Permanently Deleting Construction Invoices and Credit Notes
Invoices and credit notes linked to Construction Projects are not moved to the Trash when you delete them. They are permanently deleted along with all their data, because keeping them in the Trash could re-link them to Payment Certificates and contracts that have since changed. The confirmation message states this explicitly.
Table of Contents
Which records are permanently deleted?
| Record | When it counts as a Construction record |
|---|---|
| Invoice or credit note (as well as the refund receipt and the debit note) | If it is linked to a Construction Project. |
| Payment Certificate invoice | If it was created from a Payment Certificate. |
| Reverse Certificate credit note | If it was created from a Reverse Certificate. |
| Advance Payment Invoice | It is always permanently deleted because of its type. |
Deletion steps
- Open the invoice, or select several invoices from the list, and choose Delete.
- The message appears: This (invoice/credit note) will be permanently deleted! Are you sure you want to delete the following (invoice/credit note) along with all its data?
- Confirm the deletion.
Bulk deletion
- If all the selected records are Construction records, the permanent deletion message appears.
- In a mixed selection, the Construction records are permanently deleted, the remaining records are moved to the Trash, and the usual deletion message appears.
- The Document Type is mentioned in the message according to the selection; when types are mixed, the word “invoice” is used.
Confirmation message priority
If the invoice is linked to a Payment Certificate and the deletion message for the linked Payment Certificate applies to it, that more specific message appears instead of the permanent deletion message.
After you deactivate the Construction app
Permanent deletion continues as long as the Construction app is installed on the account, even if it is deactivated, so that Construction records do not start moving to the Trash.
Cases that prevent deletion
| Status | Result |
|---|---|
| An invoice whose retention was adjusted with a New Income | Invoice #Code cannot be deleted. Its retention deduction amount has been adjusted with an Income. |
| An invoice with an approved Stock Request | Deletion is blocked with the usual message for approved requests. |
| A Point of Sales invoice in a closed Pos Shift | Deletion is blocked with the usual message for Point of Sales shifts. |
What is deleted with the invoice?
- The invoice or credit note and its items.
- Its Journal Entries, so the balances of the affected accounts are recalculated.
- The stock movements it generated, if any.
- Its links to the project and the contract, so it disappears from the contract’s invoices tab and from the project file.
- No record is created in the Trash, so no Restore option appears for this record.
Comparison with regular deletion
| Regular invoice | Construction invoice | |
|---|---|---|
| After deletion | Moved to the Trash | Permanently deleted |
| Restoring | Possible from the Trash | Not possible |
| Confirmation message | The usual deletion message | This %s will be permanently deleted! … |
| Permission | The usual deletion permission | The same permission |
Before you delete
- If the invoice comes from a Payment Certificate, consider canceling the Payment Certificate or issuing a Reverse Certificate instead of deleting.
- If the invoice’s retention was adjusted, delete the Income first.
- In bulk deletion, separate Construction invoices from other invoices so you know which ones will be permanently deleted.
Frequently asked questions
Can I restore a deleted Construction invoice?
No. It does not go through the Trash.
Does this apply to regular invoices?
No. Invoices that are not linked to Construction move to the Trash as usual.
What happens to the invoice’s Journal Entries?
They are deleted with the invoice, as in any deletion.
Why did the usual deletion message appear even though some of the selected records are Construction records?
Because the selection is mixed. The Construction records are still permanently deleted.
I deactivated the Construction app. Do the invoices go to the Trash?
No, as long as the app is installed.
Is the deletion recorded in the Activity Log?
The deletion action is recorded as usual, but the record itself cannot be restored.
How do I know whether an invoice is a Construction invoice?
If it is linked to a Construction Project, or was created from a Payment Certificate or a Reverse Certificate.
Can I delete a Payment Certificate invoice from the contract?
Yes, with the usual Validity, and it is deleted permanently.
Does bulk Deleting from the Invoices list apply the rule?
Yes, to each record according to how it is linked.
Is the Payment Certificate deleted along with its invoice?
No, the Payment Certificate remains; the Deleting message for the linked Payment Certificate may appear.