Sometimes a customer simply won't pay, and there comes a point where you stop expecting to collect. Rather than pretending the invoice is still open, you can mark it uncollectible — a bad-debt write-off that removes the balance from your open AR report while keeping the invoice and its full audit trail on file. This guide shows you how, and when to use it instead of voiding.
When can you mark an invoice uncollectible?
The Mark uncollectible action only appears on an invoice that's Overdue — that is, a finalized invoice whose due date has passed and whose balance is still owed. It's a deliberate write-off, so Cornerspot reserves it for invoices that have genuinely gone past due. Drafts, open-but-not-yet-due, paid, and voided invoices don't show it.
How to mark an invoice as uncollectible in Cornerspot
1. Open the overdue invoice
From the dashboard, select Invoices in the left-hand menu (under Members & Billing), find the overdue invoice you no longer expect to collect, and open it from its row.
2. Confirm it's overdue
On the invoice detail page, check that the status reads Overdue in the header. The write-off is only available from this state — if the invoice isn't overdue yet, you won't see the action.
3. Open the “Advanced” section
Scroll to the bottom of the invoice to the Advanced section. Here you'll find Mark uncollectible alongside the other lifecycle actions. Click it to start the write-off.
4. Confirm the write-off
A confirmation explains what happens: “Marking this invoice uncollectible removes it from the open AR report while preserving the invoice and its audit trail in your billing records.” Click Mark uncollectible to confirm.
5. The invoice is written off
The invoice's status changes to Uncollectible. It's now out of your open balance and won't show up as money still owed — but the record stays in your billing history, so you always have a trail of what was billed and what was written off.
Uncollectible vs. void: which should you use?
Both remove an invoice from your open balance, but they mean different things on your books:
- Mark uncollectible is a bad-debt write-off. The customer genuinely owed the money, but you've given up on collecting it. The record of what was owed stays — useful for accounting and reporting on write-offs.
- Void cancels an invoice that was never valid — a duplicate, an error, or a charge that shouldn't have been billed at all. Use it when the invoice itself was a mistake.
Both actions are final and keep the invoice on file for audit. Choose uncollectible when the debt was real but won't be paid, and void when the invoice shouldn't have existed.
Tips
- Try Send reminder first — a nudge before its due date, or shortly after, often collects the balance without a write-off.
- If the customer pays after all, record the payment on the invoice; marking uncollectible doesn't delete the record, so your history stays accurate.
- Uncollectible invoices are kept for audit — they leave your open AR report but remain searchable in your billing records.