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Invoice Adjustments

Invoice adjustments let you modify an invoice's balance without editing the original line items. Use adjustments for credits, discounts, late fees, write-offs, and interest charges.

When to Use Adjustments

Adjustments are better than editing line items when:

  • The original invoice was correct, but circumstances changed
  • You need to maintain an audit trail of changes
  • The invoice has already been sent to the customer
  • Accounting needs to track adjustments separately

Adjustment Types

TypeEffectCommon Uses
CreditReduces balanceGoodwill credit, price adjustment, returned product
DiscountReduces balanceLoyalty discount, settlement discount, promotional pricing
Write-offReduces balanceUncollectable debt, small balance clearance
Late FeeIncreases balanceOverdue payment penalty
InterestIncreases balanceOngoing interest on overdue balance
OtherEither directionMiscellaneous adjustments

Adding an Adjustment

  1. Open the invoice you want to adjust
  2. Click MoreAdd Adjustment
  3. Select the adjustment type
  4. Enter the amount
  5. Add a description (visible to customer)
  6. Optionally add an internal note (staff only)
  7. Click Save

The invoice total updates immediately.

Add adjustment modal showing fields for adjustment type, amount, customer-facing description, and internal notes
Click to enlarge
The add adjustment modal allows you to apply credits, discounts, late fees, or other adjustments to an invoice while maintaining a complete audit trail

Amount Rules

Adjustments automatically enforce the correct sign:

  • Credits, discounts, write-offs — Amount must be negative (reduces balance)
  • Late fees, interest — Amount must be positive (increases balance)
  • Other — You choose the sign

Amount Limits

Credits and discounts cannot exceed the remaining balance. If an invoice has $100 remaining, you cannot add a -$150 credit.

Which Invoices Can Be Adjusted

Adjustments can only be added to invoices with these statuses:

StatusCan Adjust?
DraftNo — edit line items instead
SentYes
ViewedYes (treated as Sent)
OverdueYes
Partially PaidYes
PaidNo — balance is already zero
VoidNo — invoice is cancelled

Viewing Adjustments

Adjustments appear on the invoice in the Adjustments section:

  • Description — What you entered (customer sees this)
  • Amount — The adjustment value
  • Date — Effective date of adjustment
  • Added by — Staff member who created it

In Activity Log, you can see the full history including internal notes.

Deleting Adjustments

You can delete an adjustment only if:

  • No payments have been received on the invoice
  • You have admin or owner permissions

After any payment is received, adjustments are locked to maintain accounting integrity. If you need to undo an adjustment on a partially paid invoice, add a reverse adjustment instead.

To Delete

  1. Open the invoice
  2. Find the adjustment in the Adjustments section
  3. Click the Delete icon
  4. Confirm deletion

The invoice balance recalculates automatically.

Write-offs

Use write-offs to clear small or uncollectable balances:

  1. Add an adjustment with type Write-off
  2. Set amount to the negative of the remaining balance
  3. Add description like "Written off - uncollectable"
  4. Add internal note with reason (for your records)

When a write-off clears the entire balance, the invoice status changes to Paid.

Late Fees

To add a late fee:

  1. Open the overdue invoice
  2. Add adjustment with type Late Fee
  3. Enter the fee amount (positive number)
  4. Add description like "Late payment fee - 30 days overdue"

Accounting Integration

When synced to Xero or your accounting system:

  • Credits/discounts appear as separate line items or credit notes
  • Late fees/interest appear as additional charges
  • Write-offs may sync to a bad debt expense account

Check your Xero integration settings to configure how adjustments are handled.

Customer Visibility

What Customer SeesWhat Customer Doesn't See
Adjustment descriptionInternal notes
AmountWho added it
Effective dateTimestamps

Keep descriptions professional — customers see them on invoices and payment pages.

Common Workflows

Settling for Less

Customer offers to pay $900 on a $1,000 invoice:

  1. Add Discount adjustment: -$100
  2. Description: "Settlement discount"
  3. Accept the $900 payment

Small Balance Clearance

Invoice has $0.23 remaining due to rounding:

  1. Add Write-off adjustment: -$0.23
  2. Description: "Balance cleared"
  3. Invoice marks as Paid

Adding Overdue Penalty

Invoice is 60 days overdue:

  1. Add Late Fee adjustment: $50
  2. Description: "Late payment fee - 60 days"
  3. New balance includes the fee

Permissions

RoleAdd AdjustmentDelete AdjustmentView
OwnerYesYesYes
AdminYesYesYes
OfficeYesNoYes
FieldNoNoNo

Field Service Management for Australian Businesses