For Admin & Accounting
Fixing an Invoice: Reopen, Unlock and Cancel
The short answer
A draft can be edited freely. Once an invoice is pending or approved, use More Actions → Reopen Invoice to send it back to draft and clear its approvals. Admins can use Unlock Invoice to change coding on an approved or paid invoice without restarting approvals. If it is wrong from the start, Cancel it and upload a new one.
Which one to use
| You want to | Use | Works when |
|---|---|---|
| Change anything before it is approved | Edit, or Reopen Invoice | Draft or Pending Approval |
| Change an approved invoice and re-approve it | Reopen Invoice | Approved and not on a payment |
| Fix coding on an approved or paid invoice | Unlock Invoice (admins) | Approved, Paid, Failed or Returned |
| Throw it away | Cancel | Not on a payment |
Reopen
Reopening clears the current approvals and sets the invoice back to draft so it can be edited and sent for approval again. The approval history is kept. Admins, the person who created the invoice, and its current approvers can reopen it.
You cannot reopen an invoice that is on a payment. Cancel the payment first. An invoice approved in Probooks cannot be reopened in Dolly.
Unlock
Unlocking opens an approved invoice for edits without re-approval. Once a payment has been made against it, its amounts, currency, payee, dates and line items stay locked; only coding, descriptions and attachments can change. Choose Lock Invoice when you are done, and update your accounting software to match.
An invoice with a payment in progress cannot be unlocked.
Cancel
Choose Cancel to cancel an invoice that is not on a payment. Canceling is permanent and the invoice keeps its number. Admins can cancel at any status; the person who created a draft can cancel their own draft.
Frequently asked questions
- I picked the wrong vendor. How do I fix it?
- Reopen the invoice if you can and change the vendor. If it is already on a payment, cancel the payment, then reopen.
- I canceled an invoice and can’t re-upload it with the same number.
- Canceled invoices keep their numbers. Add a suffix to the new one, such as -R.
- Why can’t I edit the line items on a payment?
- Line items are edited on the invoice. Cancel the payment and reopen the invoice to change them.
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