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4 min read

4 ways to automate Zoho Invoice

By Juliet John · August 1, 2025
The Zoho Invoice logo connected to logos for Stripe, HubSpot, and Gmail against a lavender background

To run a small business, you've got to be a real tactician. You always have your hands in multiple pies—chasing leads, closing sales, keeping projects on track, trying to make sense of your finances—and you've got to nail all of it.

And then there's invoicing, one of those tasks that can quietly eat into your time if you let it. While Zoho Invoice helps streamline the process, it can only go so far. You still have to manually add new customers, generate invoices when deals close, and constantly check for payment or status updates.

That's where automation comes in. By connecting Zoho Invoice to Zapier, you can automate workflows that handle your invoicing from start to finish. Here's how.

Table of contents

  • Auto-generate invoices from other apps

  • Send customer records to your invoicing app

  • Get notifications about invoice updates

  • Back up your finances in a spreadsheet or database

Automatically generate invoices from other apps

Running a business means juggling multiple tools. You might use intake forms to collect client details, platforms like Stripe or Kajabi to process payments, and spreadsheets to track orders or internal records. These tools keep your operations running, but many of the actions they trigger still require follow-up in Zoho Invoice. If you're manually copying information from one app to another to create an invoice, you're risking delays, mistakes, or even missed payments.

Zapier's automated workflows (called Zaps) can take that task off your plate. For example, when someone books your service through a form, you can use a Zap to instantly generate a new Zoho Invoice with their submitted info. If a payment comes through Stripe or Kajabi, the workflow can auto-record those earnings and create a matching invoice. You can even trigger invoice creation when a new row is added to a Google Sheet that you use to log client activity.

With automation handling the admin, your invoicing process runs smoothly in the background while you stay focused on growing your business.

Create new invoices in Zoho Invoice for new Jotform submissions

Create new invoices in Zoho Invoice for new Jotform submissions
  • Jotform logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Jotform + Zoho Invoice

Create new Zoho Invoice invoices from new Kajabi payments

Create new Zoho Invoice invoices from new Kajabi payments
  • Kajabi logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Kajabi + Zoho Invoice

Create new Zoho Invoice invoices from new Stripe payments

Create new Zoho Invoice invoices from new Stripe payments
  • Stripe logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Stripe + Zoho Invoice

Create new Zoho Invoice invoices from new rows in Google Sheets

Create new Zoho Invoice invoices from new rows in Google Sheets
  • Google Sheets logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Google Sheets + Zoho Invoice

Create new Zoho Invoices for new Typeform entries

Create new Zoho Invoices for new Typeform entries
  • Typeform logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Typeform + Zoho Invoice

Send customer records to your invoicing app

Customer data often lives in multiple places, like form tools and CRMs. But wherever that data comes from, it needs to show up in your invoicing tool and stay up to date—so every bill you send your clients actually reaches them and contains accurate information. 

While you can manually move names, emails, and company info from your apps into Zoho, that workflow opens the door to typos and other avoidable errors that can make you look unprofessional and slow down your payments. Thankfully, Zapier can swipe that manual process off your hands by automatically connecting customer records to whichever app you use. 

For instance, when someone submits a form through Jotform or Typeform, a Zap can instantly create a new contact in Zoho Invoice with all their details. And when an existing contact is updated in HubSpot or Zoho CRM, the latest record can be pushed into Zoho Invoice automatically. 

With these workflows in place, your billing records stay clean, your invoicing stays accurate, and you don't waste time fixing preventable mistakes.

Create new Zoho Invoice contacts from new Jotform submissions

Create new Zoho Invoice contacts from new Jotform submissions
  • Jotform logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Jotform + Zoho Invoice

Create new Zoho Invoice contacts from updated HubSpot contact properties

Create new Zoho Invoice contacts from updated HubSpot contact properties
  • HubSpot logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
HubSpot + Zoho Invoice

Create new contacts in Zoho Invoice from new or updated contacts in Zoho CRM

Create new contacts in Zoho Invoice from new or updated contacts in Zoho CRM
  • Zoho CRM logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Zoho CRM + Zoho Invoice

Create Zoho Invoice contacts for new Google Contacts

Create Zoho Invoice contacts for new Google Contacts
  • Google Contacts logo
  • Zoho Invoice logo
Google Contacts + Zoho Invoice

Pro tip: Add a Delay by Zapier step to space out invoice creation when you're working with bulk submissions. Some apps might not process requests if too many come in at once, so a short delay helps make sure everything goes smoothly. Read our guide to using Delay by Zapier.

A screenshot of a workflow that uses a Delay by Zapier step

Get notifications about invoice updates

Staying on top of invoice activity is key to keeping your business running smoothly. But without real-time notifications, it's easy to miss when a bill becomes overdue or an invoice is updated. One way to stay informed is to check the Zoho Invoice app at intervals. But you're human, and it's easy to forget. A better approach is to automate those updates so they come to you, right when they happen. 

The following Zaps can send an email via Gmail the moment an invoice status changes. They can also push reminders to Slack, or send SMS alerts via Twilio or ClickSend SMS when a new invoice is created or paid. This way, you can stay informed without the mental load, and your team can have full visibility into your invoicing workflow.

Send emails in Gmail when invoice status changes in Zoho Invoice

Send emails in Gmail when invoice status changes in Zoho Invoice
  • Zoho Invoice logo
  • Gmail logo
Zoho Invoice + Gmail

Send Slack notifications for new Zoho Invoice invoices

Send Slack notifications for new Zoho Invoice invoices
  • Zoho Invoice logo
  • Slack logo
Zoho Invoice + Slack

Send SMS alerts for new Zoho Invoice invoices

Send SMS alerts for new Zoho Invoice invoices
  • Zoho Invoice logo
  • Twilio logo
Zoho Invoice + Twilio

Send sms for new Zoho Invoice invoices with ClickSend SMS

Send sms for new Zoho Invoice invoices with ClickSend SMS
  • Zoho Invoice logo
  • ClickSend SMS logo
Zoho Invoice + ClickSend SMS

Pro tip: For low-volume texting workflows, consider using SMS by Zapier instead of other phone and SMS apps. It lets you send internal, customizable text alerts for invoice updates—without adding yet another app to your tech stack. Want more customization from built-in Zapier tools? Add a filter step that only sends texts for high-value invoices. Read our guides to using SMS by Zapier and Filter by Zapier.

A screenshot of a workflow that uses Filter by Zapier and SMS by Zapier steps

Back up your finances in a spreadsheet or database 

I use Zoho Invoice to bill clients in my freelance business. But when it comes to tracking my finances year over year, I rely on Google Sheets. It gives me the flexibility to analyze income trends and compare performance across different years. Plus, it's great for backing up my financial data in a place I can reference anytime.

The problem, though? Pulling that data from Zoho—invoice by invoice—just isn't scalable. It's easy to miss something or make a mistake, and (believe it or not) shuffling through invoices at the end of every quarter or financial year isn't my idea of a swell time. If you're like me and prefer all your numbers in one place, automation can take care of that for you.

Whenever a new invoice is generated in Zoho Invoice or its status is changed, these workflows can add a new record in Google Sheets, Airtable, or Notion—automatically. That means no more exporting, copy-pasting, or double-checking if your records match. With this setup, your finances stay organized, up to date, and accessible when you need them.

Create Google Sheets rows for new Zoho Invoice invoices

Create Google Sheets rows for new Zoho Invoice invoices
  • Zoho Invoice logo
  • Google Sheets logo
Zoho Invoice + Google Sheets

Create Airtable records when Zoho Invoice statuses get updated

Create Airtable records when Zoho Invoice statuses get updated
  • Zoho Invoice logo
  • Airtable logo
Zoho Invoice + Airtable

Create new Notion database items from new Zoho Invoice invoices

Create new Notion database items from new Zoho Invoice invoices
  • Zoho Invoice logo
  • Notion logo
Zoho Invoice + Notion

Simplify your invoicing with automation 

Manual invoicing might get the job done. But it slows you down, increases the risk of mistakes, and pulls your attention away from what really matters: serving customers and growing your business.

By automating your Zoho Invoice workflows, you can eliminate repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and stay on top of your billing in real time. Whether it's generating invoices from forms, backing up your financial records, or getting instant updates when something changes, automation gives you more control without any extra effort.

And this is just the start of what you can do with Zapier and Zoho Invoice. What will you automate first?

Related reading:

  • Your guide to invoice automation

  • How to use automation to close high-value deals

  • How a small gardening business automates invoicing and expenses with AI

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A Zap with the trigger 'When I get a new lead from Facebook,' and the action 'Notify my team in Slack'