Viewing, Updating, Archiving, Batching, and Approving Invoices
Comprehensive Invoice Management in Base
Context:
Effective invoice management is critical for maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring timely client billing, and tracking payment status. Base's Accounts Receivable system provides comprehensive tools for viewing invoice details, making corrections, organizing invoices into batches, and managing the approval workflow. Whether you're reviewing invoice line items, updating billing information, consolidating multiple invoices for a client, or moving invoices through your approval process, Base streamlines these essential operations.
Managing Your Invoice Workflow
The Challenge:
In port operations and project-based businesses, invoice management involves multiple tasks: reviewing invoice details for accuracy, making corrections when needed, organizing invoices for client delivery, and ensuring proper approval before sending. Without efficient tools, these tasks become time-consuming and error-prone. You need the ability to quickly view invoice details, update information when changes occur, archive invoices that are no longer needed, batch related invoices together, and approve invoices through your workflow.
Base's Solution:
Base provides a comprehensive invoice management system that integrates viewing, editing, archiving, batching, and approval into a single workflow. You can quickly access invoice details, make updates as needed, organize invoices into batches for consolidated delivery, and manage the approval process with granular control over which line items are approved. All changes are tracked in the audit trail, and the system maintains data integrity throughout the process.
Viewing Invoices
Accessing Accounts Receivable:
To view and manage invoices, start by navigating to the Accounts Receivable section:
1. Click on Accounting from the navigation bar on the left side of Base
2. Then, click on Accounts Receivable
Viewing Invoice Details:
Once in Accounts Receivable, you'll see a table listing all invoices. To view the full details of a specific invoice:
1. Find the invoice in the table
2. Click the eyeball icon (view button) on the left side of the invoice row
This opens the invoice detail view, showing:
Invoice Header Information: Invoice number, date, due date, company, contact
Line Items: All charges and line items on the invoice
Totals: Subtotal, taxes, and grand total
Status: Current approval and payment status
Attachments: Any files or documents associated with the invoice
Activity: History of changes and updates
Updating Invoices
When to Update an Invoice:
You may need to update an invoice for various reasons:
Corrections: Fix errors in invoice number, dates, or amounts
Contact Changes: Update the billing contact or address
Line Item Adjustments: Modify charges, quantities, or descriptions
Status Updates: Change invoice status or add notes
Custom Fields: Update custom field values
How to Edit an Invoice:
1. In the Accounts Receivable table, find the invoice you want to edit
2. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) from the invoice row
3. The invoice edit form opens, allowing you to modify:
- Invoice Header: Number, dates, company, contact
- Line Items: Add, remove, or modify charges
- Custom Fields: Update custom field values
- Notes: Add internal or external notes
4. Make your changes
5. Click "Save Changes" to update the invoice
Note: All changes are tracked in the invoice's audit trail, maintaining a complete history of modifications.
Archiving Invoices
When to Archive an Invoice:
Archiving removes an invoice from active views while preserving it in your records. Archive invoices when:
Duplicates: An invoice was created by mistake and needs to be removed
Cancellations: A job or project was cancelled before invoicing
Consolidations: An invoice was merged into another invoice
Data Cleanup: Removing test or sample invoices
How to Archive an Invoice:
1. In the Accounts Receivable table, find the invoice you want to archive
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon) on the invoice row
3. A confirmation dialog appears asking if you're sure you want to archive the invoice
4. Review the confirmation message carefully
5. Click "Archive" to confirm, or "Cancel" to keep the invoice active
Important: Archived invoices are not deleted—they're hidden from active views but remain in your database for historical records and reporting. You can view archived invoices by adjusting your table filters.
Batching Invoices
Understanding Invoice Batching:
Batching allows you to group multiple invoices together for a single client. This is useful for:
Consolidated Delivery: Sending multiple invoices to a client in one batch
Internal Tracking: Marking when invoices have been sent to clients
Payment Processing: Grouping invoices for payment reconciliation
Reporting: Organizing invoices for financial reporting
How to Batch Invoices:
1. In the Accounts Receivable section, click the "Batch Invoices" button at the top of the table
2. A batch modal opens. First, select the client you want to batch invoices for
3. After selecting the client, all invoices for that client appear in the list
4. Select the invoices you want to batch using the checkboxes on the left of each invoice row
5. You can select all invoices at once using the checkbox next to the "Invoices" section header
6. Add batch notes (optional) in the "Batch Notes" section to document the purpose or context of the batch
7. Click the "Batch" button to create the invoice batch
Note: Batching invoices creates an invoice batch record that groups the selected invoices together. This is useful for tracking when invoices have been sent to clients and for creating consolidated invoice documents. See Consolidated Invoices (Batches) for more information.
Approving Invoices
Understanding Invoice Approval:
Invoice approval moves invoices through your workflow from draft/proforma status to approved status. The approval process allows you to:
Review Charges: Verify all line items before approval
Selective Approval: Approve specific line items while holding others
Generate Documents: Create final invoice documents after approval
Track Status: Move invoices through your status workflow
How to Approve an Invoice:
1. In the Accounts Receivable table, find the invoice you want to approve
2. Click the dropdown menu (three dots or action menu) on the invoice row
3. Select "Approval" from the dropdown menu
4. The approval modal opens, showing all charges (line items) on the invoice
5. Review each line item to verify accuracy
6. Select the line items you want to approve using the checkboxes on the left of each line
7. Optional: Click "Download Invoice" to preview or download the invoice document before approval
8. Click "Approve Invoice" to approve the selected line items and move the invoice to approved status
Note: After approval, Base may automatically generate final invoice documents, update invoice status, and trigger notifications based on your workflow configuration. The approval process maintains a complete audit trail of who approved what and when.
Best Practices
Viewing Invoices:
Use Filters: Apply filters to quickly find specific invoices (by company, date range, status, etc.)
Review Details: Always review invoice details before taking action
Check Status: Verify invoice status before editing or approving
Review History: Check the activity/audit trail to understand invoice changes
Updating Invoices:
Verify Before Editing: Double-check invoice details before making changes
Document Changes: Add notes explaining why changes were made
Check Permissions: Ensure you have edit permissions for the invoice
Review Impact: Consider how changes affect related records (jobs, payments, etc.)
Archiving Invoices:
Confirm Before Archiving: Always review the confirmation dialog carefully
Document Reason: Add notes explaining why an invoice is being archived
Check Dependencies: Verify the invoice isn't referenced by other records
Use Filters: Filter to view archived invoices when needed
Batching Invoices:
Group Related Invoices: Batch invoices that will be sent together
Add Batch Notes: Document the purpose of each batch
Review Before Batching: Verify all selected invoices are correct
Track Batch Status: Monitor which batches have been sent to clients
Approving Invoices:
Review All Line Items: Carefully review each charge before approval
Verify Amounts: Double-check totals and calculations
Selective Approval: Only approve line items that are ready
Document Approval: Add notes if needed to explain approval decisions
Troubleshooting
Can't View Invoice Details:
Check Permissions: Verify you have read permissions for invoices
Check Filters: Ensure filters aren't hiding the invoice
Check Archive Status: The invoice may be archived—adjust filters to show archived items
Can't Edit Invoice:
Check Permissions: Verify you have edit permissions for invoices
Check Status: Some invoice statuses may prevent editing
Check Lock Status: The invoice may be locked (e.g., in a locked accounting period)
Can't Archive Invoice:
Check Dependencies: The invoice may be referenced by other records (payments, batches, etc.)
Check Permissions: Verify you have delete/archive permissions
Check Status: Some statuses may prevent archiving
Batching Issues:
No Invoices Available: Ensure the selected client has invoices that can be batched
Invoices Already Batched: Check if invoices are already part of another batch
Permission Issues: Verify you have permission to create invoice batches
Approval Issues:
No Line Items Selected: Ensure at least one line item is selected for approval
Status Conflicts: The invoice may already be in a status that prevents approval
Permission Issues: Verify you have permission to approve invoices
Related Features
Invoice management works with several other Base features:
Consolidated Invoices (Batches): Learn more about creating and managing invoice batches
How to Create an Invoice: Understand how to create new invoices
Invoice Statuses: Learn about invoice status workflow
Billing Packet Merge: Understand how to merge billing documents
How to Filter, Search, and Export a Table: Learn how to efficiently find and export invoices
Summary
Base's invoice management system provides comprehensive tools for viewing, updating, archiving, batching, and approving invoices. By understanding each operation and following best practices, you can efficiently manage your invoice workflow, maintain accurate financial records, and ensure timely client billing. The system's audit trail, permission controls, and status workflow ensure data integrity and provide complete visibility into invoice operations.
If you have questions about managing invoices, our support team is ready to help.