Glossary

The words we use in the app, the API and these docs, A to Z. Where a term has its own page, the entry links to it. Terms for features that ship after launch are marked with the month they arrive.

A

Account: Your workspace. It holds your businesses, members and billing, and is on one plan, Free or Team. One login can belong to many accounts. See Core concepts.

Accountant: A preset role that can view documents, clients, payments and reports and export them, but not change anything. Every plan includes one free Accountant seat. See Roles and permissions.

Account switcher: The menu at the top of the app that lists every account and business you can reach.

AI credit: The unit the AI invoice agent uses. One request that creates or updates up to one document costs 1 credit. See AI credits.

AI invoice agent: The assistant in Automate > AI agent that turns plain language into draft invoices, estimates and clients. See Agent overview.

API key: A secret that lets your code call the REST API for one account. Created in Settings > API keys, shown once, with scopes and a mode. See Authentication.

Audit log: The record of who did what and when. Entries are written on every plan; the screen to view them is a Team feature. See Audit log.

Auto-charge (March 2027): Charging a client's saved card automatically on a due date, with the client's consent. See Saved cards and auto-charge.

Auto-send: A mode for an API key, MCP token, automation or store install that lets it send documents without a person confirming each send. Turning it on needs a fresh sign-in. See Drafts and confirmations.

B

Balance: What is still owed on a document: total minus payments minus credits applied.

Bank transfer: A payment method where the pay page shows your bank details, the client pays from their bank, and you record the payment. See Bank transfer.

Base currency: A business's main currency. Reports total in it, and documents in other currencies freeze an exchange rate to it.

Billing card: A card added on Free to unlock the welcome AI credits. Verified for $0 and never charged. See Billing card.

Business: The person or company whose name is on your documents. Each has its own numbering, tax rates, payment methods and templates. Unlimited on every plan. See Businesses.

Business scope: The businesses a member can reach: all, or a chosen list.

C

Capability: One action, such as "create an invoice", defined once and offered in the app, REST API, MCP server, CLI and AI agent with the same rules. See Core concepts.

CLI (late January 2027): The freeinvoiceautomation command-line tool. A thin client of the API. See CLI.

Client: Someone you bill. Belongs to a business and never has a password. See Clients and contacts.

Client credit: Money you owe a client, kept from a credit note on a paid invoice and applied to their next invoice. See Client credit.

Client portal (January 2027): A page where a client signs in with a one-time email link to see all their documents from one business. See Client portal.

Confirmation: The extra step for sends and destructive actions: a dialog in the app, or "confirm": true in the API and MCP.

Connection: A link between a business and an outside service, such as Stripe, an SMTP mailbox or an AI provider.

Contact: A person at a client who can receive documents.

Credit note: A document that reduces what an invoice asks for, fully or in part, with its own number. See Credit notes.

Credit pack: 1,000 AI credits for $5, bought only when you click. Lasts 12 months. See Credit packs.

D

Deactivate: Ending a member's access to an account at once while keeping their work. They can be reactivated. See Deactivate and remove.

Deposit (January 2027): An upfront part of a document's total, due on acceptance or a date. See Deposits and schedules.

Destructive action: An action that cannot easily be undone or that moves money, such as voiding or issuing a credit note. Always needs confirmation.

Draft: A document that has not been sent. It has no number and can be changed or deleted freely.

E

Estimate: A price you offer before invoicing. The client accepts or asks for changes online. See Estimates.

Exchange rate: The rate between a document's currency and the business's base currency, frozen on the document. See Currencies and exchange rates.

F

Fair-use limits: Limits such as API calls per month, storage and sends per minute that protect the free service from abuse. See Fair-use limits.

Fresh sign-in: Signing in again before a sensitive action, such as connecting Stripe or changing billing.

G

Gap-free numbering: Document numbers per business and type that never skip or repeat. See Document numbering.

Generator: The free invoice maker at freeinvoiceautomation.com/generator that works with no account and keeps data in your browser. See Free invoice generator.

Grace period: The 5 days after a failed Team renewal during which Team keeps working. See Failed renewal and downgrade.

I

I have paid: The button a client clicks on the pay page after paying by bank transfer or QR. It notifies you; it does not mark the invoice paid.

Idempotency key: A value you send with a write so a retried request is not done twice. See Idempotency.

Instalment (January 2027): One part of a payment schedule, with its own amount and due date.

Invoice: A request for payment with a pay page. See Invoices.

L

Late fee (January 2027): A charge added to an overdue invoice by a policy you set. Off by default. See Late fees.

Ledger (June to July 2027): A double-entry accounting ledger per business. See Accounting ledger.

M

Magic link: A one-time sign-in link sent by email.

MCP server: Our Model Context Protocol server at https://mcp.freeinvoiceautomation.com/mcp, which lets AI assistants work with your invoices. See MCP overview.

Member: A person who can sign in to an account, with a role and a business scope. See Members and invitations.

Minor units: The smallest unit of a currency, such as cents. All amounts are whole numbers of minor units: "120000" USD is 1,200.00 USD. See Money and currencies.

Money-back guarantee: A full refund of your first Team payment if you ask within 30 days, once per account. See 30-day money-back.

O

Overdue: An invoice status for an unpaid invoice past its due date.

Owner: The role with every permission. It cannot be edited, deactivated or removed, and only the Owner can delete the account or transfer ownership. See Transfer ownership.

P

Pay page: The page your client opens from the invoice link to see the invoice and pay. See The pay page.

Pay-me page (February 2027): A public page where anyone can pay your business without an invoice. See Pay-me page.

Payment proof: A file a client uploads after clicking "I have paid", such as a bank receipt. See Payment proofs.

Permission key: The name of one permission, written module.action, such as documents.send. See Permission keys.

Platform mailer: Our email service for sending your documents if you have not connected your own SMTP. 20 emails a month on Free, 100 on Team. See Platform email.

"Powered by" line: The small "Powered by Free Invoice Automation" text on Free plan PDFs, pay pages, portal pages and emails. Removed on Team.

Preview: What an action would do, shown before it runs. Every send shows a preview first.

R

Rail: A payment method a business can accept, such as Stripe or bank transfer. See How payments work.

Receipt: A document confirming a payment, with its own number. See Receipts.

Recurring invoice (January 2027): An invoice created again on a schedule. See Recurring invoices.

Regional price: Team at $5 a month or $48 a year when your billing country is on our regional list. See Free and Team plans.

Reminder sequence (January 2027): A set of reminder steps before and after a due date. See Reminders.

Request id: The id on every API response and error. Include it when you contact support.

Revision: A new version of a sent document. Earlier versions stay readable. See Revisions.

Role: A named list of permission keys given to members. Presets are Owner, Admin, Editor, Viewer and Accountant. See Roles and permissions.

S

Saved item: A product or service you save so document lines fill themselves. See Saved items.

Scope: A permission an API key or MCP token carries. A key can never do more than its creator.

Share link: A secure link to a document's pay page that you can send through any channel. See Share links.

SMTP: Your own email server or mailbox, used to send documents from your own address with no monthly limit. See Your own SMTP.

Snapshot: The exact copy of a document stored when it is sent and with each revision.

Status: Where a document stands, such as draft, sent, paid or void. See Document statuses.

T

Team plan: The paid plan for working with others: 5 members, roles, audit log, more emails and credits. See Upgrade to Team.

Token (public): The random part of a link your client opens. Stored hashed, made for one purpose, expiring and revocable.

V

Verification code: The QR code and code on every PDF sent from an account, which opens a page confirming the document is real. See Verification codes.

Void: Cancelling a sent invoice with a reason. It keeps its number and shows a VOID stamp. See Void and delete.

W

Webhook: A signed message we send to your URL when something changes, such as an invoice being paid. See Webhooks.

Welcome credits: One-time AI credits: 250 on Free in your first month after sign-up, once you add a card, and a 1,000 bonus in your first paid Team month. See AI credits.

Related