Invoicing

Create itemized invoices with tax calculations, send them via email, track payment status, and send reminders.

Invoicing

ExpertMD provides a full invoicing system that lets you create professional, itemized invoices for your expert witness services. Invoices are powered by Stripe, sent via email with a payment link, and can be downloaded as PDFs.

Creating an invoice

You can create an invoice from two places:

1. Cases & Records — Open a case, navigate to the Invoices tab, and click Create Invoice
2. Invoices page — Click Invoices in the sidebar, then Create Invoice and select the case

1. Select the case

   Choose which case this invoice is for. The attorney associated with the case will automatically be set as the recipient.

2. Add services and line items

   Add one or more services to the invoice. For each line item, specify:

   • Service description — What the service was (e.g., “Medical Record Review,” “Deposition Preparation,” “Expert Report Drafting,” “Court Testimony”)
   • Quantity — Number of hours or units
   • Rate — Your hourly or per-unit rate
   • Amount — Automatically calculated (quantity x rate)

   Click Add Line Item to add additional services.

3. Review subtotal

   The invoice subtotal is automatically calculated as the sum of all line item amounts. Review it to make sure everything is correct.

4. Add tax (optional)

   If applicable, add a tax percentage. The tax amount is calculated automatically and added to the subtotal to produce the total.

   • Enter the tax rate as a percentage (e.g., 8.25 for 8.25%)
   • The tax amount is shown as a separate line on the invoice
   • Tax is calculated on the subtotal
5. Review and create

   Review the complete invoice including all line items, subtotal, tax, and total amount. Click Create Invoice to save it as a draft.

The total invoice amount must be greater than $0. ExpertMD does not allow zero-dollar or negative invoices. Each service line item must also have a rate greater than$0.

Invoice line items

ExpertMD uses itemized line items when sending invoices through Stripe. This means the attorney sees a detailed breakdown of each service on their invoice rather than a single lump-sum amount.

Each line item appears separately on:

• The invoice email
• The Stripe payment page
• The downloadable PDF

If tax is applied, it appears as its own line. A small rounding adjustment line item may appear if needed to ensure the Stripe total matches exactly.

Itemized invoices provide transparency and help attorneys reconcile expenses with their case budgets. This is especially important for firms that need to track expert witness costs per service type.

Invoice statuses

Invoices move through the following statuses:

Status	Description
Draft	Created but not yet sent. You can still edit the invoice.
Sent	Sent to the attorney via email with a payment link.
Viewed	The attorney has opened the invoice (if tracking is available).
Paid	The attorney has completed payment.
Overdue	The payment due date has passed without payment.
Void	The invoice has been cancelled and is no longer payable.

Sending an invoice

After creating an invoice (it starts as a Draft), click Send Invoice to email it to the attorney.

When you send an invoice:

1. The invoice is finalized on Stripe (it can no longer be edited)
2. An email is sent to the attorney with:
   • A summary of the invoice (amount, line items)
   • A link to view and pay the invoice on Stripe
   • A link to download the invoice as a PDF
3. The invoice status changes from Draft to Sent

Once an invoice is sent (finalized), it cannot be edited. If you need to make changes, you must void the invoice and create a new one. Double-check all line items, tax, and the total before sending.

PDF invoices

Every invoice generates a PDF that both you and the attorney can download. The PDF includes:

• Your name, credentials, and billing address (invoice header)
• Attorney name and firm (bill-to section)
• Invoice number and date
• Itemized list of services with quantities, rates, and amounts
• Subtotal, tax, and total
• Payment status

PDF display behavior

When an attorney clicks a PDF link from their email, the PDF opens inline in the browser rather than downloading as a file. This prevents the common issue of seeing a blank page. The attorney can then save or print the PDF from the browser.

PDF download tokens

PDF download links include a secure token that is valid for 90 days from the invoice creation date. If an attorney tries to access a PDF link after 90 days:

• They see a user-friendly error page explaining that the link has expired
• They can still download the PDF by logging in to ExpertMD and accessing the invoice directly

Payment reminders

You can send manual payment reminders for invoices that are in Sent or Overdue status.

Sending a reminder

1. Navigate to the invoice

   Go to Invoices in the sidebar and find the invoice you want to send a reminder for.

2. Click Send Reminder

   Click the Send Reminder button on the invoice detail page.

3. Reminder is sent

   An email reminder is sent to the attorney with the invoice summary and payment link. You receive a confirmation that the reminder was sent.

There is a 1-hour cooldown between payment reminders for the same invoice. This prevents accidentally sending multiple reminders in quick succession. If you try to send a reminder within the cooldown period, you will see a message indicating when you can send the next one.

Reminder email contents

The payment reminder email includes:

• A reminder that the invoice is outstanding
• The invoice amount and due date
• A direct link to pay the invoice
• CC to your email so you have a record of the reminder

Voiding an invoice

If you need to cancel an invoice (e.g., billing error, case cancellation), you can void it:

1. Open the invoice from the Invoices list
2. Click Void Invoice
3. Confirm the action

A voided invoice:

• Cannot be paid or reopened
• Remains visible in your invoice history for record-keeping
• The attorney receives a notification that the invoice has been voided

Invoice best practices

1. Itemize your services

   Always add individual line items for each service rather than a single lump sum. This provides transparency and helps attorneys track their costs.

2. Include accurate descriptions

   Use clear, professional descriptions for each service (e.g., “Medical Record Review - 4 hours” rather than “Services rendered”).

3. Review before sending

   Double-check all amounts, tax rates, and the attorney’s information before sending. Once sent, an invoice cannot be edited.

4. Follow up on overdue invoices

   Use the payment reminder feature to follow up on unpaid invoices. A professional, timely reminder often accelerates payment.

Troubleshooting

I cannot create an invoice

• Ensure you have set up Stripe Connect. You must have an active Stripe Connect account to create invoices. See Stripe Connect Setup.
• Verify that the case is in Active status. You cannot create invoices for completed or archived cases.

The attorney says they cannot pay

• Ask the attorney to check their email for the invoice link
• Verify the invoice is in Sent status (not still a Draft)
• Ensure the Stripe payment page is loading correctly
• If the issue persists, suggest the attorney try a different browser or payment method

The PDF shows a blank page

This should not occur with the current inline display setting. If it does:

• Ask the attorney to try opening the PDF link in a different browser
• Verify the PDF download token has not expired (90-day validity)
• The attorney can always download the PDF by logging in to ExpertMD directly

Next steps

Billing & Payouts

Understand how earnings and payouts work

Stripe Connect

Set up your Stripe Connect account