Rounding the total of an invoice or estimate
Rounding changes the total of an invoice, an estimate or a recurring invoice to a round amount and shows the difference on a Rounding line of its own. The line items and the VAT stay exactly as they were calculated, and only the amount to pay moves.
When rounding helps
If your customers pay in cash, the total often has to end in 0 or 5 cents, because several countries have stopped using 1 and 2 cent coins. Rounding to the nearest 0.05 turns 10.03 into 10.05, with 0.02 on the rounding line.
If you have agreed on a round price, the VAT calculation can land a cent away from it. When you agreed on 100.00 and the invoice adds up to 100.01, a custom rounding of -0.01 brings the total back to what was agreed.
Some businesses also prefer whole amounts on every document. Rounding to the nearest 1.00 turns 247.60 into 248.00.
Set the rounding on a document
Rounding is set in Invoice details while you work on the document. On an estimate the same panel is called Estimate details. There are two ways to open it:
- click the totals below the line items, which opens the panel with Round the total to: already selected,
- click the area at the top of the document that shows the number and the dates.
On a recurring invoice the field is on the Invoice details tab of Details & schedule, and clicking the totals takes you straight to it.
Under Round the total to: choose one of the following.
| Option | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Don't round | The total stays as calculated. This is where a new document starts. | 10.03 stays 10.03 |
| Nearest 0.05 | Rounds to the closest 5 cents. | 10.02 becomes 10.00, 10.03 becomes 10.05 |
| Nearest 0.10 | Rounds to the closest 10 cents. | 10.04 becomes 10.00, 10.05 becomes 10.10 |
| Nearest 1.00 | Rounds to the closest whole amount. | 10.49 becomes 10.00, 10.50 becomes 11.00 |
| Custom amount | You type the difference yourself in the field that appears next to the list, up to 5.00 in either direction. A negative amount lowers the total. | 100.01 with -0.01 becomes 100.00 |
The total changes as soon as you choose, and the Rounding line appears above the amount to pay whenever the difference is not zero. With the first three rounding options the difference is worked out again every time the line items change, so it never goes stale. A custom amount stays as you typed it.
Set a default for new documents
If you round every document the same way, open Business settings. Round invoice totals to is in the section Invoice late fees, payment terms & notes, and Round estimate totals to is in the section Estimate expiration & notes. New documents start with that choice, and you can still change it on each one.
Custom amount is not offered as a default, because it needs an amount for each document.
Cash payments in countries that round to 5 cents
Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Slovakia require cash payments to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. For a business in one of these countries, Nearest 0.05 is marked as suggested on documents in euros.
The Payment method is on the same panel as the rounding. When you choose Cash there, an invoice in euros that has no rounding yet switches to Nearest 0.05, and you see the field change. A rounding you have already chosen is left alone, and changing the payment method back does not remove the rounding. A recurring invoice has a payment method too, so the same happens there.
The same happens in Business settings. When you choose Cash as the Default payment method, Round invoice totals to switches to Nearest 0.05, so new invoices start with both.
Bank transfers are always paid to the exact amount, so rounding stays your choice and is never turned on for any other payment method.
Where the rounding shows
The Rounding line is part of the document, so your customer sees it on the PDF and on the public link. E-invoices carry the rounding as its own amount too, and the amount to pay on the e-invoice is the rounded one. See Sending e-invoices to customers.
The rounding also travels with the document:
- An estimate keeps its rounding when you turn it into an invoice, and a duplicate keeps the rounding of the original.
- A recurring invoice has the same setting, and every invoice it generates is rounded the same way. See Setting up recurring invoices.
- On a credit note the rounding has the opposite sign, so the invoice and its credit note add up to zero.