> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.jomioz.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to write off an invoice

> Close a balance you will not collect. This is not a credit note and not a refund.

Open the invoice and click **More → Internal write-off only…**.

Confirm **Write off internally**. This marks the remaining balance as bad debt. The customer can no longer pay it online. The status becomes **Bad debt**. **Reason** is optional. The placeholder is bankruptcy, or no response after collection attempts.

A write-off does not return money. It does not create a credit note. It does not change what was sent to the tax authority. After a write-off, **Create credit note** is no longer offered, because the balance is already closed.

If you still need the customer’s document to show a credit, create the [credit note](/help/invoice-corrective) first, while the invoice can still be credited.

## When to use it

Use a write-off when you have stopped chasing the money and you want the balance closed in Jomioz.

Do not use it for these:

| You want                         | Use this instead                                                                                 |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Send money back                  | [Refund](/help/invoice-refund). A write-off does not return money                                |
| Change the bill they were sent   | [Credit note](/help/invoice-corrective), while **Create credit note** is still offered           |
| Stop a draft that was never sent | [Void or delete](/help/invoice-void)                                                             |
| They still might pay             | Leave it due. Reminders and a payment link stay on [Take or record a payment](/help/invoice-pay) |

The dialog is **Internal write-off only**. It names the invoice and says the customer will no longer be able to pay it online. **Cancel** leaves the balance due. **Write off internally** closes it. Status becomes **Bad debt**.

Where your country can recover tax on a bad debt, that is a separate button from this dialog. The write-off itself only closes the balance in Jomioz. The recovery steps are in [Rules for your country](/help/your-country).