Once you send an invoice or quote, most of it is locked so that your records match what your customer received. This article lists what you can still change at each stage and what to do when you need to change something that is locked.
While it is a draft
A Draft invoice or quote has not reached your customer, so you can change everything: the customer, number, dates, line items, taxes, Tax Setting, notes and payment options. Open it and click Edit invoice or Edit quote.
After you send an invoice
While an invoice is Sent, Viewed or Partially Paid, you can change:
- The Due date
- Customer notes, including the note title
- Internal notes
Everything else is locked:
- Customer
- Invoice number and invoice date
- Line items, quantities and prices
- GST/HST, PST/QST and the Tax Setting
- Payment options
To make a change, open the invoice and click Edit. The page confirms "Notes and due date can be updated; this invoice has been sent." Make your changes and click Save notes. You can also edit notes directly from the Customer Notes and Internal Notes cards on the invoice page.
Note. Once any payment is recorded against an invoice, its totals are frozen, even if the invoice is not yet fully paid.
After you send a quote
While a quote is Sent or Viewed, you can change:
- The Valid until date
- Customer notes, including the note title
- Internal notes
- Payment methods
The customer, quote number, quote date, line items, prices and taxes are locked.
To make a change, open the quote and click Edit. Make your changes and click Save changes.
Tip. Payment methods on a quote are not shown to your customer until the quote becomes an invoice, so you can safely adjust them after sending.
After a final outcome
When an invoice is Paid, Void, Uncollectible or Written off, or a quote is Accepted, Rejected, Expired or Void, the document is a permanent record. The Edit button no longer appears.
You can still update Internal Notes from the card on the document's page. These notes are never shown to your customer.
Why sent documents are locked
Your customer already has a copy of the invoice or quote. If the amounts could change after sending, the version in ATB Invoicing would no longer match what your customer saw, agreed to or paid. Locking the amounts keeps both sides working from the same document.
When you need to change a locked field
Void the document and issue a corrected one:
- Invoice: void it, then use Duplicate from the more actions menu (the three-dot button) to create a new draft with the same details. Correct it and send it.
- Quote: void it, then use Duplicate & revise from the more actions menu. The new quote links back to the original.
See Voiding and deleting invoices and quotes for the full steps.
Common issues
I see "changed by someone else" when I save
Another person on your team saved the same document after you opened it. Refresh the page and make your change again. For more help, see Why can't I edit my invoice or quote?
