Based on support calls and emails from our customers, here are our most commonly asked invoicing queries and their solutions.

Invoice Numbers

How can I change an invoice number, and why can’t I change the invoice ID?

Invoice Narrations

Why not save time and save as default the comments you use most often?

Generate Based on Invoice

Another time saver is to clone or copy invoices you have sent previously

Accounts Upload

The two most common reasons why an invoice fails to upload

Statements

Why isn’t my invoice appearing on this statement?

---

Invoice Numbers

How can I change an invoice number, and why can’t I change the invoice ID?

Abtrac invoices have two numbers in the system.

• Invoice ID is the unique identifier in the database and cannot be edited.
• Invoice Number is the field used in reports and search screens and can be amended to whatever suits your business needs. You can enter whatever ‘number’ you want here, including prefixes/suffixes and alphanumerics.

You can change the invoice numbering sequence at a system level or make one-off changes to particular invoices. An invoice number can only be edited if the invoice is uncommitted.

Once you have created an invoice, you can always change the invoice number from the ‘Invoice Management’ screen. Go to Invoices >> Load Invoices >> click on the relevant ‘Invoice No’ to go into the ‘Invoice Management’ screen.

If you are trying to edit an invoice number and run in to problems, it is most likely that the invoice number has been used before.

You can search for specific invoice numbers from the Load Invoice screen, or find the next (highest) available invoice number from the Find Max option in System Management.

Go to Administration >> Settings >> Invoice Settings to load the ‘Invoice and Other Office Settings’ page.

Some companies like to use a different series of invoice numbers for write off invoices and templates, this can also be edited using the next invoice number option.

---

Invoice Narrations

Why not save time and save as default the comments you use most often?

If you find that you tend to use the same invoice line comments often, it is handy to save them as default narrations.

Go to Invoices >> Load Invoices >> click on the relevant ‘Invoice No’ to go into the ‘Invoice Management’ screen >> then go to ‘Invoice Lines, Narratives and Amounts’ section. Here, in the ‘Invoice Line Details’  table, you can click on the  pencil edit button to edit any invoice line.

The Create/Edit Invoice Line pop up appears, where you can select a narration from the default narrations dropdown list.

You can also add a narration to your defaults list from this screen, or you can add to your default narrations at a system level from: Administration >> Settings >> Invoice Settings >> under the Invoice Line Settings section.

---

Generate Based on Invoice

Another time saver is to clone or copy invoices you’ve sent previously

Go to Invoices >>Generate Invoices >> choose from the ‘Generate Invoice Based on No.’ dropdown list.

---

Accounts Upload

The two most common reasons why an invoice fails to upload

This depends on how you have chosen to link Abtrac with your accounts, but typically it is because one or more fields do not match. Sometimes this happens as contacts are added manually in both systems, and sometimes changes are made in one system and not the other. The two most common mistakes are:

• The invoice lines in Abtrac are missing GL-Codes or the Accounts codes have changed in your accounting system

• The Client name in Abtrac (or the Name on the invoice) doesn’t match the client name in your accounting system

---

Statements

Why isn’t my invoice appearing on this statement?

Only invoices that have been committed will appear on statements. We recommend committing your invoices as soon as they are approved and are ready to send. This will remove your invoice from the current batch and make it available for statements. If you want to include an uncomitted invoice in a statement of accounts, you can use the Account Rendered option, also from Debtor Management.

*Statements and Accounts Rendered are only available with Abtrac’s Debtor Management module. This is an add-on to standard Abtrac which allows you to record detailed invoice payments and send accounts to clients.

Abtrac KB# 2035