The seven statuses
The transition table
This is the complete list of legal moves. Anything not listed is refused.
Three things follow from that table:
- A draft can only be sent or voided. It can never jump straight to paid.
- Paid and Void are final. Nothing moves out of them, ever.
- There are no self-moves. Sending an invoice that is already sent is refused.
What causes each move
The paid and partially-paid moves are worked out from the ledger, not chosen by hand.
An invoice does not move itself to Viewed or Overdue. They are part of the lifecycle, but nothing in the product sets them for you. What you do get on the due date is an internal reminder to your workspace owners and admins, provided the invoice is still unpaid.
How Paid and Partially paid are worked out
Every payment, credit note and write-off is a row on the invoice’s ledger. The balance is:balance = total − payments − credit notes − write-offs
Then:
Example
Bluebird Coffee’s invoice totals $2,332.80.Which statuses accept money
A payment, credit note or write-off needs an issued, non-final invoice.Which statuses accept a reminder
The Send reminder action is offered forsent, viewed, partially_paid and overdue only. On anything else you see “A reminder goes out only once an invoice has been sent.”
Where you see the status
You can filter the list by status through the column controls.
Permissions
See /invoicing/invoice-permissions.
Common questions
Can I move a paid invoice back to unpaid?
Can I move a paid invoice back to unpaid?
No. Paid is final. If a payment was recorded in error, void the invoice and raise a new one.
Can I unvoid an invoice?
Can I unvoid an invoice?
No. Void is final. Raise a new invoice from the released time.
Can I void a paid invoice?
Can I void a paid invoice?
No. Paid is terminal, so there is no move out of it – not even to void.
What happens if two people record a payment at the same time?
What happens if two people record a payment at the same time?
The second one is refused with “This invoice has already moved on since the page loaded.” Reload to see the current state.
Can a payment be bigger than the balance?
Can a payment be bigger than the balance?
No. The payment is refused with the outstanding figure named, so the invoice can never go past paid.
Does an overdue invoice stop accepting payment?
Does an overdue invoice stop accepting payment?
No. Overdue accepts partial payments, full payment and a void.
Troubleshooting
Related guides
Send an invoice
The draft to sent move.
Record a payment
What drives paid and partially paid.
Void an invoice
The one-way exit.
Edit a draft invoice
Why draft is the editable state.
Invoicing overview
The whole flow.
Glossary
Every term in one place.