Keep a job-cost explanation when a vendor corrects an invoice after close

When a vendor corrects an invoice after close, retain the original invoice, correction, project reference and approval trail together. The goal is to explain the change without losing the job-cost history or creating a duplicate bill.

Build a correction packet

Record the original invoice number and amount, revised invoice number and amount, job ID, cost code, correction reason, document dates, approval owner and any linked payment. Label the packet as revised, not new, until the reviewer confirms how it relates to the original record.

Intuit distinguishes bills, checks and expenses based on what the business is recording.¹ The correction packet preserves the source evidence; it does not authorize payment or decide a vendor dispute.

Illustrative example. A $3,200 plumbing invoice for Job C-104 is corrected to $3,680 after a documented scope change. The packet links both invoices, the $480 difference and the project approval. The reviewer can see one corrected obligation rather than two unrelated job costs.

Use three checks

1. Does the revised document identify the original invoice and job?
2. Does the existing accounting record and payment status match the packet?
3. Has the project owner supplied a reason and approval for the difference?

Route a missing approval through the invoice approval map. Compare a supported change with the committed-cost bridge before treating the correction as a new project cost. The result is an audit-ready explanation, not a retrospective rewrite of the closed job.