Editing the invoice

This guide explains everything about editing a sales invoice in the system: how to edit the invoice, who has the edit permission, which fields can be changed, when the system prevents saving or allows only limited editing, all the restrictions specific to e-invoicing in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the UAE, and the alternatives available when editing isn’t possible.

Summary: Three Cases When Editing an Invoice

Case	What It Means	Examples
Full editing	You can change all the invoice data: the lines, prices, client, date, and taxes.	An ordinary invoice with no e-invoice sent, or a draft invoice.
Limited editing	The edit page opens but most fields are locked, and only the non-financial fields can be edited (attachments, notes, salesperson, custom fields…).	An invoice sent to e-invoicing, an invoice with an installment agreement, an invoice from a closed point of sale session.
Editing prevented	The system refuses to open the page or save the edit.	You don’t have the permission, the invoice is in another branch, the invoice is in a closed period.

Brief Workflow

1. View the invoice → 2. Click the Edit button → 3. Read any message that appears at the top of the page → 4. Edit the available fields → 5. Save → 6. Handle error messages or use an alternative (credit note / return)

Steps to Edit a Sales Invoice

1. From the side menu, click Sales.
2. Click Manage Invoices, then from the list view the invoice you want to edit.
3. Click the Edit button in the toolbar at the top of the invoice (or from the actions menu in the invoices list).
4. The invoice edit page opens. If a message appears at the top of the page, it explains that the editing is limited and why.
5. Edit the data and click Save. You can also save and send to the client if you want to send the edited copy.

Required Permissions

Set from the employee roles. The account owner has all permissions.

Permission	What It Allows
Edit & Delete All Invoices	Editing any invoice.
Edit & Delete Own Invoices	Editing only the invoices the employee created (the invoice creator), and not the invoices they are the salesperson of.
Edit Invoice Date	Changing the invoice date and the issue date. Without it, the date field is locked.
Change Salesperson	Showing the salesperson field and changing it. It doesn’t change the invoice creator.
Allow Selling Below the Product’s Minimum Price	Bypassing the minimum selling price.
Issue Draft Invoices	Converting a draft invoice to an issued invoice.

When the permission isn’t available, the message appears: “You are not allowed to edit this invoice.”

What Can Be Changed in Full Editing?

Field	Condition
Lines, quantities, prices, discounts, taxes, and shipping	Available. If the setting Free Entry and Editing Item Data in the Invoice is not allowed, the item’s name, description, and price cannot be edited.
Invoice number	Locked, unless Edit Invoice Number Manually is enabled in the invoice settings. And always locked when Saudi e-invoicing is enabled.
Date	Requires the permission to edit the invoice date.
Client	Available, unless the invoice results from a sales order, a reservation order, a lease contract, or a contract installment. And it cannot be changed if the client’s balance or points were used in the invoice: “The invoice’s client cannot be updated because the invoice has a consumed balance.”
Currency	Available, and when it is changed, the currency of the payments recorded on the invoice changes.
Warehouse	Available, with a check of the quantity availability.
Salesperson	Requires the permission to change the salesperson.
Invoice creator (Created By)	Not editable by any user, including the account owner; it is recorded automatically in the name of the user who created the invoice. It differs from the salesperson; see the difference between the invoice creator and the salesperson.
Design (invoice template)	Available.
From issued to draft	Not available: “You cannot convert a sales invoice to a draft after it is issued.”
From draft to issued	Available for whoever has the permission to issue draft invoices, and it takes a new number when issued.

The Difference Between the Invoice Creator and the Salesperson

Many people confuse the invoice creator and the salesperson (the seller), and they are two different fields:

	Invoice Creator	Salesperson (Seller)
What it is	The user who created the invoice in the system.	The employee responsible for the sale, who can be someone other than the one who created the invoice.
Where it appears	Created By on the invoice page, and the Added By column and filter in Manage Invoices.	The Salesperson field in the invoice form and page, and the Salesperson filter in the invoices list.
How it’s determined	Automatically as the current user when the invoice is created.	By default the current user, and it can be chosen when creating or editing, or a multi-select to specify a salesperson for each line.
Can it be edited?	No, there is no screen, permission, or setting to change it.	Yes, from editing the invoice for whoever has the permission to change the salesperson.
What it affects	The permissions to edit and delete own invoices and add payments to own invoices, and the invoice appearing to whoever has the permission to view own invoices.	Sales commissions and the salesperson reports, and the invoice appearing to whoever has the permission to view own invoices.

What Should I Do If the Invoice Creator Is Wrong?

• If the goal is to attribute the sale to another employee (commission or reports): change the salesperson from editing the invoice, and you need the permission to change the salesperson.
• If the goal is for another employee to edit the invoice: changing the salesperson isn’t enough, because the permission to edit own invoices depends on the invoice creator. Give them the permission to edit and delete all invoices from the employee roles.
• If the invoice must be in another employee’s name: log in with their account, open the invoice and click Copy then save the copy, then delete the original invoice. The new invoice gets a new number, so review the payments recorded on the original, and don’t use this method with a sent e-invoice.

Messages That Prevent Saving the Edit and Their Solutions

Message	Cause	Solution
“You are not allowed to edit this invoice”	You don’t have the edit permission, or the invoice isn’t yours.	Ask the account manager for the permission.
“The invoice can only be edited in the branch it was created in”	You are currently working in a branch other than the invoice’s branch.	Switch to the invoice’s branch then edit it.
“You cannot add, edit, or delete a movement on this day, within a closed period”	The invoice date is within a closed accounting period.	Open the period from Fiscal Years and Closed Periods, or use a credit note with a current date.
“Quantity not available for …”	You increased the quantity and negative stock is prevented.	Add stock to the product or reduce the quantity.
“Product ### has a minimum price ##”	The price is below the product’s minimum.	Raise the price or ask for the permission to sell below the minimum.
“You cannot sell ### at a price below the average cost (##)”	The price is below the average cost and the setting prevents it.	Raise the price or change the Selling Below Average Cost setting.
“The discount exceeded the maximum allowed”	The discount is greater than the maximum allowed for you.	Reduce the discount.
“You cannot save the transaction with a negative amount”	The invoice total became negative.	Review the discounts and the lines.
“The client exceeded the credit limit” / “The client exceeded the credit period”	The edit made the client exceed their credit limit or period.	Collect the client’s debt or edit their credit limit.
“You cannot add a suspended product”	One of the lines is a suspended product.	Activate the product or delete it from the invoice.
“You cannot add the transaction through a suspended warehouse”	The chosen warehouse is suspended.	Choose an active warehouse or activate the warehouse.
“Order source is required”	The order source is mandatory in the settings.	Choose the order source.

When Does Editing Become Limited Editing?

In the following cases the edit page opens but with the financial data locked, and a message explaining the reason appears:

Reason	The Message	How to Restore Full Editing
The invoice was sent to e-invoicing	See the e-invoicing section below	Depending on the country (a credit note or cancel sending)
There is an installment agreement on the invoice	“You cannot edit the invoice because installment agreements have been created”	Delete the installment agreement.
A credit was created from the invoice	“You cannot edit the invoice because a credit has been created, and if you need to edit the invoice, you must delete the credits linked to the invoice”	Delete the linked credits.
A subscription or membership renewal invoice	“You cannot edit the invoice because a credit or subscription has been created”	—
The invoice is within an approved, rejected, or paid commission record	“You cannot edit the transaction that falls in a commission record that is approved, rejected, or paid”	Reopen the commission record.
The invoice is selected in a production plan	“You cannot delete or update an invoice that has been selected/added to the production plan”	Remove it from the production plan.
An advance payment invoice that was distributed on invoices	“You cannot edit the advance payment invoice because it is distributed on the sales invoice”	Cancel the distribution.
The invoice’s stock requisition was fully received	“You cannot edit this invoice because it is already received”	Delete the invoice’s stock requisition.
An invoice from a closed point of sale session	The Edit button disappears	—
The invoice date is in a closed period	“You cannot add, edit, or delete a movement on this day, within a closed period”	Open the period.

Fields Available in Limited Editing

• The salesperson, the attachments, and the order source
• The sales account and the cost centers
• The due period (the payment terms)
• The custom fields and the notes
• The warehouse (with a check of the quantity availability)
• The client data saved in the invoice (address, tax number…) — with conditions in e-invoicing

E-Invoicing Restrictions

If e-invoicing is enabled in your account, editing the invoice after it is issued or sent is subject to the tax authority’s rules. The following table summarizes the difference between the countries:

	Egypt (the Tax Authority)	Saudi Arabia (the Zakat Authority)	Jordan (the Income and Sales Tax Department)	UAE
When is the invoice locked?	After it is sent (status: Sent, In Progress, Valid)	As soon as it is issued, even if it hasn’t been sent yet	When the status is Valid	It isn’t locked
Editing after locking	Limited only	Limited only	Limited only	Full
Deleting after locking	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Available
Converting to draft	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited	Prohibited (for all issued invoices)
An invalid invoice	Can be edited fully and re-sent	Stays locked; only the client data can be corrected, then re-sent	Can be edited fully and re-sent	—
Canceling the invoice	The Cancel Sending button for a valid invoice, or a credit note	A credit note or a refund invoice only	A credit note or a refund invoice	—

Messages That Appear When Editing

• Saudi Arabia: “You cannot edit any data that may change in the e-invoice after it is issued according to the compliance rules of the Zakat and Income Authority, and you are only allowed to edit fields that don’t affect the total such as attachments, custom fields, and similar non-financial fields.”
• Egypt: the same message with “of the Egyptian Tax Authority,” and Jordan: “of the Income and Sales Tax Department.”
• When trying to save a financial edit in Saudi Arabia: “You cannot edit #### while the Zakat and Income Authority e-invoice is enabled.”
• When trying to save a financial edit in Egypt or Jordan: “#### cannot be edited, as this document has been sent to the tax authority.”

Client Data in the E-Invoice

In limited editing, the client data saved in the invoice can be edited only if the e-invoice status is not sent or invalid. After it becomes valid or sent, the client data is locked as well.

Egypt: Important Details

• Sending is manual from the Egyptian Tax Authority menu in the invoice: Send Invoice or Send Receipt, then update the status.
• Before sending, you can edit the invoice fully.
• If the status is invalid, fix the error and re-send.
• To cancel a valid invoice, use Cancel Sending; the acceptance of the cancellation and its duration are subject to the tax authority gateway’s rules.
• The most important reasons for sending rejection: “A draft invoice cannot be sent,” “This document cannot be sent because it has already been sent,” the tax activity code is not entered or is incorrect, the product has no coding (GS1 or EGS), “Error in the unit of measure type,” “Error in the tax type code,” the client company’s tax number is not entered, or a line with a negative value. The settings are from the e-invoice settings.

Saudi Arabia: Important Details

• The invoice is locked as soon as it is issued, so review the invoice well or save it as a draft first; a draft can be edited and deleted freely.
• The invoice is sent automatically when issued if sending invoices automatically after creation is enabled in the Saudi e-invoice settings, or manually from the Send to the Zakat Authority button.
• Adding a payment to a draft invoice issues it automatically and sends it, and a confirmation appears before that.
• The invoice number cannot be edited.
• To correct an issued invoice: issue a credit note or a refund invoice and then a new correct invoice.
• When saving an issued invoice, the system validates the client data: “Client country is required,” “Client type is required,” “Client business name is required,” “Client’s VAT number or commercial registration / unified number is required,” “Client’s building number must be 4 digits,” “Client’s postal code must be 5 digits.” And when sending: the currency must be Saudi riyal, and the invoice date must not be after today.

Jordan: Important Details

• Sending is automatic when saving if automatic sending is enabled in the Jordanian e-invoice settings, or manually from the Send to the Income and Sales Tax Department button.
• The invoice is locked when it becomes valid; before that, or if it is invalid, it can be edited fully.
• A sent credit note cannot be created for an unsent invoice: “Please make sure the invoice is sent to the Income and Sales Tax Department.”
• Common rejection reasons: “The Income and Sales Tax Department doesn’t support sending two types of taxes,” “An income invoice must not contain any taxes,” “The tax value must be one of the following values: ##.”

UAE

There is no direct sending to the authority, and FAF files are exported from the reports, so the UAE e-invoice doesn’t affect editing or deleting the invoice.

Where Do I See the E-Invoice Status?

On the invoice page next to the e-invoice, and in the E-Invoice Status column in the invoices list with the ability to filter by it. The statuses: Not Sent, Sent, In Progress, Valid, Invalid (and for Saudi Arabia and Jordan: Not Sent, Valid, Invalid).

A Paid Invoice: Can It Be Edited?

Yes, having payments doesn’t prevent editing. If the total becomes less than what was paid, the invoice becomes an overpaid invoice and a Settle button appears to choose:

• Remove the excess amount.
• Convert the excess amount to the client’s balance to pay new invoices automatically.

Example

An invoice of 1,000 paid in full, and you edited it to 800 after deleting a line. The invoice becomes overpaid by 200, so you choose to remove the excess amount (refund the amount to the client) or convert it to the client’s balance.

What Happens After Saving the Edit?

• The invoice’s accounting entries are recreated automatically.
• The stock movements are updated (or the stock requisition if stock requisitions are enabled).
• The payment status, the client’s balance, the sales commissions, and the loyalty points are recalculated.
• The edit is recorded in the invoice’s activity log.
• The invoice isn’t sent to the client again unless you choose Save and Send.

Alternatives When Editing Isn’t Possible

Alternative	When to Use It
Create a credit note	Reducing the invoice value or canceling it partially or fully (the primary solution in e-invoicing).
Create a refund invoice	The client returned goods.
Create a debit note	Increasing the invoice value (requires enabling the debit note in the settings).
Open the period, the commission record, or delete the installment agreement	When the cause of the lock can be removed.

Example (Saudi Arabia)

An issued invoice of 100 including tax (the tax 13.04 and the net 86.96), and it turned out that the correct price is 80. It cannot be edited, so create a credit note linked to it of 20 including tax, so the net owed by the client becomes 80.

Settings That Affect Editing

From the invoice settings:

Setting	Options (Default)	What It Does
Edit Invoice Number Manually	On / Off	Allows changing the invoice number.
Free Entry and Editing Item Data in the Invoice	Allowed / Not allowed	When prevented, the item’s name, description, and price cannot be edited in the invoice.
Selling Below Average Cost	Allowed / Not allowed (Allowed)	When prevented, it rejects saving a price below the average cost.
Pay Invoice Automatically When the Client Has a Balance	On (On)	When editing, the difference is paid from the client’s balance automatically.

And other settings: advanced pricing options, the maximum discount percentage, negative stock, and stock requisitions for sales invoices in the inventory settings, and the credit limit in the client settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I edit the invoice creator? The invoice creator cannot be edited; it is recorded automatically in the name of whoever created it. The field that can be changed is the salesperson with the permission to change the salesperson. See the difference between the invoice creator and the salesperson to know the suitable alternative for your case.
• Why doesn’t the Edit button appear? You don’t have the permission to edit and delete all invoices, or the invoice isn’t yours, or it is from a closed point of sale session.
• Why are all the fields locked on the edit page? The invoice is in limited editing; read the message at the top of the page to know the reason (e-invoice, installments, commissions, a closed period…).
• Can a paid invoice be edited? Yes, and if the total becomes less than what was paid, use the Settle button.
• I issued an invoice in Saudi Arabia by mistake. Can it be deleted? No, issue a credit note or a refund invoice with the same value. And to avoid this, save the invoice as a draft until you are sure of it.
• My invoice in Egypt is invalid. What do I do? Open the invoice and read the reason for the error, edit the invoice, the client data, or the product coding, then re-send.
• Can an issued invoice be converted to a draft? No, in all cases an invoice cannot be returned to a draft after it is issued.
• Why can’t I change the invoice’s client? Because it is from a sales order, a reservation, or a lease contract, or the client’s balance or points were used in it, or it is in limited editing.