The Papertools blog
Practical articles on running the money side of a small business. Looking for what’s new in the product? That’s updates — company announcements live on news.
What a Free Accounting Plan Should Include (and When It's a Dead End)
Free accounting software is easy to find. A free plan you can grow out of without migrating is not. How to tell a real limit from a dead end — and what a complete free foundation actually looks like.
Read
How to Read an Aging Report
The total outstanding is the least useful number on the page. What the buckets mean, why they count from the due date, and the three things worth checking every week.
Read
What to Do When a Client Won't Pay an Invoice
Work through the escalation ladder first. Then decide whether the invoice should be voided, credited, or written off — because they are not the same thing.
Read
Estimate, Invoice, or Receipt? Which Document to Send and When
Three documents, three different jobs — and sending the wrong one either leaves money uncounted or counts it twice. When to send each, and the deposit case that catches everyone.
Read
How to Number Invoices (Sequences, Restarting, and Gaps)
Invoice numbers only need to be sequential and unique. Here's how to pick a scheme, whether you can restart at 1 each year, and what to do when a voided invoice leaves a gap.
Read
How to Write an Invoice (What to Include and What to Leave Off)
Most invoices that get paid late aren't disputed — they're unclear. The eight things every invoice needs, what to add when it applies, and what to leave off entirely.
Read
Invoice Payment Terms: Should You Use Net 7, 15, or 30?
Net 30 is the default most small businesses inherit, and it's usually the wrong one. How to pick payment terms that match your customers and your cash cycle, and where to write them so they hold.
Read
How to Write a Late Payment Reminder Email (4 Templates)
Four reminder emails covering the full sequence, from a friendly heads-up three days before the due date to a final notice at fourteen days overdue. Copy, adjust, send.
Read
How to Get Clients to Pay Invoices on Time
Late invoices are usually a process problem, not a client problem. Here's the payment terms, invoice setup, and reminder schedule that get small business invoices paid on time.
Read
Proper Books Without Becoming a Bookkeeper
Small business software makes you pick: an invoice app that keeps no books, or an accounting suite built for accountants. Papertools runs on real double-entry accounting with none of the vocabulary.
Read