Pending and rejected: what to do when an invoice does not arrive
The sync indicator shows a number that will not drop to zero? This article explains the two different states behind the number, decodes the common rejection messages one by one, and says what the cashier can fix and what needs the manager.
On this page
Where you see what was not sent
In the top bar of the sale screen is the sync indicator with a counter of unsent documents. Tap it to open the "Unsynced documents" window listing pending invoices, returns and receipt vouchers, each with its time, amount and status, and a "Sync now" button. When everything is empty you read: "All documents are synced".
The same status shows on every invoice in "Current shift": "Synced", "Not synced", "Error" or "Cancelled".
Two completely different states
| State | Meaning | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for sync | The document is fine and no connection was available yet, or sending failed temporarily (network or server) | Nothing. It retries automatically with increasing back-off, or press "Sync now" when the internet is back |
| Sync failed | It reached the server and was rejected for a reason in its data. The reason is written under it | Read the reason. Some are fixed by the cashier, some need the manager. It is not retried automatically so it does not loop forever |
As the window itself says: documents "waiting for sync" are retried automatically when a connection is available, while "sync failed" means the server rejected them, so check the reason shown.
The most common rejection reasons
| Message on the device | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Device total differs from server total | The item was sold at a price, tax or promotion that changed in the panel after the last sync, or the rounding setting differs | "Sync items", then the manager recreates the invoice from the panel at the right price, or adjusts the price temporarily and the document is resent |
| Customer credit limit exceeded | The invoice is on credit or partially collected and the customer is over their limit by the server's count | The cashier collects the remainder, or the manager raises the limit or approves the override from the panel, then sync again |
| This cashier is not allowed to sell on credit | The invoice is not fully collected and the cashier account lacks the "credit sale to a named customer" permission | Collect the full amount, or grant the permission from the user profile |
| Insufficient stock for the item | The inventory setting blocks negative sales and the warehouse balance is not enough | Record the receipt or adjust the balance from the panel, or allow negative sales for this item |
| The cashier already has an open shift | A new shift opening arrived before the previous one was closed (usually two devices for one cashier) | Close the open shift from the other device or from the panel, then sync again |
| The POS cashbox is not among the allowed cash accounts | The device sent a cashbox outside the cashier's scope | The manager picks the right cashbox on the cashier account, and the cashier signs in again |
| Returned quantity exceeds invoiced, or the return has no reason, or returning without an invoice is not allowed | Return controls on the server | The manager creates the return from the panel linked to the original invoice |
| This document needs a party | A receipt from the screen as a payment on account without a customer | The manager records it from "Receipts" in the customer's name |
| Cancel the receipts allocated to this invoice first | Cancelling a paid invoice from the device | The accountant cancels the receipt voucher from the panel, then the invoice |
| Invalid document data | An incomplete or duplicated payload (an identifier already used) | Report the small message shown to support |
The full text of every message and what to do about it is in System messages.
How a rejected document is resent
- Fix the cause (you or the manager) as in the table.
- Press "Sync now". The app sends the document with the same identifier, so if it is accepted this time it gets its official number and is never duplicated.
- Check that its status became "Synced" in the current shift.
If it cannot be fixed, the manager creates the document from the panel and the cashier cancels the local copy from the invoice details in the current shift so it does not stay pending. Because a rejected invoice was never posted, it has no effect on sales, stock or the cashbox until it is accepted.
Do not close the shift with a rejected document
The shift's expected cash is computed on the server from the receipt vouchers that arrived and were posted. A rejected cash invoice has its cash in the drawer but is not in the expected amount, so at closing a false "surplus" appears and is posted to cash differences or to your account. Handle the rejected documents first, then close as in Counting and closing.
End-of-day habit
Before counting: open "Unsynced documents", make sure it says "All documents are synced", then open the current shift and make sure every invoice is "Synced". Then the numbers on the device and in the panel are the same.
When to call the manager
- Any message about price or total: it needs a change in the panel.
- Credit limit or credit sale: a management decision.
- Insufficient stock: a goods receipt or a stock adjustment.
- "Invalid document data" or an unclear technical message: support, with a screenshot of the message, the time and the device number from "Settings".
What the manager can do in the panel for each case is explained in Devices and active POS terminals and Posting and cancelling.
Frequently asked questions
The counter says 3 documents and the internet works. Why are they not sent?
Open the window and read their status. If it is "sync failed", the server rejected them and the reason is written; they will not be sent until the reason is fixed. If it is "waiting for sync", press "Sync now"; if "Sync failed, it will retry automatically" appears, the problem is reaching the server, not the documents.
Can a rejected invoice be edited on the device and resent?
An invoice cannot be edited after its payment is confirmed. The cause is fixed in the panel (price, limit, stock, permission) and then sync runs again with the same identifier. If the error is in the invoice itself, it is cancelled locally and recreated.
An invoice was rejected after its receipt was printed and the customer took the goods. What now?
The goods left and the cash is in the drawer, but the books know nothing until the invoice is accepted. Tell the manager immediately so they fix the cause or create the invoice from the panel with the same date before the shift is closed.