An invoice in detail
2 min read · By Stefan Köhn
The lines of an invoice, its totals and its path: issued, sent, paid or corrected. Every line shows which delivery it comes from.
Every line names its delivery
An invoice does not come from a total but from lines, and each shows which delivery it came from. Every amount can therefore be traced back to the record it arose for.
The path of a document
Issued, sent, paid or corrected. Sent means the mail went out, not that anyone read it.
Corrections come as a second document
A correcting invoice reverses individual lines of the original and stands beside it. The old one stays as it was, including its state; that is why it still says paid even after a correction.
The timeline
It shows when each step happened. It is useful less for whether than for when: an open invoice does not say whether since yesterday or since six weeks, and that is exactly what decides whether someone follows up.
Step by step
- In Billing, click the document in question.
- Go through the positions. Each one names the delivery it came from.
- Send the invoice or download it.
- If something is wrong, issue a correction. The document itself stays as it is.
What does "sent" mean?
The mail server accepted the message to the partner. From then on nothing more is added to a correcting invoice: the next return starts a new one. A second send is blocked.
A line is struck through. What does that mean?
The delivery was returned before the invoice was issued. The line stays visible and counts as €0.00, so that what happened remains traceable.
What is a correcting invoice?
The document for a return after the cut-off date. It sits next to the original invoice and cancels individual lines. Several returns in the same period collect on the same correction until it is sent.
Why does the invoice still say "paid" although it was corrected?
Because the money did move: that is the history, and a correction does not change it. The correcting invoice then sits next to it as an open refund. Only for an unpaid invoice are both marked as cancelled.
What does the timeline show?
A date for every milestone: issued, sent, paid, cancelled. "Open" on its own does not say whether since yesterday or since six weeks, and that is exactly what decides whether someone follows up.