Add a new contact

Here's how to enter your contacts into FreeAgent.

There are two ways to enter a new contact into FreeAgent. Either import several contacts at once, or you can enter individual contacts one by one. This article explains how to enter individual contacts – to get started, select Add New Contact.

This brings up the New Contact screen.

Most of the information on this screen is optional. The boxes that have to be filled in are marked with red asterisks.

Names

In the Contact Details form, you can either enter your contact's own name and their organisation name, or one or the other.

You can also enter multiple addresses in the email address fields; just separate each address with a comma. Bear in mind that FreeAgent will send invoices and other communications to all of the email addresses you provide for each contact.

Invoicing Options for this contact

Under the address boxes is the Invoicing Options section which we'll look at in a bit more detail. These are relevant if the contact is a client rather than a supplier.

Payment terms

If you want to set payment terms that are specific for this contact, you can enter that here. This will then be used on all new invoices and recurring invoice profiles that you create for this contact. It won’t change any existing invoices (including draft invoices) or any existing recurring invoice profiles.

Invoice emails

You can choose whether to automatically email invoices, invoice reminders and thank you notes to your contact. These defaults will be used on all new invoices and recurring invoice profiles that you create for this contact. It won’t change any existing invoices (including draft invoices) or any existing recurring invoice profiles.

Please note that when converting an estimate to an invoice, the ‘Contact-level email settings’ will not be automatically selected on the invoice created from the estimate.

Invoice numbering sequence

You may want to tick this box to set a specific sequence for invoices you issue to this contact. For example, you might want to prefix the number with the client's or business's initials.

Display names on invoices

You have the option to display the contact's individual name as well as the organisation's name on the invoices. This is useful if you need to mark the invoice for a particular person's attention, for example the bookkeeper or purchase ledger clerk.

Charging VAT - or not

Depending on where you're delivering services to your clients, you may need to add VAT to the invoices you issue. In the 'Invoicing Options' area, you can choose to either:

• charge VAT if the client is based in the United Kingdom VAT area (this area includes the Isle of Man)
• always charge VAT
• never charge VAT

You can also enter the client's VAT registration number.

Choice of language

And you do also have the option to issue invoices and estimates to your clients in several different languages. Choose your language by selecting the drop-down arrow here.

Once you've finished making changes, select Create New Contact to save your new contact, Create and Add Another if you want to save this new contact and add another one, or Cancel to exit from this screen without setting up the new contact.