Invoicing troubleshooting

About 10 minutes · For everyone · Needs Pro or Business · Last checked in v0.61.0, Oct 2026

Look for what you see on screen, in the first column. Each row says why it happens and what to do, and links back to the guide that explains the whole job. Messages are quoted as Fifi shows them. This page doesn't repeat how things work: for that, start at Choose how you'll invoice. It also leaves out what Fifi doesn't do, such as recurring invoices and credit notes (What Fifi doesn't do).

Tip

Many of Fifi's messages tell you the fix. Read the whole message before looking here. If a Stripe or Intuit screen shows an error of its own, use their help: Fifi can only report what they tell it.

Sending an invoice

What you see	Why	What to do
"Issued, but the email didn't go. Try Resend."	The invoice was numbered and locked, but the email service didn't take the message	Open the invoice and click Resend…. See Create and send your first invoice
"The email couldn't be sent. Please try again in a few minutes."	The email service is busy	Wait a few minutes and try again
"There's no email address for this customer. Pick one of their contacts' addresses, or add one to their record."	The invoice has nowhere to go	Add an email to the contact. Or use Mark as sent… and deliver it yourself
"This invoice can't be emailed again today (5 a day per invoice, and a daily limit per address). Try again tomorrow."	A daily email limit: for one invoice, for one address, or for your workspace	Try tomorrow, or send the customer link yourself with Copy customer link
"Samples don't send email."	You're in a sample workspace	Use Mark as sent…, or set up your own workspace
"Invoicing is turned off for this workspace."	The Invoicing module is off	An owner or admin turns it on in Settings → Modules
"Another invoice already has the number this one would take. Raise the next number in Settings → Invoicing."	Two invoices would get the same number	An owner or admin raises Next number. See Set up invoicing
"Every invoice number has been used. Change the prefix in Settings → Invoicing."	The numbers under the prefix have run out	Change the Prefix

The customer link and print

What you see	Why	What to do
The customer says the link doesn't work, and the page says "That link isn't valid"	The invoice was deleted, Invoicing is off, an owner or admin reset the link, or the link was cut off in the email	Open the invoice, click Copy customer link and send that one
You reset the link and an old email no longer opens	Reset link… ends every link sent before	Send the new link, or Resend… the invoice
"Link opened" has a date but the customer says they didn't read it	Some email services open links to check them	It doesn't prove the customer read it. Ask them
The invoice prints with DRAFT or VOID	That is its status	Send the draft. A void invoice stays void

Totals

What you see	Why	What to do
Totals differ by a cent from the customer's calculator	Fifi rounds each line to the cent, and works out tax once on the taxable lines. A calculator that rounds tax per line can differ	The invoice is right. See How tax and rounding work
"Add at least one line first."	The invoice has no lines	Add a line
"An invoice needs an amount due: its lines must add up to more than $0.00 before tax."	The lines add up to nothing	Check the quantities and prices
"The taxable lines add up to less than $0. Untick Taxable on the discount line, or lower it."	A taxable discount is bigger than the taxable lines	Untick Taxable on the discount
"The invoice's total is too large: an invoice is at most $20,000,000."	The total is over the limit	Split it into two invoices
"An invoice has up to 100 lines."	You hit the line limit	Combine lines or make a second invoice

Records and invoicing

What you see	Why	What to do
"That's already on invoice INV-1043."	A record is on one invoice at a time	Open that invoice, or void it to bill the record again
"That record can't be billed yet (a visit on a later day, a draft or a load not delivered)."	The visit hasn't started, the service record is a draft, or the load isn't delivered	Finish it, then bill it
"That record was cancelled, voided or lost, so it can't be billed."	The record was cancelled	Add a typed line instead, if you still bill for it
"That record belongs to another customer, so it can't be billed on this invoice."	The line belongs to a different customer	Start the invoice from the right customer
"Its customer has been deleted. Start a new invoice for another customer."	The customer record is gone	Start a new invoice
"The stay changed after this invoice was issued" on a stay's invoice	The stay's price changed after you sent the invoice	Void and re-issue, or add a line for the difference. See Invoicing a boarding stay

Changing, voiding and deleting

What you see	Why	What to do
"Kept until Oct 16, 2033 (7 years after issue)"	You can't delete an issued invoice until 7 years have passed	Void it if it's wrong
"Only its creator or an admin can delete this draft"	The draft isn't yours	Ask the person who made it, or an admin
"Only owners and admins can delete this invoice"	Seven years have passed, and only owners and admins delete	Ask an owner or admin
"Void… (refund or void its payments first)" in the menu	The invoice has payments	Refund or void each payment, then void the invoice
"Refund or void its payments first."	You tried to void an invoice with payments	Same fix
"Wait until the bank payment clears or fails."	A customer's bank payment is on its way	Wait. It can't be voided meanwhile
"This invoice has been issued, so its amounts and lines are locked. Correct its details, or void it and duplicate."	Amounts are locked after issue	Use Correct details… for terms, notes, PO, email and address. For amounts, void and duplicate
There's no Void… or Correct details…	You're a member	Ask an owner or admin

Payments and reminders

What you see	Why	What to do
"Enter an amount like 125.50"	The amount isn't a number	Type digits and a decimal point
"That's more than the balance due ($240.00). Enter the amount received, or less."	A payment can't be more than what's owed	Record the amount owed
"That's more than has been paid ($500.00). A refund can't pass what was received."	A refund can't be more than the payments	Refund less
"Don't enter card numbers. Use the last 4 or the receipt number."	The reference or notes look like a card number	Use the last 4 digits or a receipt number
"Payments are recorded on an issued invoice that isn't void."	The invoice is a draft or void	Send it first
"Void its refund first: voiding this payment would leave more refunded than was paid."	A refund depends on this payment	Void the refund first
"A reminder for this invoice already went out today. Try again tomorrow."	One reminder a day for an invoice	Wait until tomorrow
"The customer's bank payment is on its way, so a reminder would be wrong. If it fails, you can remind them."	A bank payment is processing	Wait for it to clear or fail
The reminder button is greyed with "No email for this customer."	The invoice has no email address	Use Correct details… to pick one

Stripe: connecting

What you see	Why	What to do
"Online payments: coming soon"	Fifi's Stripe setup isn't finished	Record payments by hand until it is
"You cancelled at Stripe, so nothing was connected."	You backed out at Stripe	Click Connect Stripe again
"That connection didn't start here or took too long. Please try Connect Stripe again."	The connect link lasts 10 minutes	Start again from Settings → Invoicing
"You switched workspace or account while connecting. Nothing was connected. Start again from the workspace you want to connect."	The workspace changed mid-way	Switch to the right workspace and start again
"You were signed out while connecting. Sign in and try again."	Your session ended	Sign in and try again
"Only owners and admins can connect Stripe."	You're a member	Ask an owner or admin
"Sample workspaces can't connect Stripe."	You're in a sample	Connect in your own workspace
"Invoicing is turned off for this workspace, so Stripe wasn't connected."	The module is off	Turn on Invoicing
"This workspace already has a Stripe account connected."	A connection exists	Disconnect it first to connect another
"This Stripe account is connected to another Fifi workspace. Disconnect it there first."	A Stripe account can be live in one workspace	Disconnect it in the other workspace
"Fifi can take payments only for US Stripe accounts that use US dollars. This account isn't one, so nothing was connected."	Stripe account isn't US or isn't USD	Use a US account
"That Stripe account is in the wrong mode for this Fifi (live and test accounts don't mix). Nothing was connected."	A test account on the live site, or the reverse	Use a Stripe account in the right mode
"Stripe didn't answer. Nothing was connected. Try again."	Stripe was unavailable	Try again
"Too many tries. Please wait a while and try again."	Too many attempts	Wait, then try again

Stripe: paying and not paying

What you see	Why	What to do
There's no Pay button	Stripe isn't connected, or Payments is off. Or the invoice is paid, void or a draft. Or the balance is under $0.50 or over $999,999.99. Or a bank payment is processing, or a payment is waiting to be checked	Check Settings → Invoicing → Online payments, then the invoice
Payments says "Off: finish setup in Stripe"	Stripe needs more information from you	Click Open Stripe, finish, then Refresh
The customer says "This invoice can't be paid online any more. Reload the page."	The invoice changed after the page loaded	Ask them to reload
The customer says "This invoice has just been paid. Thank you! Reload the page to see it."	It was paid while the page was open	Nothing to fix
The customer says "Online payment isn't available right now. You can still pay using the instructions below."	Stripe or Fifi couldn't start the payment	Try again later, or ask them to pay another way
The customer says "Another payment page is being prepared for this invoice. Please try again in a moment."	Two people clicked Pay at once	Wait a moment
The customer says "This link can't be used to pay. Ask the business for a new link."	The link was reset	Send the new link
The customer sees "We're confirming your payment. This page will show it shortly."	Stripe is slow to confirm	Wait a minute and reload
The customer sees "Payment received. The business is confirming it and will record it on this invoice. You don't need to pay again."	Stripe took the money but Fifi couldn't record it	See "A customer paid" below
The payment isn't on the invoice	The customer didn't finish, a bank payment is processing, you disconnected Stripe mid-payment, or the payment was made in Stripe outside the Pay page	Look in your Stripe dashboard. Record it by hand if the money arrived
A bank payment is "Bank payment processing" for days	Bank payments take about 4 business days	Wait. Nothing is recorded until it clears

Tasks Fifi makes for Stripe

Fifi makes a task when it needs you. The task goes to the person who connected Stripe if they're still an owner or admin, else the oldest owner.

The task	What to do
"A customer paid INV-1042 in Stripe but Fifi couldn't record it: check it in Stripe and record it by hand"	Check the payment in Stripe, then Record payment on the invoice. The customer's page says they don't need to pay again until you do (or for 7 days)
"INV-1042 was overpaid online: $20.00 was refunded to the customer automatically"	Nothing. Fifi recorded what fit and refunded the extra
"Refund $20.00 to a customer who overpaid INV-1042: Fifi couldn't, so do it in Stripe"	Make the refund in Stripe
"A bank payment of $480.00 for INV-1042 failed (Not enough money in the account): the customer can pay again from the invoice link"	Nothing, or ask the customer to pay again
"Respond to a Stripe dispute on INV-1042 by Nov 3: open Stripe"	Respond in Stripe before the deadline. Fifi doesn't send evidence
"A bank payment on INV-1042 was returned by the customer's bank"	The balance is open again. Ask the customer to pay another way
"Stripe was disconnected, so customers can't pay invoices online until you reconnect it in Settings → Invoicing"	Reconnect. If a bank payment was still processing and clears, record it by hand

QuickBooks: file export

What you see	Why	What to do
"Nothing to export for these dates."	No issued invoices in the range, or all are exported	Change the dates, or untick Only what hasn't been exported
"You've reached the limit of exports for this hour. Try again later."	Up to 20 exports an hour	Wait
"Another large export is running. Try again in a minute."	An export is in progress	Wait a minute
"That file would be too large. Try a shorter range."	The range has too many invoices for one file	Export a shorter range
The download stops part-way	The invoices may be marked exported	Untick Only what hasn't been exported and use the same dates, or use Download that batch again
QuickBooks Online refuses the file	Your company uses its sales tax feature	Skip taxed invoices and enter them by hand, or connect the sync

See Move invoices into QuickBooks with a file.

QuickBooks messages

These appear under What needs a look in Settings → Integrations, and in the chip on an invoice that says Needs attention. Retry only appears when retrying can help.

Connecting

What you see	Why	What to do
"QuickBooks sync: coming soon"	Fifi's Intuit setup isn't finished	Use the file export
"You cancelled at QuickBooks, so nothing was connected."	You backed out at Intuit	Click Connect to QuickBooks again
"Fifi syncs with US QuickBooks Online companies in US dollars. This company isn't one, so nothing was connected."	The company isn't US or isn't USD	Use the file export
"This QuickBooks company is connected to another Fifi workspace. Disconnect it there first."	A company belongs to one workspace	Disconnect it in the other workspace
"This workspace already has a QuickBooks company connected."	A connection exists	Disconnect it first to connect another
"Only owners and admins can connect QuickBooks."	You're a member	Ask an owner or admin
"QuickBooks didn't answer. Nothing was connected. Try again."	Intuit was unavailable	Try again

Invoices and payments

What you see	Why	What to do
"QuickBooks already has a different invoice with this number. Check it in QuickBooks."	An older invoice has Fifi's number	Rename or delete it in QuickBooks, then Retry
"QuickBooks isn't keeping Fifi's invoice numbers yet. Turn on custom transaction numbers, then retry."	The setting is off in QuickBooks	Click Turn it on in QuickBooks
"The product or service chosen for this invoice isn't in QuickBooks any more. Pick another in the QuickBooks settings, then retry."	The item was deleted or renamed	Pick another, then Retry
"The deposit account chosen for this payment isn't in QuickBooks any more. Pick another in the QuickBooks settings, then retry."	The account was deleted or renamed	Pick another Deposit payments to, then Retry
"This invoice has sales tax, but no sales tax code is chosen. Pick one in the QuickBooks settings, then retry."	QuickBooks doesn't work out tax itself	Choose a Sales tax code, then Retry
"This invoice has sales tax, but sales tax is turned off in QuickBooks. Turn it on there, then retry."	The company has sales tax off	Turn it on in QuickBooks, then Retry
"QuickBooks worked out a different total than Fifi's invoice. Check the customer's sales tax settings in QuickBooks."	The customer is taxed differently in QuickBooks	Check the customer there, then Mark as done
"The customer is inactive in QuickBooks and Fifi couldn't turn them back on. Make them active in QuickBooks, then retry."	The customer is inactive in QuickBooks	Make them active, then Retry
"Fifi doesn't send refunds to QuickBooks. Record this refund in QuickBooks, then mark it done."	Refunds aren't sent	Record it there, then Mark as done
"QuickBooks refused this change. Fix what it asks for in QuickBooks or in Fifi, then retry."	QuickBooks rejected the data	Fix it, then Retry
"QuickBooks didn't answer after several tries. Retry, and if it keeps happening, check QuickBooks' status page."	Intuit didn't answer	Retry later
"This was deleted in QuickBooks. Send it again, or leave it deleted."	Someone deleted the invoice there	Send it again, or Mark as done
"This was voided in QuickBooks, but it is still open in Fifi. Check it in QuickBooks."	Someone voided it there. Fifi never voids an invoice for you	Void it in Fifi too, or Mark as done

Payments that came from QuickBooks

What you see	Why	What to do
"A payment recorded in QuickBooks is more than this invoice's balance. Check it in QuickBooks."	The payment is more than what Fifi shows as owed	Check both places for a payment recorded twice, then Mark as done
"A credit was applied to this invoice in QuickBooks. Fifi doesn't bring credits in; check the balance."	Fifi doesn't bring in credits	Check the balance. Record what was paid by hand if you want it in Fifi
"The balance in QuickBooks is different from Fifi's. Check the payments on both."	A refund recorded in Fifi but not in QuickBooks, for example	Compare payments on both. The entry goes away when they agree
"A payment was recorded in QuickBooks for an invoice that is void or in the trash here, so Fifi didn't add it. Check it in QuickBooks."	The invoice can't take a payment	Check it in QuickBooks
"QuickBooks has a payment on this invoice that Fifi can't store (its date or an amount isn't one Fifi accepts), so nothing was changed. Fix it in QuickBooks and Fifi will pick it up."	The date or amount is out of range	Fix the payment in QuickBooks. Don't record it by hand meanwhile, or it will count twice
"A payment from QuickBooks was changed or deleted there, but Fifi can't undo it (the invoice isn't open, or refunds here depend on it). Check the payments on both."	The invoice isn't open, or refunds depend on the payment	Check both places, then Mark as done
"A change to a payment in QuickBooks would leave the refunds here larger than what was paid, so Fifi didn't make it. Check the payments and refunds on both."	The change would make refunds exceed payments	Check both places, then Mark as done
"Couldn't check QuickBooks for changes. Fifi tries again within the hour"	Intuit didn't answer	Wait. It tries again

If Status says "Needs reconnecting", click Reconnect and sign in to the same company. See Connect QuickBooks Online.

When you still need help

Contact Fifi support, as described in Troubleshooting and FAQ. Say your workspace name, the invoice number, what you clicked and the exact message you saw. For a QuickBooks problem, include the numeric code and request ID on the row. Never put a Stripe or Intuit key, secret or password in a message.

Fifi isn't an accountant. Ask yours about tax and about how long to keep records.

Choose how you'll invoice: the options and what Fifi doesn't do.
Invoices: the reference for invoices, payments and reminders.
Online payments (Stripe) and Connect QuickBooks Online: the references for each connection.
Troubleshooting and FAQ: the rest of Fifi.

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