Stackivo Help Center

Welcome to Stackivo — your all-in-one business operating system built specifically for Indian freelancers. This guide walks you through everything from your first login to sending your first invoice.

Creating your account

1. Go to stackivo.me and click Get started free.
2. Sign up with your Google account or email address.
3. You'll land on the onboarding screen — it takes under two minutes.

Two-step onboarding

Stackivo's onboarding is designed to feel like a premium welcome, not a form. There are only two steps:

1. Business setup — Enter your business name, profession, and currency. This populates your invoices and client-facing documents automatically.
2. GST setup— If you are GST-registered, toggle the switch and enter your GSTIN. If you're not registered, leave it off — you'll still get clean, professional invoices without any GST lines.

Your dashboard at a glance

After onboarding you land on your dashboard. The main sidebar gives you access to:

• Clients — your full client directory
• Projects — active and archived project workspaces
• Invoices — create, send, and track payments
• Contracts — professional agreements with e-signature (Pro+)
• Time — start/stop timer, log hours by project
• Portal — per-client collaboration spaces (Pro+)
• Pulse — your business analytics overview
• Ask AI — create invoices, contracts, clients, and projects from a chat interface

Choosing a plan

Stackivo has three plans. The Free plan lets you add up to 5 clients and explore the core product before committing. Upgrading to Pro (₹499/month or ₹399/month billed annually) unlocks unlimited clients, contract sending, e-signatures, the client portal, custom branding, GST reports, and project file sharing. The Business plan (₹1,499/month) adds team collaborators, API access, custom portal branding, and priority support. See pricing for a full feature comparison.

Clients are the foundation of Stackivo. Every invoice, project, contract, and portal is linked to a client, so adding them first makes everything else faster.

Adding a client

1. Click Clients in the sidebar, then Add client.
2. Enter the client's name, email, phone, and billing address.
3. If the client is GST-registered, toggle GST client and enter their GSTIN. Stackivo validates the format automatically.
4. Save. The client is now available across invoices, projects, and contracts.

Client details page

Click any client to open their detail view. You'll see a summary of their total billed amount, outstanding balance, all linked invoices, active projects, and contracts — all in one place.

Free plan limit

Editing and archiving

Open any client and click the three-dot menu to edit their details or archive them. Archived clients are hidden from the default list but all their historical data — invoices, payments, contracts — is preserved.

Stackivo's invoice builder is built for Indian freelancers — it handles GST, Razorpay payment links, due dates, and professional PDF generation out of the box. Invoices are unlimited on all plans.

Creating an invoice

1. Go to Invoices → New invoice.
2. Select a client. Their billing address and GSTIN populate automatically.
3. Add line items — description, quantity, rate. Stackivo calculates line totals in real time.
4. Set a due date. You can also add notes (visible to your client) and internal notes (visible only to you).
5. Click Save & Preview to review the PDF before sending.

AI invoice drafting

You can also describe the invoice in plain text using Ask AI in the header. Tell it the client, work delivered, amount, and due date — Stackivo AI will draft the invoice and save it for your review. See the Ask AI section for details.

Invoice numbering

Stackivo auto-generates invoice numbers in sequence (e.g. INV-001, INV-002). You can change the prefix and starting number under Settings → Invoice preferences.

Sending an invoice

Click Send invoice. Stackivo emails your client a professional HTML email with a View invoice button that opens a hosted, mobile-friendly invoice page. You can also copy the link and send it via WhatsApp.

Custom branding & advanced templates

Payment links

Payment links and the Razorpay gateway are available on all plans including Free. A Pay now button appears on every hosted invoice when Razorpay is connected. Your client can pay via UPI, debit/credit card, net banking, or wallets — directly from the invoice page.

Invoice statuses

• Draft — saved but not sent
• Sent — emailed to client, awaiting payment
• Viewed — client has opened the invoice
• Paid — payment recorded (manual or via Razorpay)
• Overdue — past due date, not yet paid
• Cancelled — voided

Recording a manual payment

If a client pays via bank transfer or cash, open the invoice and click Mark as paid. Enter the payment date and amount. Stackivo updates the status and adjusts your Pulse revenue figures.

Downloading as PDF

Open any invoice and click the download icon. Stackivo generates a pixel-perfect PDF with your business name, address, GST breakdown (if applicable), and payment details.

Contracts protect you and set professional expectations with clients before work begins. Stackivo includes contract templates, an e-signature flow, and signed PDF storage.

Creating a contract

1. Go to Contracts → New contract.
2. Select a client and choose a template from the library (e.g. Freelance Service Agreement, NDA, Fixed-Price Project, Retainer).
3. Fill in the project scope, payment terms, deliverables, and revision policy.
4. Preview the contract as your client would see it.
5. Click Send for signature.

AI contract drafting

Use Ask AI → Draft contract to describe the agreement in natural language. Stackivo AI will generate a structured draft and open it in the contract builder for your review before sending. This works for any contract type — service agreements, NDAs, retainers, and more.

E-signature flow

Your client receives an email with a link to review and sign the contract. They can sign on desktop or mobile using a drawn or typed signature. Once signed:

• Both parties receive a signed PDF by email.
• The contract status updates to Signed in your dashboard.
• The signed PDF is stored securely in Stackivo's cloud storage.

Contract statuses

• Draft — not yet sent
• Sent — awaiting client signature
• Signed — fully executed
• Declined — client declined to sign
• Expired — signature deadline passed

Downloading signed contracts

Open any signed contract and click Download PDF. The PDF includes both signatures, timestamps, and IP addresses for legal record-keeping.

Projects give every piece of work its own workspace — linking time entries, invoices, and client communications in one place so nothing falls through the cracks. Projects are unlimited on all plans.

Creating a project

1. Go to Projects → New project.
2. Name the project and select the client it belongs to.
3. Set a budget (fixed price or hourly) and an optional deadline.
4. Choose the project status: Active, On hold, or Completed.

Project workspace

Inside each project you can:

• Track time directly — your time entries automatically link to the project.
• See all invoices billed against this project.
• View the contract attached to the project.
• Monitor budget utilisation — hours logged vs. budget.
• Share files with the client through the portal Pro.

Team collaborators

Archiving a project

When a project is complete, mark it Completed or archive it. Archived projects are removed from the active list but all associated data remains intact for your records.

Know exactly where your hours go. Stackivo's time tracker is built for freelancers who need simple, accurate logging without the overhead of complex project management tools. Available on all plans.

Starting the timer

1. Go to Time in the sidebar.
2. Select a project and optionally add a description of what you're working on.
3. Click Start timer. The timer runs in real time.
4. Click Stopwhen you're done. The entry is saved automatically.

Logging time manually

Click Add time entry and enter the date, project, duration, and description. This is useful for logging billable hours after the fact.

Billable vs. non-billable

Every time entry can be marked as billable or non-billable. Billable hours feed into your project budget tracking and can be converted to invoice line items.

Billable rates & reports export

Converting hours to an invoice

1. Open a project and go to the Time tab.
2. Select the billable entries you want to invoice.
3. Click Create invoice from time.
4. Stackivo pre-fills the invoice with itemised time entries at your hourly rate.

The client portal gives every client their own private workspace where they can view invoices, sign contracts, access files, follow project updates, and chat with you — all without needing a Stackivo account.

Enabling the portal for a client

1. Open the client's details page.
2. Toggle Enable client portal.
3. Click Send portal invite. Your client receives an email with a secure link — no password needed.

What your client sees

The portal has six tabs:

• Home — a welcome message and overview of active projects
• Chat — a direct messaging thread between you and the client
• Files— shared files and deliverables you've uploaded
• Invoices — all invoices with payment status and Pay Now button
• Updates— project updates and milestones you've shared
• Meetings — scheduled calls and meeting notes

Sharing files through the portal

From inside a project, click Share with client on any file. It immediately appears in the client's Filestab. You can also upload files directly from the portal's file manager.

Portal security

Each portal link is unique per client and uses a signed token. You can revoke access at any time by disabling the portal for that client from their details page.

A Welcome Document is the first thing a new client receives when they start working with you. It sets expectations, communicates your process, and positions you as a professional — before you've even sent an invoice.

What's included in a welcome document

• A personalised greeting with the client's name and project
• Your working hours and preferred communication channels
• Revision policy and project scope boundaries
• Payment schedule and late payment terms
• A link to the client portal

Sending a welcome document

1. Open a client and click Send welcome document.
2. Customise the template — add your working hours, process notes, and anything specific to this project.
3. Preview it as your client will see it.
4. Click Send. The client receives it by email and it appears in their portal.

AI-drafted welcome documents

Use Ask AI → Welcome docto describe the client's onboarding process, communication rules, and payment terms in plain language. Stackivo AI will generate a polished, structured draft and open it in the welcome editor for you to review before sending.

Stackivo AI is a conversational assistant built into the dashboard. Open it by clicking Ask AI (or the sparkle icon on mobile) in the top navigation bar. It slides open as a panel on the right side of the screen and lets you create and draft documents by describing what you want in plain language.

What Ask AI can do

• Create invoice — Describe the client, work delivered, amount, and due date. Stackivo AI drafts the invoice and saves it in your Invoices list as a draft, ready to review and send.
• Draft contract — Describe the agreement type, scope, fee model, timeline, and terms. Stackivo AI generates a full structured draft and opens it directly in the contract builder so you can edit and send for signature.
• Welcome doc — Describe the client, your working hours, communication preferences, and payment terms. Stackivo AI prepares a polished welcome document and opens it in the welcome editor.
• Add client— Tell it the client's name, business, email, phone, and address. Stackivo AI creates the client record directly — no form to fill.
• Add project — Describe the project name, goal, timeline, and client. Stackivo AI creates the project and links it to the right client.
• Support — Ask a question or describe an issue. Stackivo AI forwards it to the support team on your behalf.

How to use it

1. Click Ask AI in the top navigation bar to open the panel.
2. Type freely — Stackivo AI detects your intent (invoice, contract, client, etc.) automatically. Or click one of the workflow cards to pick a mode directly.
3. For invoice or contract workflows, select the relevant client and project from the Workspace context dropdowns so Stackivo AI can link the output correctly.
4. Press Enter or click the send button to submit.
5. Stackivo AI confirms what it created and gives you a direct link to open it.

How AI drafts work

When you use Ask AI for contracts or welcome documents, Stackivo AI generates a structured draft and passes it into the respective editor. You always review and confirm the content before it is saved or sent — AI drafts are never sent to clients automatically.

For invoices, clients, and projects, Stackivo AI creates the record directly from your description and saves it as a draft (for invoices) or live record (for clients and projects). You can edit everything after it's created.

Privacy and AI

The text you send to Ask AI is processed by Groq's infrastructure to generate responses. Stackivo does not use your data to train AI models. See the Privacy Policy for details on how AI input is handled.

Pulse is your real-time business health dashboard. It aggregates data from invoices, payments, time entries, and clients to give you a clear picture of how your freelance business is performing. Basic Pulse is available on all plans; advanced reports and GST reports require Pro.

Key metrics

• Revenue this month — total payments received in the current calendar month
• Outstanding — the sum of all unpaid, non-overdue invoices
• Overdue — unpaid invoices past their due date, highlighted for action
• Billed this year — year-to-date total billed across all clients
• Active clients — clients with at least one open project or unpaid invoice
• Hours logged — total time tracked, segmented by project

Revenue chart

The revenue chart shows your monthly income over the past 12 months. Hover over any bar to see the exact figure. You can compare billed vs. collected to understand how much of what you invoice actually gets paid — and when.

Top clients by revenue

Pulse ranks your clients by total revenue so you can see at a glance which relationships drive the most income.

Invoice aging

The aging section breaks down outstanding invoices by how long they've been unpaid: 0–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, and 90+ days.

GST reports

Settings is where you configure Stackivo to match your business. Everything here flows through to your invoices, contracts, and client-facing pages.

Business profile

Update your:

• Business name and legal entity type
• Logo (appears on all invoices and documents — Pro+)
• Address (used for GST compliance and invoice headers)
• Phone, email, and website
• Default currency

Invoice preferences

• Invoice prefix — e.g. INV-, STCK-, or your initials
• Starting number — set if migrating from another tool
• Default due date — e.g. 15 days after issue date
• Default payment terms — shown in invoice footer
• Default notes — boilerplate text added to every invoice

GST settings

If you're GST-registered, enter your GSTIN, legal business name, and SAC/HSN codes. See the GST Guide for a full walkthrough.

Email notifications

Control which events trigger email notifications:

• Invoice viewed by client
• Invoice paid
• Contract signed
• New client portal message
• Invoice overdue reminder

Integrations

Under Settings → Integrations you can connect Razorpay for online payments. Business plan users also get API key management.

Security

Enable two-factor authentication (TOTP) from Settings → Securityfor an extra layer of account protection. You can also review active sessions and revoke any device you don't recognise.

Plan comparison

Upgrading your plan

1. Go to Settings → Billing or click Upgrade in the sidebar.
2. Choose Pro or Business and select monthly or annual billing.
3. Complete payment via Razorpay (UPI, card, net banking).
4. Your plan upgrades instantly — no restart needed.

Annual billing discount

Annual billing saves you the equivalent of 2 months on both Pro and Business plans (billed upfront). You can switch from monthly to annual at any time — unused days from your monthly cycle are prorated as credit.

Cancelling your subscription

Go to Settings → Billing → Cancel subscription. Your Pro or Business features remain active until the end of your billing period. After that, you'll revert to the Free plan.

Refunds

You can request a refund within 30 days of any payment by emailing [email protected]. We process refunds in good faith.

Stackivo is built for GST compliance from the ground up. Whether you're registered or not, Stackivo generates the right invoice format for your situation automatically.

Am I required to register for GST?

As a freelancer, you're required to register for GST if your annual turnover exceeds ₹20 lakhs (₹10 lakhs in special category states). You must also register if you provide services to clients outside India (export of services), regardless of turnover. This is a general guideline — consult a CA for advice specific to your situation.

Setting up GST in Stackivo

1. Go to Settings → GST settings.
2. Toggle GST registered on.
3. Enter your 15-digit GSTIN. Stackivo validates the format.
4. Enter your legal business name as it appears on your GST certificate.
5. Add your SAC code for the services you provide (e.g. 998314 for IT design services).

How Stackivo calculates GST

Stackivo automatically determines the correct GST type based on your state and your client's state:

• CGST + SGST — when you and your client are in the same state (intra-state). Each is 9% for an 18% GST rate.
• IGST — when you and your client are in different states, or when exporting services. Applied as a single 18% line.

Non-GST invoices

If you're not GST-registered, Stackivo generates clean invoices with no GST lines — just your service charges and totals. No configuration needed.

GST reports

Pro and Business users can download GST summary reports from Pulse → GST report. The report shows total taxable value, CGST, SGST, and IGST collected, with an invoice-wise breakup suitable for GSTR-1 filing. Export as CSV to share with your CA.

Stackivo integrates with Razorpay so your clients can pay invoices online — via UPI, IMPS, NEFT, debit/credit cards, or net banking — all without leaving the invoice page. Razorpay payment links are available on all plans, including Free.

Connecting Razorpay

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Razorpay.
2. Click Connect Razorpayand authorise the connection. If you don't have a Razorpay account, create one for free at razorpay.com.
3. Once authorised, return to Stackivo. The connection is active immediately.

How payment links work

When you send an invoice, Stackivo generates a Razorpay payment link and embeds a Pay now button. When your client pays:

• Razorpay processes the payment and notifies Stackivo via webhook.
• The invoice status updates to Paid automatically.
• You receive an email confirmation.
• Your Pulse revenue figures update in real time.

Razorpay fees

Razorpay charges a transaction fee — typically 2% + GST for domestic cards; UPI transactions have their own rate structure. Stackivo does not add any markup. Check Razorpay's pricing page for current rates. Settlement typically takes T+2 business days.

Recording offline payments

For bank transfers, cheques, or cash, open the invoice and click Mark as paid. Select the payment method, enter the date and amount, and save.

Account & login

Can I change the email address on my account?

Yes. Go to Settings → Profileand update your email. You'll receive a verification link at the new address before the change takes effect.

I'm not receiving verification emails.

Check your spam folder first. If the email isn't there, wait 2–3 minutes and request a new link. If the problem persists, contact support via the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner.

Invoices

My client says they didn't receive the invoice email.

Open the invoice and click Resend. Also share the hosted invoice link directly via WhatsApp — your client can pay from there without needing the email.

Can I edit a sent invoice?

Yes, but editing a sent invoice resets its status to Draft and you'll need to resend it. If the invoice has already been paid, it cannot be edited — create a new invoice to correct any errors.

How do I void/cancel an invoice?

Open the invoice, click the three-dot menu, and select Cancel invoice. Stackivo does not permanently delete invoices to preserve your financial audit trail — cancelled invoices are marked void but remain in your records.

Contracts

I can see the Contracts section but I can't send contracts.

The contracts section is visible on the Free plan but sending contracts requires the Pro plan. Upgrade from Settings → Billing.

Ask AI

Stackivo AI said it's temporarily unavailable.

The AI workflows depend on Groq's API. Occasional temporary outages can happen. Wait a minute and try again — or create the invoice/contract manually in the meantime.

The AI created an invoice with the wrong amount/details.

All AI-created invoices are saved as Draft — they are never sent automatically. Review and edit the draft in your Invoices list before sending.

Payments

My client paid but the invoice still shows as unpaid.

Webhook delivery from Razorpay can take 1–2 minutes. Refresh the page. If it still hasn't updated after 10 minutes, confirm the payment in your Razorpay dashboard, then manually mark the invoice as paid in Stackivo.

Can I issue a refund through Stackivo?

Refunds must be processed directly in your Razorpay dashboard. After issuing the refund there, cancel or adjust the invoice in Stackivo.

GST

My GSTIN is valid but Stackivo won't accept it.

Ensure you're entering all 15 characters with no spaces. The format is: 2-digit state code + 10-digit PAN + 1 entity number + Z + 1 checksum. If it still fails, contact support.

I have clients in the same state and different states. Does Stackivo handle both?

Yes — automatically. Stackivo compares your state to your client's state and applies CGST+SGST for intra-state or IGST for inter-state. No manual selection needed.

Plans & billing

Can I switch from monthly to annual billing?

Yes. Go to Settings → Billing and click Switch to annual. Unused days from your current monthly cycle are prorated as credit.

What happens to my data if I cancel?

Your data is never deleted. If you cancel, you'll revert to the Free plan at the end of your billing period. All invoices, clients, contracts, and files remain accessible.

Need more help?

Use the chat bubble in the bottom-right of any Stackivo page to reach support, or use Ask AI → Support to submit a request from within the dashboard. You can also email [email protected]. Pro and Business users receive priority responses within 4 business hours.