What Programa Invoicing is

Programa Invoicing is the billing layer inside Programa, the project management platform built specifically for interior designers and architects. Where generic invoicing software treats every business the same, Programa Invoicing is shaped around how design studios actually work: pulling line items from the project schedules, time entries, and procurement records that already live in your project files.

If you've ever copied product specifications from a schedule into a spreadsheet, then re-keyed those items into Xero or QuickBooks, then sent the result to your client in a third tool, you've done the same work three times. Programa Invoicing exists to remove that double handling. Generate an invoice from a project schedule with one click. Sync it to your accounting software. Share it with your client in the same dashboard they already use to approve mood boards and specifications.

Why interior designers need invoicing software designed for them

Interior design billing has its own shape:

• Markups on specified products, not flat retail pricing
• Milestone payments tied to project phases like joinery deposits, stone selection, and installation
• Mixed line items combining FF&E products, time entries, and fixed fees on a single invoice
• Per line tax rates for clients across multiple regions
• Branded presentation, because every client touchpoint is part of the studio's work

Generic invoicing software for small businesses can handle the basics, but it doesn't understand any of this. You end up bending the tool to fit the workflow, or worse, abandoning the project data entirely and starting from scratch every time you bill. Programa Invoicing is invoicing software for interior designers, built by people who studied the way studios actually generate and send invoices.

What Programa Invoicing includes

Each invoice you create connects to the project data you've already built:

• Pull from schedules and specifications: line items arrive complete with product images, quantities, markups, and tax rates. Filter pulls by status, brand, supplier, or section.
• Pull from time tracking: bill hours in decimal increments, filtered by date range or team member. Useful for hourly contracts and design fee billing.
• Custom line items: add fixed fees, retainers, or out of scope items inline without leaving the invoice.
• Inline editing and drag and drop reordering: rearrange items, adjust quantities, and edit descriptions directly on the invoice.
• Autosave every three seconds, with visual confirmation that work is saved as you go.
• PDF preview: see the exact invoice your client will receive before sending.
• Studio branding: your logo, custom invoice numbering, product images, and tailored email messaging on every invoice.
• Milestone payments: split any invoice into named instalments like "Concept design fee" or "Joinery deposit".
• Per line tax: set GST, VAT, or sales tax on individual items rather than the whole invoice.
• Percentage and fixed discounts, applied at line level or invoice level.
• Multi currency: set default currency by studio or override per project for international work.
• Real time status: live updates on sent, viewed, partially paid, and paid invoices.

Xero and QuickBooks: invoicing software your accountant will recognise

Programa Invoicing isn't trying to replace your accounting software. Xero runs your books. QuickBooks runs your books. Programa runs your projects, and the two need to talk to each other reliably.

Xero integration:

• Sync invoices directly from Programa to Xero with one click
• Assign line items to specific Xero accounts
• Match client contacts between platforms
• Import tax rates from your Xero file
• Automatic invoice status updates flow back into Programa
• Per invoice sync status, manual retry, and automatic recovery on failed syncs

QuickBooks integration:

• Push invoice drafts from Programa into QuickBooks
• Track payments and update status in both platforms
• Match client contacts and import tax rates
• The same per invoice sync status, manual retry, and failure recovery as the Xero workflow

If your studio operates in both Australia and the US, this matters: you can run Xero for the Australian entity and QuickBooks for the US entity from one Programa account.

Programa Pay: built in payments for interior design studios

For studios who want clients to pay invoices directly rather than via a separate bank transfer:

• Card payments at a flat 3.5%, no surprise fees
• Bank transfers capped at 1.0%, with ACH in the US and BECS in Australia
• Branded payment portal, mobile ready, no client login required, styled to your studio
• Live payment status the moment a card clears
• Chargeback protection and state of the art security
• Onboarding, payouts, and disputes all managed inside Programa

Who Programa Invoicing is built for

• Solo interior designers issuing invoices between project deliverables
• Small interior design studios of two to ten people managing multiple concurrent projects
• Large interior design firms running multi team studios across regions and tax jurisdictions
• Architectural practices issuing both fee invoices and FF&E billing
• Design build studios combining design fees, time tracking, and product specifications on one invoice

How interior design invoicing software differs from generic billing tools

A short comparison for context:

• Generic billing software: invoice number, line item description, amount, tax. Designed for service businesses with simple billable items.
• FF&E specification tools without invoicing: detailed product data, but no way to bill from it. Forces re-keying into a separate tool.
• Accounting software used alone (Xero, QuickBooks): strong on books and reconciliation, weak on project context. No connection to schedules, time entries, or client approvals.
• Programa Invoicing: the connective layer. Project data, time data, markups, milestone splits, branded presentation, and sync to the accounting software you already use.

Common questions about invoicing for interior designers

What is the best invoicing software for interior designers? Most interior design studios use either generic small business invoicing (Xero, QuickBooks, FreshBooks) or a vertical platform like Programa. Generic tools handle billing well but force double entry from your project data. Programa handles the project to invoice connection, then syncs the final invoice to your accounting software.

How do I invoice a client for an interior design project? Most studios invoice in three phases: a deposit or design fee at contract signing, milestone invoices for specified products (FF&E, joinery, custom items), and a final balance. Programa supports all three patterns with milestone payment splits and named instalments.

Can I invoice for FF&E and time tracking on one invoice? Yes. Programa pulls schedule items and time entries onto the same invoice, with custom line items added inline.

Does Programa replace my accountant? No. Programa Invoicing is the billing and project layer. Your accountant still uses Xero or QuickBooks for the books. The two sync.

Is Programa Invoicing available outside Australia? Yes. Programa is used by studios in over 80 countries, with currency, tax, and locale settings configurable per studio or per project.