By Claire Morgan, invoicing-platform helpdesk lead with 9 years of experience troubleshooting billing email and client-access problems
Last reviewed: July 22, 2026
FreshBooks business users sign in to create, send, and track invoices, while clients normally open the invoice link delivered by email. A client does not need a FreshBooks account merely to view, download, or pay an eligible invoice.
This independent guide is not affiliated with FreshBooks.
Start with the invoice record. Confirm whether it was sent, whether delivery failed, and whether the client is using the newest link before creating another document.
What FreshBooks Invoice Access Means
FreshBooks is cloud accounting and invoicing software used by small businesses and independent professionals. Its invoice workflow lets a business create a document, email it to a client, attach a PDF where configured, share it through a link, and review related email activity.
The business login and client invoice experience are separate.
Business users enter FreshBooks to manage accounting records. Clients generally select View and Pay Invoice from the message sent by the business. A primary client can create an optional client account to organize documents from that business, but account creation is not required for ordinary invoice viewing.
That distinction resolves many wrong-page searches.
A client who reaches the business login does not need the sender’s credentials. The client needs the current invoice email or a valid share link.
Choose the Correct FreshBooks Route
| Your task | Correct starting point |
|---|---|
| Create or edit an invoice | FreshBooks business login |
| Recover business access | Forgot Your Password? |
| Pay as a client | View and Pay Invoice in the email |
| Confirm an email was generated | Sent Emails area |
| Investigate failed delivery | Invoice activity and delivery notice |
| Send through another channel | More Actions > Share via Link |
| Give a client account-creation option | Send the document by FreshBooks email |
| Review all documents as a client | Optional primary client account |
| Check a broad interruption | FreshBooks status page |
FreshBooks’ login guidance covers direct credentials, Google sign-in, Apple sign-in, and FreshBooks verification codes.
Do this first: determine whether the problem is business login, email generation, email delivery, or client access. Skip password resets when the invoice email is the only part that failed.
Log In to the Correct Business
Open FreshBooks through the company’s own website and use the sign-in method already connected to the account. Users with access to multiple businesses should verify the active company before resending an invoice.
This sounds basic. It prevents real errors.
A person can log in successfully, open an invoice with a familiar amount, and still be looking at another business or client record. Confirm the business name, client, invoice number, currency, and balance before changing delivery settings.
FreshBooks recommends typing login information manually when browser autofill may be inserting an outdated email or password. It also provides recovery instructions for users who sign in through Google or Apple.
Priority one is the existing account. Skip creating a replacement profile because another FreshBooks business will not contain the original client history, invoice activity, payments, or email records.
Send an Invoice by Email
When creating or editing an invoice, FreshBooks lets the business select the client, enter services or products, configure payment options, add a message, and send the document by email. The delivered message contains the invoice link used by the client.
Before selecting Send, review:
- primary client and additional recipients;
- invoice number;
- amount and currency;
- issue and due dates;
- online payment methods;
- email subject and message;
- whether a PDF should be attached.
An invoice can be correct while the recipient field is wrong.
FreshBooks supports primary clients and secondary contacts, so the business should confirm which person is expected to receive and manage the invoice. Client profiles can also be configured to include a PDF attachment on future individual invoices.
Check the email address character by character. Skip relying entirely on autofill when two contacts have similar names.
Confirm Whether FreshBooks Sent the Email
FreshBooks provides a Sent Emails area that records messages generated from the account. This allows the business to verify whether a specific invoice, estimate, proposal, reminder, or other supported message was created and addressed to the intended recipient.
This is more useful than asking, “Did the client check spam?”
Inspect the sent record for:
- recipient;
- subject;
- document;
- sending user;
- date and time;
- related client profile.
FreshBooks’ email-customization documentation notes that replies and certain email updates go to the user who sent the document. In many cases, this is the person who created the invoice, estimate, or proposal.
That can explain why the owner sees no reply while a staff member receives it.
Priority two is the sent record. Skip resending until you know whether the original email was generated and where responses are routed.
What a Delivery Failure Means
FreshBooks sends a notification when delivery of an invoice or estimate is unsuccessful. The notice identifies the affected document and recipient so the business can correct the contact information or use another delivery method.
A delivery failure is not the same as a client ignoring the invoice.
The address may contain a typo, the receiving domain may reject the message, or the recipient’s mail system may filter it. FreshBooks also offers alternatives: create a shareable link or download a PDF and send it through the business’s own email service.
Correct the client record before resending. Otherwise, future invoices and reminders may continue going to the wrong address.
Do not publish the invoice link in a public post or open group. The link may expose client names, prices, services, payment status, or other business information.
Share an Invoice by Link
The browser workflow is:
Open invoice > More Actions > Share via Link
FreshBooks generates a link that can be copied into an existing email thread, text message, or another trusted communication channel.
The mobile applications also support invoice sharing. Android includes Share Link, while iOS provides Share Invoice Link for sending through supported apps on the device.
There is an important limitation.
FreshBooks says documents opened through Share via Link do not display the option for the client to create a client account. When client-account creation is needed, send the invoice, estimate, or proposal through FreshBooks email instead.
Use a link for access. Use the email workflow when the client also needs the client-account invitation path.
Why an Invoice Link Says It Is Unavailable
FreshBooks documents cases where an invoice link temporarily reports that the document is unavailable. Its guidance includes refreshing the existing link, checking the sender’s invoice record, and testing delivery through an alternate email address controlled by the business.
Do not create a duplicate invoice immediately.
The original may still contain payment history, client activity, reminders, and accounting treatment that a replacement document would split into another record.
Check whether:
- the invoice was deleted or archived;
- the client opened an old message;
- the document was replaced;
- the invoice remains in draft;
- the link was copied incompletely;
- FreshBooks is reporting a service incident.
FreshBooks’ developer documentation states that an invoice created in Draft status is not available to the client through an invoice link until it has been marked sent or sent by email.
Send the finished document. Skip sharing unfinished drafts.
Client Accounts and the “To Me” Area
A primary client can create an optional client account from an invoice, estimate, or proposal received by email. This account lets the client review documents received from that particular FreshBooks business.
A client who also uses FreshBooks for their own business can save received invoices in the To Me subsection of Invoices. FreshBooks documents this as a way to retain invoices sent by other FreshBooks users.
The client account does not provide access to the sender’s bookkeeping data. It does not expose unrelated clients, expenses, bank records, or reports.
Secondary contacts may receive and pay documents, but their account capabilities differ from those of the primary client.
Do not troubleshoot a secondary contact as though they automatically hold primary-client access.
Viewed, Sent, and Paid Are Different
FreshBooks invoice management uses statuses to distinguish document stages. A draft has been created but not sent. A sent invoice has been delivered or marked sent. A viewed invoice has been opened through the client-facing document experience. Paid and partially paid statuses reflect recorded payment activity.
Viewed does not mean paid.
Sent does not prove the client’s mail provider placed the message in the inbox.
Paid does not always mean the money has already reached the business bank account.
Keep these stages separate when following up. A business should not send an overdue warning merely because the invoice was viewed, and it should not record a replacement payment merely because a bank payout is pending.
FreshBooks also offers an Invoice Not Viewed notification for an invoice that remains unopened after it was sent.
Use that alert as a prompt to verify delivery, not as proof that the client is avoiding payment.
Email Customization and Reply Routing
FreshBooks’ Email Customization settings let a business manage the sending address used on account emails, adjust supported subjects and message bodies, and create a custom signature.
Customization should improve recognition.
Use a sender identity and business name that the client will connect with the contract or completed work. An unfamiliar sender name can lead the client to overlook the message or treat it cautiously.
FreshBooks notes that replies are directed to the sender associated with the document email. When several team members send invoices, client responses may be divided among different inboxes.
Before changing the template, check who sent the invoice.
Do not place confidential payment information, account credentials, authentication codes, or unnecessary personal details in the email body. Payment data belongs in the designated client payment workflow.
Check for a FreshBooks Service Incident
FreshBooks operates a public status page covering its website and platform functions.
Check it when several clients report unavailable invoice links or multiple staff members cannot send documents at approximately the same time.
A single bounced email is usually account- or recipient-specific. Ten unrelated failures in one hour deserve a status check.
Use this order:
- Confirm the invoice exists.
- Inspect Sent Emails.
- Check the recipient address.
- Review any delivery-failure notice.
- Test the current share link.
- Check FreshBooks status.
- Contact support when the evidence does not identify the cause.
Preserve the original invoice during that process.
FreshBooks FAQ
Do clients need a FreshBooks login?
No. They can open the invoice link.
How can I tell whether FreshBooks generated the email?
Review the Sent Emails area for the recipient, subject, document, and sending user.
What should I do after an invoice email bounces?
Correct the recipient address, resend the document, or use Share via Link or a PDF sent through your own business email.
Can a client create an account from a share link?
No. FreshBooks says client-account creation is offered through emailed invoices, estimates, or proposals, not through Share via Link.
Why does the invoice link say unavailable?
The client may be using an old or incomplete link, the invoice may still be a draft, or the document may have been changed. Refresh the current link and inspect the original invoice before creating another one.
Does “Viewed” mean the invoice was paid?
No. Viewed records document access; payment status is tracked separately.
Can FreshBooks attach a PDF to invoice emails?
Yes. A client profile can be configured so new individual invoices include a PDF attachment when sent by email.
Where do client replies go?
FreshBooks says replies and related email updates generally go to the team member who sent or created the document.