When to use each option
Situation | Recommended action |
Invoice was sent to a client and you need a formal record of the cancellation | Create a credit note |
Invoice was created by mistake, not yet paid, and you need to keep a record in your accounts | Manually zero out the invoice |
Invoice was created by mistake, and you simply want to remove it | Delete the invoice |
Option 1 - Create a credit note
A credit note is a formal document that cancels or partially reverses an invoice. It is a tax and commercial document that appears in the client statement and affects your overall business balance and statistics.
Use this when the invoice has already been sent or recorded, and you need a proper paper trail.
Mobile app
Go to Documents - Invoices
Open the invoice you want to cancel
Swipe up the action bar at the bottom
Tap Create credit note
A new credit note is created with all the details from the original invoice
Adjust any details if needed - you do not need to enter negative values; Billdu handles that automatically
Tap Save
The credit note appears alongside your invoices in the invoice list.
Website
Go to Documents - Invoices
Click the invoice to open the preview
Click the Create button and select Create credit note
A new credit note is created with all the details from the original invoice
Adjust any details if needed - negative values are applied automatically
Click Save
Once you have refunded the payment to your client, add a payment to the credit note to record the refund
Note: You can create multiple credit notes from the same invoice. Each credit note creation is recorded in the document timeline.
Create a credit note from scratch (website only)
If you need a credit note that is not linked to an existing invoice:
Go to Documents - Credit notes
Click New credit note
Select a client, add items, and fill in all relevant details
Click Save
Option 2 - Manually zero out the invoice
Use this if you do not want to create a credit note but also do not want to delete the invoice - for example, when the invoice needs to remain in your accounting records with a zero balance.
Billdu does not have a dedicated cancellation function, but you can achieve the same result manually:
Open the invoice and tap Edit
Add a new line item
Name it Cancellation (or similar)
Enter a negative amount that brings the invoice total to 0
Save the invoice
The invoice remains in your records but shows a total of zero.
Option 3 - Delete the invoice
If the invoice was created by mistake and you do not need to keep any record of it, you can delete it directly.
Mobile app - open the invoice, swipe up the action bar, and select Delete
Website - open the invoice preview and click the Delete icon at the top
Note: Deleting an invoice removes it permanently. This affects your statistics and document history. If you need to keep a record, use Option 1 or Option 2 instead.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Contact our support team, and we'll sort it out for you.