Linking the E-Invoice: What Happens to Old Invoices?

A frequently repeated question: “If I link my account to the e-invoice, will the system send the old invoices? Or does it start from the moment of linking?”

The short answer: The system doesn’t send any old invoice by itself. Automatic sending (if enabled) works only on the invoices you issue or save after the linking. The old invoices stay in the system with the status Not Sent, and you decide: send them manually, or leave them as they are according to the tax authority’s instructions in your country.

But there is an important difference between the countries in locking old invoices, especially in Saudi Arabia. Follow the section for your country.

Quick Summary by Country

	Saudi Arabia	Egypt	Jordan	UAE
Are old invoices sent automatically?	No	No	No	There is no sending
Can they be sent manually?	Yes, individually or in bulk (after the linking is complete)	Yes, individually or in bulk	Yes, individually or in bulk	—
Are old invoices locked against editing and deletion?	Yes, every issued invoice is locked as soon as the app is enabled	No, only those that were sent	No, only the valid ones	No

Saudi Arabia (the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority)

What happens to old invoices?

1. As soon as the Saudi e-invoicing app is enabled, all issued invoices (old and new) become non-editable financially and non-deletable, even if they weren’t sent to the authority, and even before the linking is completed.
2. A message appears when opening the edit: «You cannot edit any data that may change in the e-invoice after it is issued according to the compliance rules of the Zakat and Income Authority…», and you can only edit the non-financial fields such as attachments, notes, and client data.
3. Draft invoices aren’t affected, and can be edited and deleted.
4. No old invoice is sent automatically.

Linking Steps

1. From Zakat Authority Linking Settings create the certificate request (CSR) and enter the one-time password (OTP) from the Fatoora portal.
2. Complete the linking steps until the linking date appears.
3. From Saudi E-Invoice Settings decide whether you want to enable sending invoices automatically after creation.
4. From this moment, any invoice you issue is sent automatically (if you enabled automatic sending), or from the Send to the Zakat Authority button.

Should I send the old invoices?

This is a decision that goes back to the authority’s instructions and your establishment’s mandatory phase, not to the system. If you need to send them:

1. Open Sales Invoices and use the E-Invoice Status filter = Not Sent.
2. For one invoice: open it and click Send to the Zakat Authority.
3. For more than one invoice: select them from the list and choose Send Invoices to the Zakat and Income Authority.
4. If the status Invalid appears, open the invoice to read the reason, which is usually in the client data (client type, address, tax number), and these can be edited and then re-sent.

Egypt (the Egyptian Tax Authority)

1. Old invoices stay Not Sent, and there is no automatic sending for them; all sending is manual.
2. Old invoices that haven’t been sent stay editable and deletable normally. Locking happens only after sending.
3. To send: from the invoice choose from the Egyptian Tax Authority menu Send Invoice or Send Receipt, or from the list select the invoices and choose Send Invoices to the Tax Authority.
4. Afterwards use Update Status to know the result.

The settings are from E-Invoice Settings.

Jordan (the Income and Sales Tax Department)

1. Old invoices stay unsent and aren’t sent automatically. Automatic sending (if enabled) works on new invoices only.
2. Old invoices stay editable and deletable, and locking happens only when the invoice becomes Valid.
3. To send: from the invoice Send to the Income and Sales Tax Department, or from the list with bulk sending.

The settings are from Jordanian E-Invoice Settings.

UAE

There is no direct sending to the authority in the UAE, and invoices aren’t locked. Instead you export the audit file (FAF) for any period you choose with a from and to date, so if you choose an old period its invoices will enter the file. Set the tax linking first from UAE E-Invoice Settings.

Old Invoices That Have Errors After Activation

Country	What to Do
Saudi Arabia	They cannot be edited or deleted. Issue a credit note or a refund invoice on it, then a new correct invoice.
Egypt	If not sent: edit it or delete it. If sent and valid: Cancel Sending or a credit note.
Jordan	If not sent or invalid: edit it. If valid: a credit note or a return.
UAE	You can edit it.

Frequently Asked Questions

I enabled the linking today. Will the system send last month’s invoices?

No. Nothing from the past will be sent unless you send it manually.

Why can’t I edit an old invoice after enabling Saudi e-invoicing?

Because the app locks all issued invoices as soon as it is enabled, even the old ones. Use a credit note.

Can a date be set from which the linking starts?

There is no setting for a start date. Control is by manually sending only the invoices you want.

Where do I see the invoices that weren’t sent?

From the invoices list using the E-Invoice Status filter = Not Sent.