In Fuga, invoices and credit notes share one and the same numbering. Every number therefore belongs to an invoice or to a credit note. When an invoice or credit note is deleted, a gap appears in that series. This article explains how to prevent that, how to check whether there really is a gap and how to fill a gap yourself.


⚠ Important: when may you not delete?

  • Invoices or credit notes sent to your client via Peppol. Fuga blocks deletion as soon as the document is on its way or delivered via Peppol. Peppol is mandatory in Belgium, but is also used in other countries when the owner asks for it. In that case, correct with a credit note.
  • Invoices or credit notes forwarded to an insurer (SantéVet, Belfius, PetExpert, ...). The insurer has already received the document, and a registration that has already been processed cannot be undone. Here too, correct with a credit note.
  • Within certain umbrella organisations, practices cannot delete invoices, receipts or credit notes. Fuga blocks this. Create a credit note or take the products back instead.
  • Is the invoice already marked as paid? The payments are deleted together with it. So first note down the payment details (payment method, date and amount), so you can register them again afterwards.
  • Did you take products back with the credit note? When you delete the credit note, Fuga does not reverse the stock: the returned products stay in stock. Correct the stock yourself afterwards via Stock => Actions => Show all actions => Adjust stock. If you later create a new credit note with a product return, first check whether the product was already taken back. Fuga offers the product again, and otherwise adds it to stock a second time.
  • Deleting documents and entering numbers yourself is done at your own responsibility. If in doubt, check with your accountant first. Sonetas is not responsible for the consequences in your accounting.


How does a gap appear?

A gap in the numbering usually appears in one of these ways:

  • You delete a credit note via Bookkeeping => Actions => Delete credit note.
  • You uncheckout a consultation or sale (Uncheckout a consultation/sale). The invoice disappears, and when you check out again a new invoice with a new number is created.
  • In manual numbering you type a wrong number, which makes the numbering jump.

Fuga does not reuse a deleted number automatically. Only when the deleted invoice had the very last number can Fuga reuse that number.


Preventing a gap

Correct rather than delete:

  • Wrong amount on a credit note? Edit the credit note (pencil in the credit note list) instead of deleting it.
  • Does an invoice need to be (partly) reversed? Create a credit note. See How do I create a credit note?


Checking whether there really is a gap

Open the report Bookkeeping => Reports => Gaps in numbering invoices/receipts.

  • Set the Type field to "Invoice". By default it is set to "Receipt".
  • Choose the full period you want to check. Documents dated outside the chosen period are not included and can therefore show up as a gap.

This report looks at invoices and credit notes together. If a number is missing from a list that only contains invoices, it is often simply a credit note. That is not a gap.


Filling a gap

You fill a gap by giving the missing number to the next invoice you create.

  1. Go to Configuration => Practice preferences => Numbers.
  2. Set "Sales invoice number type" to "Manual" and click Save.
  3. Check out the next consultation or sale as usual. The invoice number field now shows XXXX. Type the full missing number there, with prefix, year and six digits (for example SI2026.000516), and save.
  4. Go back to Configuration => Practice preferences => Numbers, set "Sales invoice number type" back to "Prefix, year and sequence number" (or "Prefix and sequence number", depending on what you used before) and click Save.

Fuga then continues automatically from the highest existing number + 1. Check the result with the report Gaps in numbering invoices/receipts.


What to watch out for

  • Several numbers missing? Fill them all before switching back to automatic numbering. Otherwise the remaining numbers stay open.
  • As long as "Manual" is on, everyone in the practice has to type a number for every invoice. So do the steps quickly one after the other.
  • The invoice date must fall within the period your practice allows. If your practice does not allow dates in previous months, fill the gap in the same month.
  • A large gap (dozens or hundreds of numbers) cannot be filled in practice. In that case, note the cause and the date for your accountant.


Other numberings

For receipts and purchase invoices it works the same way, on the same Numbers tab. Use "Receipt number type" or "Purchase invoice number type" instead of "Sales invoice number type". More on the numbering options in How does invoice numbering work?