Is anyone having problems with invoices numbers? I am putting a new invoice in and it is telling me this invoice number was already used, but it has not already been used

Discovered by accident on a Mac it now wants 5 digits in the invoice number.  That stops the error message.

Hello everyone.

I have the troubleshooting steps you need to resolve the error encountered when adding a new invoice number. Let me guide you through the process so you can create invoices with the appropriate number.

In QuickBooks Online, you'll receive the error "This invoice number was already used. Try a different one to continue." once you've entered a duplicate one. However, we currently don't have reported cases where you'll get this error despite entering a new one. In the meantime, you can turn off Custom transaction numbers to isolate the issue.

However, if the issue persists, let's verify if the cause of this behavior is a corrupted cache file. To begin with, let's utilize a private window to prevent these outdated data while running the program. You can proceed to these keyboard shortcuts depending on your browser:

• Google Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + N
• Safari 11 or newer: ⌘ + Shift + N
• Mozilla Firefox: Shift + Ctrl + P
• Microsoft Edge: Ctrl + Shift + N

Once you've added a new invoice number without any issue, you can clear the cache from your regular browser to refresh the website's preferences. You might as well use a supported one for the best and most secure experience.

On the other hand, consider scanning this material once you're ready to receive customer payments: Record invoice payments in QuickBooks Online.

Please update us in the thread if you have other queries when adding a custom transaction number or any related concerns in QuickBooks Online. We'll be available to offer further assistance.

I am having the exact same issue with desktop.

I create the invoice, try to save, get the popup 'it already exists"

Hit keep number. Search for the number and there's only the one I just entered.

I am having the same problem in desktop.

I keep the number, then search for it and there's only the one invoice.

????

Yvonne

Thanks for joining the thread, @Yvonne18. I'd be glad to share info about the prompt message you received. 

When you enter a duplicate invoice or credit memo number, QuickBooks will automatically alert you that it's already been used. However, you can still use the same number if you choose the Keep Number option in QuickBooks Message.

If you're only seeing one invoice that's using the same number, it's likely that the duplicate number is on the credit memo.

To check, you can pull up the Sales by Rep Detail report. This will display the full name of the sales rep and filter the data to show only the credit memos and invoices. Let me guide you throughout the process:

1. Open your QBDT account and select the Reports menu.
2. Then, hover over the Sales section and choose Sales by Rep Detail.
3. Once opened, click the Customize Report button.
4. In the Display tab, set the correct date range for the fiscal year.
5. Then, go to the Filters tab and search for Transaction Type. Then, select Multiple Transaction Types.
6. Choose Invoice and Credit Memo, then click OK.
7. Add additional columns or filters based on your desired info and select OK.

You can now look for invoices and credit memos with the same number in the report. Additionally, you can press Ctrl + F keys to search for duplicate entries more easily.

For more help with customizing your report, you can refer to this article: Customize reports in QuickBooks Desktop.

Lastly, you can run several sales reports and customize them to keep track of your sales in QBDT.

If you have more questions about duplicate invoice numbers, feel free to ask. I'm here to assist you.

I tried this report. See attachment. It doesn't make it easy to look for duplicates.

I've also searched credit memo's for the number and it's "not found"

Hi there, Yvonne18.

I'd like to know if you have utilized the Simple and Advance Find features by pressing Ctrl + F suggested by my colleague when searching for the existing invoice in your QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

If so, then you haven't found any transaction with an identical invoice number. Let's perform troubleshooting in your company file by utilizing the verify and rebuilding feature of QBDT, as this helps situate the data issue that causes this error with your invoices.

To begin, let's start verifying your company file data. Kindly follow the steps provided below:

1. Go to Window, then select Close All.
2. Go to File, then choose Utilities.
3. Select Verify Data. If you see:

• QuickBooks detected no problems with your data — your data is secure, so you don't need to do anything else.
• If you see an error message – you can search on our QBDT support site to learn how to fix it.
• If your data has lost integrity – damage to your data was found in the file and we have to rebuild your data.

Moreover, if you need to rebuild the data in your company file, see the step-by-step guidelines beneath:

1. Go to File, then select Utilities.
2. Click on Rebuild Data.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions, then press OK.
4. Select the place where you want your backup file to be saved, then tap OK.
5. Enter a new name in the File name. Click Save.

You can refer to the article below that provides detailed instructions on the steps I outlined earlier: Verify and Rebuild Data in QuickBooks Desktop.

However, if you have found an invoice after using the Simple and Advance Find features, you can change the previous invoice number on your transaction or the new invoice you just created to avoid duplicate transactions.

In addition, once your transactions are ready, familiarize the process of reconciling your QBDT account to see how to match your credit card and bank statements: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Desktop.

Reach back to us if you have additional concerns with your invoices or any QBDT-related inquiry, Yvonne18. The Community will be here to address them once we get your response.