Document numbers

Every job, invoice, quotation, sale, purchase and contract gets its own number, like JB26-15 or IN26-188. The number is a prefix (JB26-) plus a running number (15) that goes up by one each time.

Each of your businesses has its own eight number series. Business A and business B never take numbers from each other.

The eight number series

Series on screen	Used for	Starts with (first business)
Job sheet number	Repair jobs	JB + year, for example JB26-
Job invoice number	Job invoices (and refunds of them)	IN + year, for example IN26-
Quotation number	Quotations	QT + year, for example QT26-
Sale number	Sales	SL + year, for example SL26-
Purchase number	Purchases	PN + year, for example PN26-
AMC contract number	AMC contracts	CN + year, for example CN26-
Rental contract number	Rental contracts	RNT-
Rental device number	Rental devices	RD-

The year is the year the series was set up. Older accounts may show different prefixes, for example JB-26-. That’s fine.

A second business gets its two-character Short code in front, for example AB-JB26- and AB-IN26-. This keeps the two businesses’ numbers apart.

Change a prefix or the next number

1. If you have more than one business, pick the business in the switcher first. The line at the top of the page shows “These settings apply to” and the business name.

2. Go to Settings › Business settings, open the business and go to Sequence numbers. On a phone, tap More › System › Business settings first.

   Each row shows the Document, its Prefix, the Next number and a Preview of the next document number. Rows are grouped into Job & billing, Contracts and Other.

3. Next to the series, click Edit.

4. Change the Prefix, the Next number, or both. The Preview updates as you type.

5. Click Update.

Desktop

The same rows also open as a full page called Sequence settings when you search settings for “sequence”. That is the page in the picture.

Only documents created from now on use the new prefix or number. Documents you’ve already made keep their numbers.

Don't set the next number lower

BytePhase doesn’t check whether a number was already used. If you set Next number lower than numbers you’ve already issued, new documents get the same numbers as old ones.

When you add a business

While you add a new business, the Sequence numbers step lets you set each series’ Prefix and Starting number before anything is created. The prefixes start with the business’s Short code. Two businesses may use the same prefix if you choose, but then their numbers look alike on paper.

The Short code is fixed once the business is created, because document numbers are built from it.

Good to know

• The year doesn’t change by itself. On 1 January, JB26- stays JB26-. If you want JB27-, change the prefix in Sequence settings. You may also want to set Next number back to 1 for the new prefix.
• Sales and repairs on one series. If Use one invoice number for sales & repairs is on, sales take job invoice numbers and the Sale number row can’t be edited. See One invoice number series, and invoices made for you after payment.
• Edits keep the number. Editing a job invoice or a quotation keeps its number. Only a new document takes a new one.
• Padlock on Edit. A padlock on Edit means your plan doesn’t include that document type, for example AMC on Basic.
• Numbers belong to the business that made the document. A job created while business B was picked uses business B’s series. See Which business’s details print, and why.

Something not right?

• Gaps or shared numbers: see Invoice numbers jumped or are shared.