A sent invoice is no longer a draft. Retain the original, classify what is wrong, validate the tax route and create a linked document or trail. Replacing the PDF under the same number makes it impossible to prove what the customer received.
The quick decision
- Unissued draft: correct before final number.
- Issued invoice: do not overwrite the original.
- Price/quantity/VAT error: quantify the effect.
- Return or reduction: consider a linked credit.
- Full cancellation: neutralise under a validated procedure.
- Wrong identity: do not improvise a replacement.
- Inform the customer and send useful documents.
- Reconcile sale, payment, stock and accounting.
1. Before or after issue
The first question is not which button but whether the document was issued and transmitted. A draft and a final invoice carry different risks.
| Situation | Action | Trail |
|---|---|---|
| Internal draft | Edit and recheck | Versions if useful |
| Number allocated, not sent | Apply internal procedure | Issue log |
| Sent invoice | Retain original | Sending evidence |
| Financial error | Validated credit/replacement | Complete lineage |
| Identity error | Qualify with accountant | Customer request + correction |
| Purely internal error | Internal note if no document effect | Log |
The Tax Code and Law 104-12 require a continuous series and accurate information. They do not establish a universal rule treating every address typo exactly like incorrect VAT.
2. Matrix by error type
Measure commercial, tax, accounting and stock effect before deciding. This is a discussion grid, not automatic legal advice.
| Error | Effect | Route to validate |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity too high | Overbilling + stock | Partial credit/correction |
| Price too low | Commercial supplement | Appropriate new document |
| Wrong VAT rate | Base/tax/return | Neutralise then reissue |
| Wrong customer | Identity and deduction | Documented correction |
| Vague description | Evidence | Assess materiality |
| Payment misposted | Balance only | Correct movement, not price |
The discount and multiple-rate guide recalculates the effect; the payment-status guide stops a settlement mistake becoming an invoice edit.
3. Ten-step procedure
A sound correction lets somebody absent from the case understand before, after and reason.
- Freeze and archive the original PDF.
- Record who reported the error and when.
- Find sale, delivery, payment and entry.
- Classify the error and quantify difference.
- Request exact evidence from customer.
- Validate tax/accounting treatment.
- Create linked credit or corrective document.
- Reissue if procedure requires it.
- Send explanation and documents.
- Reconcile balances, stock, VAT and journals.
Never use one reference for two contents. The invoice numbering guide explains the series trail.
A correction does not erase what was sent
Even if the customer accepts the new PDF, the old one existed. Retain it with reason, approval and the document neutralising or replacing its effect.
4. Inform customer and accountant
State which number is wrong, which document corrects it and which amounts change. Do not merely send “the correct invoice” without lineage.
If a return, payment or deduction already used the original, correction reaches beyond the PDF. Tell the accountant the period and date.
For full cancellation, also read deleting or cancelling an invoice.
5. Correction in BelloPOS
In the Pro hub, drafts are editable. At issue, number, date and fiscal seal stay fixed; permission controls correction and a linked credit retains lineage. Go can issue from a sale, while Pro carries the complete workflow.
| Need | Coverage | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Edit draft | Pro | Before issue |
| Fix number/date | Pro | At issue |
| Linked credit | Pro | Validate reason |
| Archive/search | Go/Pro | Organise backups |
| Stock return | By operation | Do not invent it |
| Tax return | Export/bridge | Accountant responsible |
Test a quantity error on copied data and inspect BelloPOS document lineage.
Mistakes to avoid
- Overwriting the original PDF.
- Reusing a number with different content.
- Correcting payment through discount.
- Changing stock without physical return.
- Forgetting credit VAT.
- Not informing customer.
- Changing a filed period without advice.
- Presenting a software option as law.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just edit the PDF?
Not after issue and transmission. Retain the original and use a validated, traceable correction.
Does an address typo always require a credit?
This guide gives no universal rule. Assess materiality with the accountant and document treatment.
When should I use a credit?
When all or part of an invoice’s effect must be reduced or neutralised under the validated procedure.
What if only payment is wrong?
Correct the movement and customer balance; do not change the sale price.
Should the customer receive both documents?
Give a clear lineage: original, correction/credit and replacement invoice if one exists.
Does BelloPOS prevent deletion?
Pro preserves issued history, fixes number/date/seal and provides controlled correction or a linked credit.
What to take away
A serious correction retains the original and links reason, quantified effect, corrective document, and balance, stock and accounting adjustments.
Sources
The figures and rules quoted above come from these pages, read on the date given in the article.
- Moroccan General Tax Code 2026, DGI, read 29 August 2026
- Ministry of Justice, Law 104-12 on freedom of prices and competition, Article 58
- BelloPOS quotes, orders, deliveries, invoices and credit notes, read 29 August 2026
- BelloPOS numbered PDF invoices and fields, read 29 August 2026
Simulate a full correction
Create a test invoice, introduce a quantity error and check that every step remains visible.
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