1. Why this page exists
A transaction should be self-explanatory to anyone reading it later — you, your bookkeeper, or a card issuer. That needs a fixed field set per document, not prose. The fields below are the ones used in practice.
Invoice — INV-JA-2026-014-M2
- Invoice number and issue date
- Project reference and SOW number
- Milestone number and the deliverable IDs covered
- Amount, currency, and any tax line
- Due date and payment reference (the invoice number)
- Accepted method and the payee name
- Late terms and a link to the refund policy
Receipt — RCP-JA-2026-014-M2
- Invoice number it settles
- Amount received, currency, and method
- Date funds cleared
- Payee and payer names
- A note that a receipt does not vary the SOW
Acceptance record — ACR-JA-2026-014-M2
- Milestone covered and the definition-of-done items checked
- Who accepted, and whether by written approval or deemed acceptance on day 6
- Date, and any carry-over items
- A statement that acceptance adds no features
Change order — CO-JA-2026-014-01
- Request description and reason
- Price from the add-on list, or a bespoke quote
- Effect on dates and milestones
- Client approval and date before work starts
- Superseded invoice or milestone, if any
Handover index — HOF-JA-2026-014
- Every document in the project, by number and date
- Access transferred and to whom
- Credentials or invitations issued
- Outstanding items and the support window end date
6. Numbering rules
- One project reference per engagement:
JA-YYYY-NNN, sequential, never reused. - Every later document appends to it — SOW, invoice, receipt, acceptance record, change order, handover.
- Milestone suffix
-M#; change-order suffix-NN. - A re-issued document keeps its number and adds a revision letter:
R1.
7. Retention
Project, contract, invoice, and receipt records are kept seven years; inquiry correspondence up to 24 months. Records are available to the Client on request for the life of the retention period.
8. Related
How payment and evidence work · SOW template · Master Services Agreement · Business details · contact@jon-andrew.com