Billing troubleshooting
The messages you may meet in Billing, what they mean, and how to fix them.
Messages and fixes
| Message | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 'This document needs approval before it posts. Send it for approval.' | An active approval policy asks for approval of this invoice. | Press Send for approval; a different person approves. See Approve an invoice before posting. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who prepared this invoice must decide it.' | The person who sent it tried to approve it. | Ask another user with billing.approve. |
| 'The document changed after it was approved. Send it for approval again.' | A total, date, party or reason changed after approval. | Send it for approval again. |
| 'The invoice changed after it was sent for approval. Send it again.' | The invoice was edited while waiting. | Send it again. |
| 'No approval policy asks for this document; it can be posted.' | You tried to send an invoice that needs no approval. | Press Post. |
| 'Nothing is waiting for approval.' | The invoice is not pending. | Send it for approval first. |
| 'The issue profile <CODE> needs: Customer tax registration number, ...' | A detail required by the issue profile is missing. | Add the listed details (TRN, address, date of supply, tax codes) and post again. |
| 'Enter the date of supply: this company requires one on every invoice.' | Date of supply is Required. | Fill Date of supply on the billing record. |
| 'The date of supply is more than a year after the invoice.' | The date is too far ahead. | Use a date within a year of the invoice date. |
| 'Only an unposted document is changed. A posted invoice is corrected by a credit note.' | You tried to edit a posted invoice. | Raise a credit note or use Credit and rebill. See Credit notes, debit notes and refunds. |
| 'Somebody changed this record since you opened it. Reload and try again.' | Another user or tab saved first. | Reload and repeat your change. |
| 'A note is raised against a posted invoice or bill.' | You tried to credit a draft. | Post the original or edit the draft. |
| 'Choose the correction reason for this note.' | Reasons exist and the note has none. | Choose a reason before posting. |
| 'The reason <CODE> needs the original invoice on the note.' | The reason requires an original. | Raise the note from the invoice. |
| 'The reason <CODE> allows notes up to 20% of INV/...; this note would exceed it.' | The reason's cap would be passed. | Lower the note or use a reason without the cap. |
| 'Only 650.00 of CN/... is left to refund.' | The refund is more than what remains on the credit note. | Lower the amount. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who prepared this refund must decide it.' | The requester tried to approve a refund. | Ask another user with billing.refund.approve. |
| 'Only a requested refund is decided.' / 'Only an approved refund is paid.' | The refund is not in the right state. | Check its status in the Refunds list. |
| 'Choose at least one order.' | Create invoices with nothing ticked. | Tick at least one line. |
| '<SO number> was invoiced on the order itself, so there is nothing left to bill.' | The order was invoiced from Sales directly. | Nothing to do; see the invoice on the order. |
| 'Add the lines the contract invoices.' | A recurring contract was started without lines. | Add lines and start again. |
| 'Pause the contract before changing it.' | You edited a running contract. | Pause, edit, then Start. |
| 'A contract with that code exists.' / 'A code is capitals, digits, _ and - (2-30).' | The code is taken or malformed. | Choose another code. |
| 'An active grouping policy is not edited. Archive it and create a new one.' | You tried to edit an active policy. | Archive it and create a new one. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who prepared this <kind> must decide it.' | The author tried to activate their own policy. | Ask a colleague with billing.configure to activate it. |
| '1 refund(s) are requested or approved and not paid. Decide or pay them first.' | You tried to turn Refunds off with open refunds. | Decide or pay them, then propose again. |
| 'You do not have permission for this action.' | Your role lacks the right for this step. | Ask an administrator for the permission. |
Still stuck
Open the billing record and read the History tab for what was done, when and by whom. Quote the exact message when you contact your administrator.