How to show order summaries, discounts, and subtotals on invoices

The Order summary sub-section in the Visual Editor controls the top portion of the order totals area on your invoice. You can show the order subtotal, the total discount amount applied to the order, and the reason behind the discount. These fields appear in the totals breakdown between the items table and the grand total, giving your customers a clear view of how the final amount was calculated.

Open the Order summary settings

1. Open the Invoice Falcon app from your Shopify Admin.
2. Click Templates in the left navigation menu.
3. Click on the template you want to customize (or click Edit on the template row).
4. Scroll to the Visual editor section and click the Open visual editor button
5. In the left panel, click the Order total information section to expand it
6. The first sub-section is Order summary

Available order summary fields

Each field has a checkbox to toggle it on or off. Check the fields you want to display, then click Save changes.

Order subtotal

• Displays the Subtotal row in the order totals area.
• The subtotal is the sum of all line item prices before shipping, taxes, and order-level discounts are applied (e.g., "Subtotal: $4,350.00").
• Appears as the first row in the totals breakdown section at the bottom of the invoice.
• The label uses the translated text "Subtotal" (or the equivalent in your invoice language).
• On by default.

Order discount

• Displays the Discount row in the order totals area, showing the total discount amount applied to the order (e.g., "Discount: -$661.00").
• The discount amount is shown with a minus sign and the currency symbol, indicating it is deducted from the subtotal.
• This is the order-level discount total — it includes discounts from discount codes, automatic discounts, and any other order-level price reductions applied at checkout.
• Only shown when the order has a discount. If no discount was applied, the row is hidden automatically even when the checkbox is enabled.
• On by default.

Order discount reason

• Displays the reason or description for the order-level discount (e.g., the discount code name like "SAVE10" or the automatic discount title).
• Appears alongside or below the discount row in the totals area.
• Useful when your store runs multiple promotions and you want the invoice to clearly show which discount was applied.
• Off by default.

Where order summary fields appear on the invoice

The order summary fields appear in the totals breakdown section at the bottom of the invoice, below the items table and above the grand total:

• Subtotal — first row in the totals area, showing the sum of all line items
• Discount — appears below the subtotal (only if a discount exists), showing the deducted amount with a minus sign
• Discount reason — appears alongside the discount information
• Below these, additional rows for shipping, tax, and the grand total may appear (controlled by other sub-sections)

Enable or disable order summary fields

1. In the Order summary sub-section, check or uncheck the fields you want to show or hide.
2. Review the live preview on the right — the totals area updates immediately.
3. Click Save changes at the top of the Visual Editor.

Known limitations

• Discount data comes from Shopify — the discount amount and reason are pulled from the Shopify order. You cannot manually enter or override discount values from within Invoice Falcon.
• Discount row auto-hides when zero — if no discount was applied to the order, the discount row is not shown even when the checkbox is enabled. This prevents showing a "$0.00" discount row.
• Order-level discounts only — this section shows the total order discount. Per-item discounts are controlled separately in the Pricing and discounts sub-section under Items information.
• Subtotal excludes shipping and tax — the subtotal is the sum of line item prices only. It does not include shipping costs or taxes.
• Settings are per-template — order summary settings are saved independently for each template.

Troubleshooting

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between the order discount and the item discount?
A: The order discount (in this section) shows the total discount applied to the entire order at checkout (e.g., a discount code). The item discount (in the Pricing and discounts sub-section) shows discounts applied to individual line items. Both can exist on the same order.

Q: Can I hide the subtotal but still show the discount?
A: Yes. Each field is independent. You can uncheck Order subtotal and keep Order discount enabled. The discount row will still appear in the totals area.

Q: Does the discount amount include per-item discounts?
A: The order discount total reflects the overall discount applied at the order level. Per-item discount amounts are shown separately in the items table when the Show discount checkbox is enabled in the Pricing and discounts sub-section.

Q: Can I change the "Subtotal" or "Discount" label text?
A: Yes. Go to the Labels section in the Visual Editor. Update the Subtotal and Discounts label fields to your preferred text.

Q: Why does the discount show a minus sign?
A: The minus sign indicates the discount is deducted from the subtotal. For example, "Discount: -$661.00" means $661.00 was subtracted from the order total. This is standard accounting convention.

Updated on: 20/05/2026