How to Correct an Invoice You’ve Already Sent

By InvoicePaw · Updated October 22, 2026

After sending an invoice, identify the error, check whether any payment or tax reporting is involved, and keep a record of the original and correction. Tell the customer exactly which document to use. The right correction may be a replacement invoice or a credit note, depending on what changed and the rules that apply.

Work out what actually needs correcting

Compare the issued invoice with the quote and job notes. A misspelled description, an incorrect price and a payment sent to the wrong account are different problems. Check the recipient, whether the invoice is paid and whether the customer has already entered it into their accounts.

If the details are right and the customer simply needs another copy, resend the existing invoice. Creating a second charge for the same work can leave both sides unsure which invoice is outstanding.

Changing an email address does not recall an email or PDF already delivered. If an invoice reached the wrong person, address that separately rather than assuming a revised document removes the disclosure.

Example: the materials price was entered incorrectly

Suppose a fictional unpaid invoice #1001 charged $240 for shelving-installation labour and $55 for brackets. The agreed brackets price was $35. With an assumed Ontario 13% HST rate, the original subtotal was $295, tax was $38.35 and total was $333.35 CAD.

The corrected subtotal is $275, tax is $35.75 and total is $310.75 CAD. The customer owes $22.60 less than the original bill. Keep a short explanation with the corrected document so the change does not look like an unexplained new charge.

This example illustrates the numbers on an unpaid bill. It does not establish the tax paperwork needed for every correction.

Tell the customer what changed and what to pay

Identify the original number, the error, the corrected total and any replacement document number. Ask the customer to use the corrected document rather than paying both. If their accounts team has already processed the first invoice, coordinate the correction with them.

Example text
The brackets on invoice #1001 were entered as $55 instead of the agreed $35. The corrected total is $310.75 CAD, replacing the original $333.35 bill. Please use the corrected document we provide and do not pay both. No payment has been received. This is fictional example wording.

How a replacement works in InvoicePaw

If a replacement is appropriate, text REVISE followed by the issued invoice number, such as REVISE 1001. Finish or discard any other active draft first. InvoicePaw starts a replacement draft; starting the revision alone does not void the original.

Describe the correction, review the recipient, amounts, dates and payments carried into the preview, then reply YES only when it is ready. Confirmation creates a newly numbered invoice and voids the original. The original PDF and history are retained. Check for the delivery confirmation before assuming the replacement reached the customer.

A replacement is a new invoice send and uses your available free allowance or paid credit under the normal send rules. RESEND sends the existing invoice again; it does not revise the issued PDF. VOID alone does not create or email a corrected invoice.

If payment or tax is already involved, check before replacing

Reconcile money actually received before deciding the new balance. If the customer paid $333.35 but the corrected charge is $310.75, the $22.60 difference needs a refund or an agreed credit. A zero balance on a replacement is not evidence that you returned the excess.

InvoicePaw does not collect customer payments, issue customer refunds or automatically create a tax credit note. Its replacement workflow is not a substitute for the accounting document your situation requires.

For Canadian GST/HST, the CRA sets out credit-note requirements when a supplier adjusts, refunds or credits excess tax or tax on a reduced price. Consult that guidance and your accountant when relevant. US requirements depend on the applicable jurisdiction and transaction.

CRA: GST/HST adjustments and credit or debit notes

Keep the explanation with your records

Keep the original invoice, corrected document, reason for the change, customer correspondence and any payment or refund record together. This makes it possible to explain the balance later without reconstructing it from scattered messages.

When creating the next invoice, compare separately priced materials and agreed fees with the quote before sending. Catching a wrong amount in a draft avoids making your customer reconcile two issued documents.