> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.maesn.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create invoices

> Technical step-by-step documentation for creating invoices in your customers ERP based on structured data via the Maesn Unified API.

## Create invoices in other systems in 5 steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Realize the 'sync contacts' use case" titleSize="h3">
    Start by implementing the [synchronize contacts](/use-cases/sync-contacts) use case to ensure the customers across your database and your user’s accounting platform are in sync.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Retrieve chart of accounts (optional)" titleSize="h3">
    You will usually need to specify a general ledger account or an item on each line of the invoice. These could be stored in your database or be based on user input, but most likely it will be sensible to fetch it from the user's accounting platform by calling the GET [/accounts](/api-reference/accounting-endpoints/accounts/get-accounts) endpoint.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Retrieve items (optional)" titleSize="h3">
    Call the GET [/items](/api-reference/accounting-endpoints/items/get-items) endpoint to fetch the items registered in the accounting platform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Retrieve tax rates (optional)" titleSize="h3">
    Call the GET [/taxRates](/api-reference/accounting-endpoints/taxrates/get-tax-rates) endpoint to fetch the tax rates or tax codes available in in the accounting platform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Implement a trigger to create invoices" titleSize="h3">
    Decide when to transfer invoices to your user’s accounting platform. It could be a button within your application's frontend, listening for a specific event or according to a schedule (e.g. nightly).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the invoice" titleSize="h3">
    Create the invoice in your user's accounting platform by calling POST [/invoices](/api-reference/accounting-endpoints/invoices/create-invoice).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>Want to upload an invoice in PDF-form? You are likely looking for the [capture invoice](/use-cases/capture-invoices) use case</Tip>