Invoice date vs. entry date
Many people enter an invoice late and worry: will it show in the wrong month? The truth is every invoice has two different dates — its official date, and the day you recorded it in the system. Understanding this difference lets you record any invoice with its correct date without corrupting any month's numbers.
How to record a back-dated invoice correctly
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1. The invoice date (the document date)
This is the operation's official date — the day the sale or purchase actually happened. You choose it on the invoice, and it can be today or an earlier date.
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2. The entry date (the system timestamp)
This is the exact moment you actually recorded the invoice in the system — saved automatically and never changed. So even if you enter an invoice dated last month, the system remembers you recorded it today.
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3. The entry posts to the invoice date's month
This is the key point: the accounting entry posts in the month of the invoice date, not the day you typed it. So if you record today an invoice dated last month, last month's sales and profit are corrected properly.
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4. Closed-period protection
If you've closed a month or year (say, after filing), the system stops you from recording an invoice dated inside the closed period — so no one changes numbers of a period that's already closed. You can only back-date into a period that's still open.
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5. The due date is computed from the invoice date
If the customer has terms (say 30 days), the system computes the due date from the invoice date you chose — not the entry day. So overdue and collection come out correct.
Why this matters for your books
Each month's numbers come out right even if you enter the data late — the entry lands in its correct month, not the entry month.
Every invoice keeps two dates: its official date and its entry timestamp — full transparency and a clear audit trail.
No tampering with a closed period: recording with a date inside a locked period is blocked automatically.
When do you need it?
The invoice arrived late
A supplier invoice reached you after month-end — record it with its real date so it shows in the correct month's expenses, not the new month.
Entering a prior period's data
You're entering a past period's operations (e.g. when you first started on the system) — the earlier dates keep historical reports accurate.
Why not any date?
You can back-date to any date within an open period. Closed periods are protected — because changing their numbers after closing would corrupt your books and filings.
In Zemam
Sales and purchase invoices accept an invoice date you choose (today or earlier), the entry posts to that date's month, with a saved entry timestamp per invoice. And recording into a closed period is blocked automatically — so you record safely without touching a closed period's numbers.
Want your invoices on their correct dates?
Zemam posts every invoice to its correct month and protects your closed periods. Try it free and see your books come out right every month.