Understanding line items
Every invoice consists of line items - individual products or services you're billing for. Each line item contains four key components that work together to calculate the total amount.
Basic Structure
Description: What you're charging for
Quantity: How many units
Rate: Price per unit
Amount: Quantity × Rate
Example
Description: Logo Design
Quantity: 3 concepts
Rate: GHS 500 each
Amount: GHS 1,500
Adding line items
Creating your first item
- Click "Add Item" in the invoice builder
- Enter a clear, descriptive name for your service or product
- Set the quantity (defaults to 1)
- Enter the rate per unit
- The amount calculates automatically
Adding multiple items
You can add as many line items as needed:
- Click "Add Item" for each new line
- Use Tab to quickly move between fields
- Press Enter at the end of a line to add another
- Drag and drop to reorder items
Quantity and units
Common quantity types
Time-based services
• Hours (5 hours × GHS 200/hour = GHS 1,000)
• Days (3 days × GHS 800/day = GHS 2,400)
• Weeks (2 weeks × GHS 2,000/week = GHS 4,000)
• Days (3 days × GHS 800/day = GHS 2,400)
• Weeks (2 weeks × GHS 2,000/week = GHS 4,000)
Project-based work
• Deliverables (1 website × GHS 5,000 = GHS 5,000)
• Concepts (3 logo concepts × GHS 500 = GHS 1,500)
• Revisions (2 revision rounds × GHS 300 = GHS 600)
• Concepts (3 logo concepts × GHS 500 = GHS 1,500)
• Revisions (2 revision rounds × GHS 300 = GHS 600)
Products
• Pieces (10 business cards × GHS 5 = GHS 50)
• Licenses (1 software license × GHS 1,200 = GHS 1,200)
• Subscriptions (12 months × GHS 100 = GHS 1,200)
• Licenses (1 software license × GHS 1,200 = GHS 1,200)
• Subscriptions (12 months × GHS 100 = GHS 1,200)
Decimal quantities
Plaen supports decimal quantities for precise billing:
- Partial hours: 2.5 hours × GHS 200/hour = GHS 500
- Fractional units: 0.5 months × GHS 1,000/month = GHS 500
- Percentage work: 0.75 complete × GHS 2,000 = GHS 1,500
Rate calculations
Setting rates
Enter rates in your preferred currency:
- Whole numbers: 500, 1200, 2000
- Decimals: 150.50, 99.99, 1250.75
- Large amounts: 15000, 50000, 100000
Rate formatting
Plaen automatically formats rates for readability:
- 1500 displays as GHS 1,500.00
- 99.5 displays as GHS 99.50
- 10000 displays as GHS 10,000.00
Automatic calculations
Line item amounts
Each line automatically calculates: Quantity × Rate = Amount
Description
Qty
Rate
Amount
Web Design
1
GHS 3,000
GHS 3,000
Hosting Setup
1
GHS 500
GHS 500
Training Hours
3
GHS 200
GHS 600
Subtotal
GHS 4,100
Subtotal calculation
The subtotal is the sum of all line item amounts before any discounts, taxes, or adjustments.
Discounts and adjustments
Percentage discounts
Apply discounts as percentages:
- Early bird discount: 10% off subtotal
- Volume discount: 15% for large projects
- Loyalty discount: 5% for repeat clients
Fixed amount discounts
Apply specific amounts off the total:
- Promotional discount: GHS 500 off
- Referral credit: GHS 200 off
- Goodwill adjustment: GHS 100 off
Tax calculations
VAT/Sales tax
Add tax to your invoices:
- Ghana VAT: 15% on applicable services
- Tax-inclusive: Include tax in the item rate
- Tax-exclusive: Add tax on top of subtotal
Tax calculation example
SubtotalGHS 4,100
Discount (10%)-GHS 410
Adjusted SubtotalGHS 3,690
VAT (15%)GHS 553.50
TotalGHS 4,243.50
Managing line items
Editing items
- Click any field to edit description, quantity, or rate
- Tab through fields for quick editing
- Changes save automatically as you type
- Calculations update instantly when values change
Organizing items
- Drag and drop to reorder line items
- Delete items using the trash icon
- Duplicate items for similar services
- Group related items together logically
Best practices
- Be descriptive: Clear item descriptions prevent confusion
- Use consistent units: Stick to hours, days, or pieces
- Break down complex work: Separate different services
- Round appropriately: Use clean numbers when possible
- Double-check math: Verify totals make sense