Correct, cancel and delete invoices
Why invoices can no longer be edited once created, how to fix errors with a cancellation or corrected invoice, and when an invoice can be deleted.
Once an invoice has been created, its content can no longer be changed. Errors are therefore not corrected in place; instead, the invoice is reversed with a cancellation invoice or a corrected invoice and then reissued. This article explains which approach is right in which case.
Why created invoices can no longer be edited
An invoice draft can be changed freely. When you create the invoice, it leaves draft status, and from then on its content is fixed. This is a deliberate restriction: the invoice number has been assigned, for electronic invoices the XML data has been generated and may already be with the recipient, and any later change would break traceability.
Only details that are not part of the invoice document can be adjusted afterwards, such as the payment status, categories, notes or archiving.
Which approach for which error?
| Error | Procedure |
|---|---|
| Quantity, price or line item wrong | Cancellation and new invoice, or corrected invoice |
| Missing information (e.g. VAT ID, note) | Cancellation and new invoice |
| Payment terms wrong | Cancellation and new invoice |
| Sender or company address wrong | Correct the account settings, then cancellation and new invoice |
| Invoice is still a draft | Change it directly in the draft |
Cancellation and new invoice
This is the standard case. You create a cancellation invoice for the incorrect invoice and then a new, correct invoice with its own invoice number. Both documents remain in the system, and the process is fully traceable.
The new invoice always receives a new invoice number. A number that has already been assigned is not used again.
Corrected invoice
For a deviation that can be expressed as a difference, you can create a corrected invoice instead of a full cancellation. It contains only the deviating line items and is offset against the original invoice. Under EN 16931, it is identified by invoice type 384, and the cancellation invoice by 381.
The reference to the original invoice
A cancellation or corrected invoice should always refer to the original invoice. Without this reference, the recipient (and their accounting system) cannot make the assignment automatically.
If you create the cancellation directly from the original invoice, faktoora sets the reference automatically. If, on the other hand, you create the cancellation invoice manually, enter the number of the original invoice in the reference field yourself.
In the XML, two fields represent the reference:
invoiceReferencedDocument.IssuerAssignedID: the number of the original invoiceinvoiceReferencedDocument.FormattedIssueDateTime: its issue date, optional
If the reference is missing from a cancellation invoice that has already been created, it cannot be added afterwards. In that case, create a new cancellation invoice with the correct reference.
Deleting invoices
Whether an invoice can be deleted depends on its status:
- Drafts can be deleted at any time, provided your user account has the
DELETE_INVOICESpermission. - Created invoices can only be deleted if the
invoiceDeleteModefeature is additionally enabled for the account. If it is not active, cancellation is the intended approach.
The restriction has the same reason as the fact that invoices cannot be edited: a deleted invoice leaves a gap in the number sequence that has to be explained later.
Duplicating invoices
Duplicating copies line items, tax rates, customer data, payment terms, notes and the recipient's VAT ID. The invoice number, issue date and service date as well as the status are set anew; the copy starts as a draft again.
Two points regularly come as a surprise:
Sender data and bank details come from the current account settings, not from the copied invoice. If you have changed your bank details in the meantime, the copy shows the new ones, while the original invoice keeps the old ones.
A cancellation invoice can also be duplicated. This is the fastest way to a corrected invoice: create the cancellation, duplicate the cancellation, make the correction in the copy, send it. This saves you from entering all line items again.
Line item numbers after deleting a line item
Line item numbers are not reassigned automatically. If you delete the second of three line items in a draft, numbers 1 and 3 remain. This is intentional: under EN 16931, line item numbers are fixed identifiers, not a sequential count, and in electronic exchange they are transmitted exactly as they were assigned.
If you need gapless numbering, create the line items again in a new draft.
Correcting the sender address
The sender address comes from the company data in the account settings; an invoice template can override it.
If the address is wrong in general, correct it under Settings → Company data. This applies to all new invoices; invoices that have already been created keep the address with which they were issued. For those, the same applies again: cancellation and new invoice.
If you use your own invoice template with a stored address, the correction must be made in the template, otherwise it will not take effect.
The service date when cancelling
When you cancel an invoice, the service date is set automatically so that the cancellation and the original invoice match. You cannot choose it freely. The service date of the original invoice remains unchanged.
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