Merchant Invoice

Overview

How it works

What matters in practice

An invoice documents what a customer owes and under which terms. For cryptocurrency, it should include a merchant order reference, amount and denomination, accepted asset and network, destination, quote and expiration, fee assumptions and conditions for recognition. A payment request need not be a formal tax invoice; legal invoicing requirements depend on jurisdiction. The invoice's status must be derived from authenticated payment evidence, not simply from a customer clicking 'I paid'. Store revisions or quote IDs when terms change so finance can reconcile what was agreed.

Finance teams also need to know what the invoice legally represents. A quote shown in crypto units can be a payment instruction attached to a separately issued tax invoice, depending on the merchant's jurisdiction. Store any original fiat amount, applicable taxes, timing and rate used for conversion. If the customer makes a partial payment, the remaining balance belongs to the invoice's accounting record rather than disappearing when a payment session expires.

When a customer pays with multiple transfers, the invoice should maintain a running credited balance and keep each transfer identifier. Any adjustment must be understandable in both the original price unit and the received asset. This matters when customers challenge a partial-payment decision: the merchant can point to the active quote and recorded transfers instead of asking the customer to trust a screenshot.

Related glossary concepts

Invoice Payment