Invoicing troubleshooting

Find your message below. If you cannot see it, jump to the symptom tables at the end.

Nothing to invoice

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Nothing to invoice yet” / “Time must be approved and locked before it can be invoiced. Check the approval queue.”	No qualifying time for that client	Approve the timesheets first – see /approvals/approve-a-timesheet
”Select a client to load approved time.”	No client chosen	Pick a client
”No approved billable expenses.”	Nothing to add	Approve the expenses and mark them billable
”No invoices yet – create your first invoice from approved time, expenses, or a manual line.”	An empty workspace	Create your first invoice

Time only appears in the picker when all of these are true: it is billable, its status is approved or locked, it is not already invoiced, it is not in the Trash, and its project belongs to the client you chose.

Saving an invoice

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Select a client before saving.”	No client chosen	Pick a client
”Add at least one line item before saving.”	Nothing selected	Tick some time, an expense, or add a manual line
”An invoice needs at least one line. Add some time or an expense.”	The server received an empty selection	Select something
”Add at least one line to this invoice.”	A manual invoice with no lines	Click Add line item
”Time that is submitted can’t be invoiced. Only approved or locked billable time can.”	An entry is not approved	Approve it, then rebuild the selection
”That expense isn’t an approved billable expense, so it can’t go on an invoice.”	The expense is unapproved or non-billable	Approve it and mark it billable
”Some selected time entries were already invoiced by someone else. Refresh and try again.”	Another invoice claimed the same time	Reload and rebuild
”Couldn’t save this invoice. Check the fields above and try again.”	The save was refused	Check every field, then retry

Saving is all or nothing. One ineligible entry fails the whole save, so you never end up with a half-built invoice missing lines you thought you had added.

Invoice numbers

Message	Meaning	Fix
”That invoice number is already used by another invoice. Choose a different one.”	The typed number is taken	Pick a different number
”Invoice number ‘2026/ACME/001’ is already in use. Pick a different one.”	The clash was caught on save	Pick a different number
”That invoice number is too long. Use 64 characters or fewer.”	Over the limit	Shorten it
”Choose an invoice number that isn’t already in use.”	The save is blocked by the inline error	Fix the field first

See /invoicing/invoice-numbering.

Currency and exchange rates

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Enter a valid exchange rate for EUR → USD before saving.”	A rate field is empty or not positive	Enter a decimal such as `1.08`
”This invoice is in USD but some lines are in EUR, and no exchange rate is on file. Add one, then invoice.”	A conversion is needed	Fill in the Exchange rates section
”Some lines are in a different currency from the invoice. Convert them, or invoice them separately.”	A line reached the totals unconverted	Supply the rate, or split the invoice
”That isn’t a currency code we recognise. Pick one from the list.”	Unsupported code	Use a supported three-letter ISO code
The Currency field is greyed out	The invoice already has a line	Remove all lines, or start a new invoice

See /invoicing/taxes-and-currency.

Editing

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Only a draft invoice can be edited. Void this one and raise a new invoice to change it.”	The invoice has been issued	Issue a credit note, or void and rebuild
The Edit button is missing	Not a draft, or you lack `invoice.manage`	Check the status and your capability
The sender block still shows old details	It was snapshotted at creation	Void and rebuild – see /invoicing/invoice-sender-details

Sending

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Couldn’t send this invoice. Try again.”	The send was refused	Reload and check the status is still Draft
”This invoice has already moved on since the page loaded. Refresh to see where it is now.”	Someone else changed it	Reload the invoice
The Send invoice button is missing	Not a draft, or you lack `invoice.manage`	Check the status and your capability
The client says they never received it	No contact email on the client record, or the mail did not arrive	Check the client’s first contact, then send the PDF yourself

Payments, credit notes and write-offs

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Invoice #42 is still a draft. Send it before recording a payment.”	The invoice was never issued	Send it
”Invoice #42 is paid, so it can no longer take a payment.”	The invoice is final	Nothing to do
“‘abc’ won’t work as an amount. Enter a number like 500 or 500.25.”	The amount is not a number	Enter a plain decimal
”Enter an amount greater than zero.”	Zero or negative	Enter a positive figure
”This invoice is in USD, so a payment in EUR can’t be recorded against it.”	Currency mismatch	Record it in the invoice currency
”That payment of 3000 is more than the 1332.80 still outstanding.”	Overpayment	Record the outstanding amount, or issue a credit note
”Give a reason for this credit note, so the invoice history explains itself.”	No reason given	Write a reason
”That credit note of 3000 is more than the 1332.80 still outstanding.”	Exceeds the balance	Lower the amount
”Give a reason for writing this off, so the invoice history explains itself.”	No reason given	Write a reason
”That write-off of 3000 is more than the 1332.80 still outstanding.”	Exceeds the balance	Lower the amount
”This invoice is already settled, so there’s nothing to write off.”	The balance is zero	Nothing to do
”Couldn’t record this payment. Try again.”	The write was refused	Reload the invoice and retry

Reminders

Message	Meaning	Fix
”A reminder goes out only once an invoice has been sent. This one is draft.”	The invoice is not issued	Send it first
”Couldn’t queue this reminder. Try again.”	The reminder was refused	Check the status, then retry

A reminder is offered only for sent, viewed, partially paid and overdue invoices. The confirmation says queued, not delivered.

PDF export

Message	Meaning	Fix
”Couldn’t build this invoice PDF. Try again.”	The export failed	Retry, then reload
”We couldn’t save the invoice PDF. Please try again.”	The file could not be stored	Retry
An upgrade prompt appears	Your plan lacks `exports`	Upgrade to Pro
The button stays on Preparing…	The export is still running	Wait, then reload

Voiding

Symptom	Cause	Fix
The Void invoice item is missing	Already void, or you lack `invoice.manage`	Check the status and your capability
The confirm button stays disabled	The typed number does not match	Copy the number exactly from the modal
”This invoice has already moved on since the page loaded.”	Someone else voided or paid it	Reload the invoice
Released time is not in the picker	The client or project filter excludes it	Widen the filter and reload the builder

Access and plans

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Invoices is missing from the sidebar	The app is off, or you lack `invoice.manage`	Check Settings → Apps, then your role
An upgrade prompt on the builder	Your plan lacks `invoicing`	Upgrade to Pro
An upgrade prompt on payments	Your plan lacks `payments`	Upgrade to Pro
The invoice page shows “This invoice is gone”	It was removed, or it is not in your workspace	Go back to the invoice list
You can open the list but not one client’s invoices	Your supervision scope excludes that client	Ask an Owner or Admin

Numbers that look wrong

Symptom	Likely cause	Where to look
A line’s rate is `0.00`	The entry had no billable rate when it was recorded	/rates/how-rates-are-chosen
The invoice total does not match today’s rates	The invoice snapshotted its own totals	/rates/rate-snapshots
Tax is lower than expected	Tax applies after the discount	/invoicing/taxes-and-currency
Two taxes do not stack	Taxes never compound	/invoicing/taxes-and-currency
The balance did not reach zero	A payment, credit note or write-off is missing	The totals block on the invoice
The status did not change after a payment	The ledger still leaves a balance	/invoicing/invoice-statuses
An hour is missing from the invoice	It is non-billable, unapproved, already invoiced, or trashed	/invoicing/invoice-from-tracked-time

Still stuck

Reload the invoice

Most “already moved on” messages clear with a reload.

Check the status

Half of all invoicing questions come down to the invoice not being in the status you thought. See /invoicing/invoice-statuses.

Check the capability

Missing buttons almost always mean a missing capability. See /invoicing/invoice-permissions.

Check the app and the plan

A hidden page is an app switch. An upgrade prompt is a plan gate.

Invoice statuses

What each status allows.

Invoice permissions

Why a button is missing.

Invoice from tracked time

Why time is not in the picker.

Taxes and currency

Why a total looks wrong.

How rates are chosen

Why a rate looks wrong.

Invoicing overview

Back to the start.

​Nothing to invoice

​Saving an invoice

​Invoice numbers

​Currency and exchange rates

​Editing

​Sending

​Payments, credit notes and write-offs

​Reminders

​PDF export

​Voiding

​Access and plans

​Numbers that look wrong

​Still stuck

​Related guides

Invoice statuses

Invoice permissions

Invoice from tracked time

Taxes and currency

How rates are chosen

Invoicing overview

Nothing to invoice

Saving an invoice

Invoice numbers

Currency and exchange rates

Editing

Sending

Payments, credit notes and write-offs

Reminders

PDF export

Voiding

Access and plans

Numbers that look wrong

Still stuck

Related guides