Invoice Statuses
Understanding Invoice Status Workflow in Base
Context:
Invoice statuses in Base track where each invoice is in your workflow, from initial creation through approval, submission, and payment. Understanding invoice statuses helps you manage your accounts receivable efficiently, track invoice progress, and ensure proper workflow automation. Base uses a status group system that organizes statuses into logical categories, enabling automated transitions and clear visibility into invoice state.
Tracking Invoice Progress
The Challenge:
Managing invoices requires tracking their progress through multiple stages—from draft to approval, submission, and payment. Without a clear status system, it's difficult to know which invoices need attention, which are awaiting approval, and which have been paid. You need a system that provides clear visibility into invoice state while supporting automated workflow transitions.
Base's Solution:
Base uses a hierarchical status system organized into status groups (ACTIVE, APPROVAL, COMPLETED, CANCELLED). Each status group contains specific statuses that represent stages in your invoice workflow. Statuses can be customized per organization, and the system supports automated transitions based on actions like approval, payment, or status updates. This provides clear visibility while enabling efficient workflow management.
Understanding Status Groups
Status Group Structure:
Base organizes invoice statuses into the following groups:
ACTIVE:
Statuses for invoices that are being worked on
Examples: "Proforma", "Awaiting Approval", "Draft"
Invoices in this group are typically editable
APPROVAL:
Statuses for invoices in the approval workflow
Examples: "Approved", "Rejected", "Pending Approval"
May include approval stages for multi-step approval processes
COMPLETED:
Statuses for invoices that have been finalized
Examples: "Submitted", "Paid", "Closed"
Invoices in this group are typically read-only
CANCELLED:
Statuses for invoices that have been voided or cancelled
Examples: "Voided", "Cancelled"
Invoices in this group are archived
Default Invoice Statuses:
Base includes default statuses in each group:
1. Proforma (ACTIVE) - Initial invoice draft
2. Awaiting Approval (ACTIVE) - Waiting for approval
3. Approved (APPROVAL) - Approved and ready for submission
4. Rejected (APPROVAL) - Rejected during approval
5. Submitted (COMPLETED) - Sent to client
6. Paid (COMPLETED) - Payment received
7. Voided (CANCELLED) - Invoice voided or cancelled
Status Workflow Progression
Typical Invoice Lifecycle:
Proforma → Awaiting Approval → Approved → Submitted → Paid ↓ Rejected (if rejected) ↓ Voided (if cancelled)
Status Transitions:
Creation:
New invoices typically start in "Proforma" or "Awaiting Approval" status
Approval:
Invoices move to "Approved" when approved
Invoices move to "Rejected" if rejected during approval
Rejected invoices can be corrected and resubmitted for approval
Submission:
Approved invoices move to "Submitted" when sent to clients
This may happen automatically or manually
Payment:
Submitted invoices move to "Paid" when payment is recorded
Payment recording may trigger automatic status updates
Cancellation:
Invoices can be moved to "Voided" at any time if cancelled
Voided invoices are archived and typically cannot be edited
Status Automation
Automatic Status Updates:
Base can automatically update invoice statuses based on:
Approval Actions: Moving to "Approved" or "Rejected" when approved/rejected
Payment Recording: Moving to "Paid" when payment is recorded
Job Completion: Status updates may trigger when related jobs are completed
Workflow Rules: Custom automation rules you configure
Approval Stages:
For multi-step approval workflows:
Statuses can have
approvalStagevalues (1, 2, 3, etc.)Invoices progress through approval stages sequentially
Each stage may require different approvers or conditions
Status Locks:
Some statuses are "locked" for automation:
First ACTIVE Status: Automatically assigned when charges are added to a job
Last APPROVAL Status: Target for job approval automation
First COMPLETED Status: Target for job completion automation
These locked statuses cannot be deleted but can be renamed.
Customizing Invoice Statuses
Organization-Specific Statuses:
Each organization can customize:
Status Names: Rename default statuses to match your terminology
Status Colors: Assign colors for visual identification
Additional Statuses: Add new statuses to any group
Status Order: Control the order statuses appear (via
sortOrder)
Status Configuration:
To customize statuses:
1. Navigate to Organization Settings → Status Configuration
2. Select "Invoice" as the status type
3. Edit existing statuses or add new ones
4. Configure status properties (name, color, group, order)
Best Practices for Customization:
Use Clear Names: Use descriptive names that clearly indicate the status
Maintain Workflow: Ensure status progression makes logical sense
Limit Statuses: Don't create too many statuses—keep it simple
Use Colors: Use colors consistently to aid visual identification
Viewing Invoice Status
Status Indicators:
Invoice status is displayed:
In Invoice Tables: Status column shows current status with color coding
On Invoice Details: Status appears prominently in the invoice header
In Filters: You can filter invoices by status
In Reports: Status is included in invoice reports
Status Colors:
Status colors help with quick identification:
Blue: Typically for active/working statuses
Green: Typically for approved/completed statuses
Purple: Typically for submitted/paid statuses
Red: Typically for rejected/error statuses
Black/Gray: Typically for cancelled/archived statuses
Status and Permissions
Status-Based Restrictions:
Some statuses may restrict certain actions:
COMPLETED Statuses: Invoices in completed statuses are typically read-only
CANCELLED Statuses: Cancelled invoices cannot be edited
APPROVAL Statuses: Invoices in approval may have limited editability
Status Change Permissions:
Changing invoice status may require:
Approval Permissions: To approve or reject invoices
Edit Permissions: To change status manually
Admin Permissions: For certain status transitions
Best Practices
Status Management:
Use Consistently: Apply statuses consistently across all invoices
Update Promptly: Update statuses as invoices progress through workflow
Review Regularly: Periodically review invoices by status to identify bottlenecks
Train Team: Ensure your team understands status meanings and workflow
Workflow Optimization:
Minimize Statuses: Use only the statuses you need—avoid creating too many
Clear Progression: Ensure status progression is logical and clear
Automate Where Possible: Use automation to reduce manual status updates
Monitor Transitions: Track status transitions to identify workflow issues
Reporting:
Status Reports: Use status filters to generate reports by invoice state
Workflow Analysis: Analyze status distribution to understand workflow efficiency
Bottleneck Identification: Identify statuses where invoices get stuck
Troubleshooting
Status Not Updating:
If invoice status isn't updating:
Check Permissions: Verify you have permission to change status
Verify Workflow: Ensure the status transition is allowed
Check Automation: Verify automation rules are configured correctly
Manual Override: Try manually updating the status
Wrong Status Applied:
If the wrong status is applied:
Review Automation: Check automation rules that might be triggering
Verify Actions: Ensure you're performing the correct action
Check Configuration: Verify status configuration is correct
Manual Correction: Manually change to the correct status
Status Missing:
If a status you need doesn't exist:
Create Custom Status: Add a new status in Organization Settings
Configure Properly: Ensure the status is in the correct group
Set Order: Configure the status order appropriately
Related Features
Invoice statuses work with several other Base features:
How to Update the Status of an Invoice: Learn how to manually update invoice status
Viewing, Updating, Archiving, Batching, and Approving Invoices: Understand invoice management workflows
How to Create an Invoice: Learn how invoices are created and their initial status
Job Status Workflow: Understand how invoice statuses relate to job statuses
Summary
Invoice statuses in Base provide a clear, organized way to track invoice progress through your workflow. By understanding status groups, workflow progression, and automation capabilities, you can efficiently manage your accounts receivable and ensure invoices move through the appropriate stages. The customizable status system allows you to adapt Base to your specific workflow needs while maintaining clear visibility into invoice state.
If you have questions about invoice statuses or need help configuring your status workflow, our support team is ready to help.