Posting, cancelling and approvals
Three states for every document and one rule: a posted document is never edited, only reversed. Here you understand the full cycle, and when a document stops to wait for approval.
On this page
Only three states
| State | Meaning | Editable | Has an entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Created and not yet posted | Yes | No |
| Posted | Took its number and affected the books and stock | No, except notes | Yes, if it has a financial effect |
| Cancelled | Cancelled after posting and its entries reversed | No | The original entry and a reversing entry |
The golden rule: a draft affects nothing. No stock, no balances, no number. You can save ten drafts and delete them with no trace.
Why the number is assigned at posting
The document number (INV-26-01-000042, for example) is reserved inside the posting operation itself, not on save. So there are no gaps in the sequence: a deleted draft never used a number. The number format, yearly reset and branch marker are set under Settings, then Numbering; see Numbering and print templates.
What posting always checks
- The document is a draft and has lines.
- Its date is inside an open fiscal year and an unlocked period; otherwise "The period containing the date is locked". See Advanced accounting for managing periods.
- Whatever each document needs: the warehouse, sufficient stock, the credit limit, the discount limit, permissions.
After posting, the system writes one balanced entry in the document currency and the base currency together, and every entry is written once: never edited, never deleted. The details per document are in The sales invoice, The supplier invoice and Vouchers.
Cancellation: reversal, not erasure
The Cancel (reverse) button on a posted document asks for a Cancellation reason and then runs in one order across all modules:
- Blocking checks (below).
- Reversing the stock movements: the goods return at their original cost.
- Switching the state to Cancelled with the reason, who and when.
- Writing a reversing entry for every entry linked to the document, dated today.
- A "cancellation cost variance" entry if the average changed between sale and cancellation, so the stock value matches the inventory account in the ledger to the cent.
- Restoring quantities on the origin document, cancelling accrued commissions, and removing allocations.
The cancelled document stays in the list with its state and reason; nothing disappears. A draft, however, is permanently deleted with its lines when cancelled.
When cancellation is refused
| Case | What to do |
|---|---|
| An invoice with an allocated receipt or payment voucher | Cancel the voucher or its allocation first |
| An invoice with returns, or a supplier invoice with import expenses | Cancel the returns or expenses first |
| A voucher whose cheque has moved (deposited, collected, endorsed, cashed) | Handle the cheque from the cheques screen first |
| Today's date is in a locked period | Unlock the period, then cancel |
Cancellation is dated today
The reversing entry is written on the cancellation date, not the original document date. Cancelling last month's invoice after closing it leaves last month's revenue as it was and lowers this month's. That is correct accounting, but understand it before locking your periods.
Approvals
Some actions pass directly for whoever holds their permission, and stop for everyone else pending approval. When an action stops, the message "This action needs approval; approval request number N was sent" appears and the document stays a draft.
| Reason | When | Who approves |
|---|---|---|
| Over the credit limit | A sales invoice exceeding a customer's limit under the block policy | Holder of the credit override permission |
| Discount above the limit | A line or header discount above the price list's maximum | Holder of the discount above limit permission |
| Amount above the user limit | A payment voucher above the amount limit set on the user | Holder of the payment approval permission |
| Return without origin | A return with no invoice above the limit or with a cash refund | Holder of the return approval permission |
The manager sees the requests under Home, then Approvals, with a bell in the top bar counting the pending ones. Each request shows the document, reason, amount, who requested it, and Approve and Reject buttons with an optional Decision note. After approval the employee repeats the same action and it goes through. Rejection leaves the document a draft to be edited or deleted.
The amount limit on a user
On the user profile, scopes tab, the Amount limit field: a ceiling in the base currency on what this user can pay out with a payment voucher without approval, and also their ceiling on an unreferenced return if it is tighter than the settings limit. See Scopes.
Everything is in the audit log
Creation, posting, cancellation and every approval or rejection are recorded with who, when and what. Settings, then Audit log answers "who cancelled this invoice and why". See Sessions and audit log.
Related permissions
Every module has separate keys: view, create, update, post, cancel, export. A data-entry clerk saves drafts and does not post; the accountant posts and does not cancel; the manager cancels. This separation is the simplest internal control you can apply. See Roles and Who sees what.
Frequently asked questions
Can a document posted by mistake be deleted permanently?
No. A posted document is cancelled and stays in the "Cancelled" state with a reversing entry. This preserves the number sequence and the integrity of the books, and the list can be filtered by state to hide cancelled ones.
Posting was refused because the period is locked. What now?
Either change the document date to an open period, or unlock the period under Advanced accounting, then Fiscal years and periods, if you hold that permission.
Where do I see the approval requests I sent?
Under Home, then Approvals, with their state: pending, approved, or rejected, and the decision note if one was written.
Does approval post the document automatically?
No. It only opens the door. Click "Post" again on the same document after approval.