Adding Discounts to Invoices and Estimates

You can add a discount to any invoice or estimate in ScanPay — as a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of the total. You can also control whether the discount applies before or after tax, either as a team-wide default or on a per-invoice basis.

How to add a discount

On the app:

1. Open or create an invoice or estimate
2. Tap Add a discount below your line items
3. Choose $ or % and enter the discount amount
4. Tap Save

The discount appears as a line in your invoice summary, and the total updates immediately.

On the web:

1. Open or create an invoice or estimate
2. Click Add a discount below your line items
3. Choose $ or % and enter the discount amount
4. Click Save

Note: Discounts in ScanPay are applied at the invoice level, not to individual line items. If your invoice has multiple line items, the discount is distributed proportionally across them.

Dollar vs. percentage discounts

Percentage (%): Applies the same percentage to every line item.Example: 10% discount on a $100 item and a $50 item = $10 off the first, $5 off the second.

Fixed amount ($): Distributed across line items proportionally by price.Example: $30 discount on a $100 item and a $50 item = $20 off the first, $10 off the second.

Before-tax vs. after-tax discounts

You can choose whether the discount reduces the taxable amount (before tax) or is applied after tax has already been calculated. This affects both the customer's total and what tax is calculated on.

Before-tax discount: The discount is applied first. Tax is then calculated on the reduced amount.

Example: $100 item, 10% tax, 20% discount

• After discount: $80
• Tax (on $80): $8
• Total: $88

After-tax discount: Tax is calculated on the full amount first. The discount is then applied.

Example: $100 item, 10% tax, 20% discount

• Tax (on $100): $10
• Discount: $20
• Total: $90

Which should I use? Before-tax is the industry standard and is recommended for most promotional discounts — it gives your customer greater actual savings and is how most competitors handle it by default. After-tax is typically used for manufacturer rebates or instant rebates, where the issuer requires the discount to apply after tax.

Set your team's default

Your team's default controls how discounts are calculated on all new invoices and estimates. Team members can always override this on individual invoices.

On the app:

1. Tap the menu icon (☰) in the top left
2. Go to Team Settings → Invoices → Discounts
3. Under Default discount calculation, select:
   • Apply discounts before tax (Recommended)
   • Apply discounts after tax
4. Tap Save

On the web:

1. Go to Settings in the left-hand navigation
2. Click Invoices Settings → Discounts
3. Under Default discount calculation, select your preferred option
4. Click Save

Override on an individual invoice

You can change the discount timing on any specific invoice without affecting your team default.

1. Open or create an invoice
2. Tap Add a discount
3. Enter your discount amount
4. Check or uncheck Apply discount after taxes
   • Checked = after-tax
   • Unchecked = before-tax
5. Tap Save

Frequently asked questions

FAQ start

Does changing my team default affect existing invoices?

‍No. The setting only applies to new invoices and estimates created after the change. Previously created invoices are not affected.

Does this apply to estimates too?

‍Yes. The team default and per-invoice override both apply to estimates.

Can technicians in the field change the team default?

‍No. Only users with Edit Team Settings access (typically Owners and Admins) can update the team default. Any team member can override the setting on an individual invoice when adding a discount.

What if a line item has no tax?

‍The discount still applies to all line items. For items with no tax, the before/after setting has no effect — only taxable items are impacted by the timing.

FAQ End