> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.presolve.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understand the invoice lifecycle

> Follow invoice creation, review, staging, payment, and QuickBooks without duplicating a cost.

An invoice's status, its approval, its expenses, and its QuickBooks link answer different questions. Read all four before taking the next action.

## Create the invoice

1. Open **Accounting → Payables → Create Invoice**.
2. Choose the direction: **From Vendor** for a bill your firm receives, or **Billing** for an invoice you issue.
3. Add line items. Use **Existing Expenses** when a cost is already logged; use **Add New** only for a new cost. A custom line item is not a reason to recreate an existing expense.
4. Add the source document and appropriate status in **Document & Status**.
5. Inspect **Review & Confirm**, including the case, vendor, amount, and line items, then save.
6. Reopen the saved invoice. Check the linked expenses and, if configured, the automation run and approval.

See [the illustrated invoice guide](https://www.presolve.com/docs/help/accounting/invoice-review.md) for the review screen.

## Read each status separately

| What you see | Meaning | Next check |
| - | - | - |
| Invoice Draft or Sent | The invoice is in that document stage | Do linked expenses qualify for the payment queue? Draft/Sent links can keep them out. |
| Pending approval | A configured workflow is waiting for a reviewer | Open its review details and supporting record. |
| Invoice To Be Paid | The staging action has completed | Verify funding and the expense queue; no payment is implied. |
| Expense Needs Review | Payment funding remains undecided | Accounting chooses the correct funding route. |
| Expense Ready to Pay | The expense meets the queue's payment conditions | Verify payee, bank account, method, and existing QuickBooks links. |
| Expense Paid | A local payment has been recorded | Verify payment reference and external sync separately. |
| Invoice Partial, Paid, or Overdue | The invoice carries that status | Inspect its actual payments and linked expenses; do not infer bank clearing. |

These are not a mandatory sequence of clicks. Select statuses supported by the facts and your firm's process.

## Review and stage

For a configured **Invoice created → Stage Expenses for Payment** workflow, the approval must complete before its gated action proceeds. Inspect the invoice, expenses, funding, and source document, then use the approval action. Confirm the result in History and the workflow's run details.

Staging marks the relevant invoice for payment; it does not send money. An expense with **Not decided** funding can still need review afterward. See [financial approvals](https://www.presolve.com/docs/help/accounting/financial-approvals.md).

## Record payment once

Accounting follows the firm's chosen route:

* **Record locally only:** record the payment in Presolve without creating a QuickBooks transaction through that action.
* **Create payment/check directly:** create the direct QuickBooks payment without first creating a Bill.
* **Create Bill, then payment:** create the payable and later apply payment to that Bill.

If a QuickBooks Bill already exists, use its Bill payment route. A separate Check or Expense would risk recording the cost twice. Intuit explains this distinction in [Bills, checks, and expenses](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/accounts-payable/learn-difference-bills-checks-expenses-quickbooks/L0ZtL2TYI_US_en_US).

Before confirming, check the office, QuickBooks company ID, resolved payment account, and whether the dialog will create a direct payment or pay a Bill. The saved default account is selected automatically when compatible; change it only when the payment needs a different route. If setup fails to load, use **Recheck setup** or deliberately choose **Record without QuickBooks**.

Check the payment date shown by the flow; the current payment action records today's date. Afterward, inspect the saved record and [QuickBooks link](https://www.presolve.com/docs/help/integrations/quickbooks-operations.md). Printing a check and clearing it at the bank are later events.

## Correct a mistake

Edit the original record when permitted. If it was exported or paid, inspect its linked transaction before changing it. Presolve edits do not imply that an external payment was voided, deleted, or reconciled. Have accounting coordinate corrections in both systems and retain the source references.


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