ThriveCart - automatic invoice generation for sales

Automating billing is the dream of every course or e-book creator. Nobody wants to spend hours manually generating invoices and sending them to customers, especially as sales grow. ThriveCart — a popular cart for selling digital products — meets these needs by offering built-in automatic invoicing mechanisms. In this article, we'll look at how to configure and use these features, what their limitations are, and what to do to fully adapt the invoicing process to Polish legal requirements. This complements previous publications on integrating ThriveCart with Fakturownia and other systems, this time with an emphasis on maximum automation on the cart side.

How do automatic invoices work in ThriveCart?

ThriveCart by default sends the customer a message with an invoice after each successful transaction. In the product settings, you can decide whether to use the detailed notification (invoice-style) or the basic notification. ThriveCart documentation emphasizes that the detailed version contains all essential elements: company logo, seller and buyer details, invoice number, purchase date, product breakdown, taxes and future payments, a link to download the invoice in PDF format, and a link to the customer dashboard. This is why most sellers choose this option.

The basic option is designed for advanced users who use external invoicing tools; it contains only the logo, company name, list of purchased products, and support links. In both cases, the invoice is sent automatically after purchase, saving time and reducing errors.

Numbering and personalization settings

In the Settings > Account-wide settings > Invoices menu, you can set the document numbering method. ThriveCart allows you to define the starting point of numbering and add a prefix (e.g., year or company abbreviation). Each invoice number is incremented as new orders appear, and the system does not allow setting a number lower than the last one used. You can also disable notification sending at the account level or individual product level if you plan to use external tools.

Tax information and buyer data collection

ThriveCart supports automatic tax calculation and VAT number validation in the European Union. If you enable the "EU VAT number validation" feature in the checkout editor, a customer from the European Union will see a field for the EU VAT number. After entering the number, the system verifies whether it is correct and – if the buyer's company is registered – reduces the tax to 0%, applying the reverse charge mechanism. Information about the applied reverse VAT is included on the invoice. This is convenient when selling courses to other EU countries, as it eliminates the need to manually check VIES numbers.

Other automation tools: bulk invoice downloads

Under the Pro+ license, ThriveCart provides a Bulk Invoice Downloads feature. It helps during tax season: instead of downloading invoices one by one, you can select a date range, product, or customer and generate a ZIP file with all matching documents. The link to the PDF package is sent by email, so it can easily be forwarded to an accountant or archived. This saves time with monthly, quarterly, or annual settlements.

Where does automation end? ThriveCart limitations

Although ThriveCart automatically sends PDF invoices, there are several limitations to keep in mind, especially in the context of Polish law:

1. No structured e-invoice. ThriveCart generates PDF documents. However, in many EU countries, including Poland, e-invoices in XML format will be mandatory for B2B in the coming years. This means the invoice will need to be sent to KSeF, which ThriveCart does not support. Therefore, for sales to companies, additional accounting software is necessary.
2. Limited field customization. ThriveCart allows adding a prefix and logo but does not enable editing the invoice structure or adding custom fields specific to Polish law (e.g., GTU code or "split payment mechanism" annotation).
3. Data stored outside the EU. The platform hosts data on servers in the United States. This requires a data processing agreement and may raise concerns in the context of GDPR, especially when collecting business data (tax ID, address).
4. No native connection with Fakturownia and other Polish systems. As noted in the previous article, ThriveCart does not directly integrate with Polish accounting tools. If you need full automation and KSeF compliance, you must use additional solutions.

How to connect ThriveCart with a Polish accounting system?

1. Using the basic module and manual import

If you only issue invoices to individual customers, you can use the native module and download bulk invoices monthly via Pro+. Then manually enter data into Fakturownia or another program. This is time-consuming but works with a small number of transactions.

2. Integration through API and automators

For growing sales, it's worth reaching for tools like n8n, Zapier, or Make. ThriveCart enables subscribing to events such as order_created or order_rebill through its API, and integrators can automatically create invoices in Fakturownia or another system. However, this requires configuring the flow, field mapping, and attention to currencies and tax ID numbers.

3. Dedicated SaaS solutions

The most convenient option is to use a ready-made integrator – for example, striptu.com. This tool connects ThriveCart with Stripe, Kajabi, and Polish accounting systems. After each transaction, data is sent to Fakturownia, and the invoice is generated in accordance with Polish requirements and, in the future, sent to KSeF. Unlike general integrators, striptu.com works in a "plug and play" model and requires no coding.

Practical tips for ThriveCart users

1. Enable VAT verification for the EU. If you sell to companies in the EU, activate the VAT field in the checkout editor and allow customers to enter their number. ThriveCart will verify the number and apply the 0% rate.
2. Set the prefix and numbering according to the Polish system. Enter a prefix containing the year and company abbreviation, e.g., TC/2025/, to more easily distinguish ThriveCart invoices in your records. Setting the numbering is only possible to a number higher than the current one.
3. Choose the appropriate notification type. For B2C sales, use the full invoice. However, if you generate invoices in an external system, set "basic notification" to avoid sending duplicates.
4. Regularly download reports. Use Bulk Invoice Downloads to download all invoices once a month or quarter. This will simplify settlements and prepare you for the introduction of KSeF.

Summary

ThriveCart offers extensive automatic invoicing capabilities: from detailed notifications with numbering, through VAT number verification, to bulk document downloads. Thanks to these features, creators of courses and digital products can focus on sales rather than manual administration. However, keep in mind that invoices generated in ThriveCart remain PDF files and do not meet the future KSeF requirements. Therefore, in Polish conditions, it is best to treat native ThriveCart invoices as confirmations for the customer, and issue proper VAT documents using Fakturownia, iFirma, or dedicated integrators. Thanks to SaaS integrations such as striptu.com, you can combine sales automation with full legal compliance while maintaining work efficiency.