🔒 This article is only for customers using Improved Actuals for invoicing. Unsure if that applies to you? Check here.
Improved Actuals gives you much more detailed invoices than Standard Actuals, and switching on the new invoice layout takes that a step further. Every session is listed day by day, with booked, funded and chargeable hours shown separately, so bill payers can see exactly what they’re being charged for.
How to Turn On the New Invoice Layout
The new invoice layout is a redesigned template that meets upcoming legal requirements and gives families invoices that are clearer and easier to understand. It’s an opt-in feature, and you can switch it on in a few steps:
Go to Settings in your sidebar
Scroll to the bottom and select Playground
Opt in to the New invoice layout
💡 The new invoice layout is only available for Improved Actuals
What Do Invoices Look Like in Improved Actuals with the New Layout?
In the invoice below, November’s attendance is broken down week by week, with funding applied. Each day of the week is listed with its session, followed by Booked hours, Funded hours, Chargeable hours and the Price. Funded hours come off the booked hours, and the bill payer only pays for the chargeable hours that are left.
The Funded hours column header always reads (at £0.00), whether or not a child has funding. It’s there to reassure bill payers that funded hours don’t cost them anything.
In the first week, from 2 to 8 November, Monday and Tuesday are full days of 12h 0m, with 10h 0m funded on each. That leaves 2h 0m chargeable at £12.50 per day. Wednesday’s AM session has no funding, so all 6h 0m is chargeable at £39.00. Thursday’s PM session has 1h 50m funded, leaving 4h 10m chargeable at £26.35, and Friday’s PM session has no funding at £38.00. The Total hours per week row brings it together: 42h 0m booked, 21h 50m funded, 20h 10m chargeable, and £128.35.
At the bottom, the Subtotal shows total funded hours (97h 22m at £0.00) and total chargeable hours (82h 38m at £525.90). Extra charges are grouped together under Other charges, so the 17 lunches (£12.00 each) appear once at £204.00. Together, that brings the invoice total to £729.90.
How Does This Compare to Standard Actuals?
A Standard Actuals invoice presents the same kind of information in a much more condensed way. The main differences are:
| Standard Actuals | Improved Actuals with the new layout |
How the month is shown | One line for the whole month with a single total price | Week by week, with each day’s session listed |
Sessions | A weekly pattern, for example 2 x Full Day | Each session on its own row, by day |
Hours | Total weekly hours only | Booked, funded and chargeable hours for every session |
Funding | Funded hours shown together at the bottom of the invoice | Funded hours shown against each session, with a subtotal at the bottom |
Prices | Only the overall total is shown | A price for every session, plus a weekly total |
Extra charges | Listed in the weekly pattern, for example, 4 x Lunch | Grouped together under Other charges with a price |
Here's an example of the same booking plan (without funding) on Standard Actuals:
