
• {year}-{counter:5} renders 2026-00007 (year-prefixed, no business prefix)

Global vs per-client mode

Settings has an Invoice numbering mode toggle with two values:

• Global: one counter for your entire business. Every invoice across every client draws from the same sequence. INV-2026-001 might go to Client A, INV-2026-002 to Client B, INV-2026-003 to Client A again. This is the default and the right choice for most solo contractors who want a single clean monotonic series.
• Per client: each client gets their own counter. Coffer also lets each client have their own prefix and template override. Useful when you bill several ongoing clients and want distinguishable sequences (Client A: ACME-2026-001; Client B: BETA-2026-001).

Changing the template mid-stream

Allowed. New invoices use the new template; existing invoices keep whatever number they were originally saved with. If the new template has {year} and the old one didn't (or vice versa), Coffer re-derives the floor from your existing invoice numbers so the next auto-suggestion picks up sensibly.

If you want a clean cutover, switch mid-financial-year and let the counter reset on the next January 1. If you want continuity, type the first invoice under the new template manually with the number you want; Coffer will pick up the sequence from there.

Typing your own number

The invoice dialog suggests the next number from the active template, but you can edit the field to type anything you like. Two behaviors worth knowing:

• If the typed number matches the template format (e.g. typing INV-2026-024 while the template is {prefix}-{year}-{counter:3}), Coffer treats it as a counter seed: the next auto-suggestion picks up from 025.
• If the typed number doesn't match (e.g. typing SPECIAL-INV-1), Coffer saves the invoice as-is but the auto-counter doesn't advance. An inline warning explains this and links to Settings or Clients if you want to change the template permanently.

NZ tax invoice requirements

From 1 April 2023, IRD's strict “tax invoice” rules were replaced with broader taxable supply information requirements. Sequential invoice numbering isn't strictly required under the new rules, but it remains best practice and is what Coffer enforces because:

• It makes your records reconcile cleanly against bank statements when payments arrive
• Your accountant can audit a sequence faster than a set of free-form references
• Disputes (“did invoice 23 get sent?”) are answered by the existence or absence of the number, not by archaeology

Coffer's tax-invoice PDFs include all the taxable supply information IRD currently requires: your business name, GST number (if registered), the supply date, a description of what was supplied, and the GST amount. The invoice number is part of that record.