Invoice statuses explained
Updated August 9, 2026 · 1 walkthrough
An invoice moves through a fixed set of states, and each one allows different things. Most of the "why can't I" questions about invoicing are answered by knowing which state you are in.
The states
- Draft — editable, voidable, deletable. Not visible to the customer.
- Sent — the customer has it. Editing and deleting are gone; you can resend and record payments.
- Partially paid — some money recorded, a balance remaining.
- Paid — settled in full. Terminal.
- Overdue — sent, past its due date, still owing.
- Void — cancelled. Only possible before money lands.
What the guardrails stop
What an invoice will not let you do
0:13On a computer
- Once money is on it, an invoice can't just be cancelled — Void has gone from the action bar
- Try to put more on it than it owes
- The dialog shows the remaining balance is $221.09
- Type in more than that
- $421.09 entered against a $221.09 balance — the full invoice total, but $200.00 of it is already paid
- Rejected — the ledger is the source of truth
- Payment amount exceeds the remaining balance — the dialog stays open and nothing is written
Recorded August 2026
Once a payment is on an invoice, Void disappears from the action bar, and you cannot record more than the remaining balance. Both exist so your books cannot be talked into a state that does not reconcile.
Paid is the end of the line. If something genuinely needs reversing after that, issue a credit rather than trying to reopen the invoice.
Overdue reminders
Reminders chase an overdue invoice on a schedule so you are not keeping a mental list. They stop the moment the balance reaches zero.
More in Invoices & payments
Still have questions?