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Edit an invoice

Updated
The Goal: Change an existing invoice: its details (contact, address, message, internal memo, delivery, gateway, template) or its line items, in either Standard Mode or Best Practice (BP) Mode.
Before You Begin:
  • Best practice for wrong line items: void the original invoice and create a new one. See Void or delete an invoice. Use the line-item steps below only when that isn’t possible or wanted.
  • How you change line items depends on whether your account uses Standard Mode or Best Practice Mode.
  • You can open an invoice from the contact’s Billing tab or from Finance, Billing section, All Sales/Invoices.

What do you need to change?

Change Go to
Contact, billing address, billing email, message, print/email delivery, payment gateway Change invoice details
A staff-only note Add an internal memo
The invoice template, on one invoice or many Change the invoice template
Line items or amounts, Standard Mode Change line items (Standard Mode)
Line items or amounts, BP Mode Edit line items (BP Mode)

Change invoice details

These fields can be changed in both Standard and BP Mode.

  1. Click the invoice’s Ref # link.
    Edit Invoice window opened from the Ref # link, with the Customer, Contact, Address and Email fields boxed
  2. Change the contact, billing address, billing email or Message (shown to the contact), or whether the invoice is marked to print and/or email.
  3. For the payment gateway or invoice template, select Advanced Options at the foot of the window.
  4. Click Done.

Add an internal memo

Internal memos are for staff only and don’t appear on the invoice the contact sees. You can add one when you create an invoice, or later:

  1. Click the invoice’s link.
    Edit Invoice window with the Internal Memo field boxed beside the Message field
  2. Enter text in Internal Memo. (Don’t use Message; the contact sees that.)
  3. Click Done.

Change the invoice template

For example, to put a reminder template on overdue invoices. The template must already exist; see Set Up Your Invoice Template(s).

One invoice:

  1. Click the invoice’s link.
    The All Sales/Invoices page under Finance > Billing, with one Ref # link boxed
  2. Select Advanced Options at the foot of the Edit Invoice window.
    NOTE: If the window opens read-only with a “passed the Deletion Days threshold” notice, the invoice is older than your Allow Deletion for (days) setting. Use the bulk method below instead.
    The Edit Invoice window with the Advanced Options check-box boxed
  3. Choose the Invoice Template.
    The Advanced section of the Edit Invoice window, revealed by the Advanced Options check-box, with the Invoice Template list boxed
  4. Click Done.

Many invoices at once:

  1. Go to Finance, Billing section, click All Sales/Invoices, and filter to the invoices you want.
  2. Click the arrow beside NEW INVOICE, then click Invoices Templates. The Invoices Edit Template window opens.
    All Sales/Invoices page with the NEW INVOICE drop-down open and Invoices Templates highlighted
  3. Choose the template from New Template.
  4. Select the invoices to update. Tick the top check box to select all.
    The Invoices Edit Template window showing the New Template list and the Invoices to Update grid, with the select-all check-box boxed
  5. Click Done.

Change line items (Standard Mode)

You can’t change line items if the invoice has been paid (unapply the payment first), or if it’s outside the Allow Deletion for (days) window on your General Billing Settings page, at Finance > Administrative > Billing Settings. See Configure Default Finance Settings.

  1. On the contact’s Billing tab, click the invoice number link.
  2. Make your changes. Existing line items and amounts can’t be edited directly: remove the line item and add a new one.
    Edit Invoice window with the line-item grid boxed — Fee Item, Description, Class, Qty, Price, Hide, Tax, Shipping, Disc and Total
  3. Click Done.

Edit line items (BP Mode)

In Best Practice Mode, invoices can’t be edited directly or deleted. Use Edit Invoice, which creates a corrected copy.

  1. On the contact’s Billing tab, click the icon for the invoice.
    Contact record Billing tab with the invoice list shown and the action icon for one invoice boxed
  2. Click Edit Invoice.
    Invoice screen with the Edit Invoice button boxed
  3. Change the line items.
  4. Click Done. The corrected invoice keeps the original number with -C added.

NOTE: Links to the original invoice, including in emails already sent, automatically open the corrected (-C) invoice.

Common Pitfalls
  • Can’t change line items: the invoice is paid (unapply the payment) or outside the deletion window. In BP Mode, use Edit Invoice.
  • Trying to delete in BP Mode: delete isn’t available. Void the invoice instead.
  • Internal note shown to the member: it went in Message. Staff-only notes go in Internal Memo.
  • Template missing from the list: it hasn’t been set up yet.
  • Bulk template change hit too many invoices: it applies to everything you select, so check your filters first.

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