If your shop belongs to a franchisor org, HQ can put invoices on a lock schedule — once an invoice reaches a set age, you can no longer edit its line items, notes, due date, or status directly. This article covers what that looks like from your shop's side and how to request a temporary unlock. For how HQ sets the lock schedule and reviews requests, see Setting up HQ Invoice Locking.
What a locked invoice looks like
Open a locked invoice and you'll see an amber Locked badge next to its status, with a tooltip reading "Locked by your HQ's invoice-lock policy." You can still collect payment on a locked invoice — that keeps working normally — but editing its line items, notes, due date, or status is blocked until HQ approves an unlock.
Below the invoice, a card confirms: "This invoice is locked. Your HQ's invoice-lock policy has locked this invoice. Request a temporary unlock to make a correction." Click Request unlock to open the request form.
Requesting an unlock
The request dialog asks you to explain what needs to change — the helper text is explicit that your HQ Admin sees this reason, so it's worth being specific (e.g. "customer's card was charged the wrong amount, need to fix the line item") rather than vague. You can't submit without typing something in that field.
Once submitted, the card updates to "Unlock requested — waiting on HQ Admin review", showing your submitted reason underneath. From here it's out of your hands until an HQ Admin reviews it.
What happens next
HQ can approve, deny, or later revoke your request:
- Approved — the invoice unlocks for a limited time window (HQ sets how long when approving). You can edit normally until that window closes, at which point it re-locks automatically — or sooner if HQ revokes the grant early.
- Denied — the card shows "HQ denied your unlock request," along with HQ's note if they left one. You can click Request again to submit a new request.
- Revoked — if HQ takes back an already-approved grant before it expires, the card shows "HQ revoked your unlock early," along with why if HQ noted a reason. The invoice re-locks immediately. You can request again here too.
Things to know
- Submitting a request requires the same permission that lets you edit an invoice's pricing and line items in the first place — by default your shop's Owner, Admin, and Manager roles, not entry-level roles like Technician, Front Desk, or Service Writer. Your Owner can extend that permission to other roles if needed.
- Collecting payment on a locked invoice is never blocked — only editing the invoice itself requires an unlock.
- There's no way to request an unlock from anywhere except the locked invoice itself — there's no separate "invoice unlock" page or form.
- An approved unlock is time-limited. If you need more time than the window HQ granted, you'll need to submit a new request once it expires.
- This entire feature only applies if your shop belongs to a franchisor org with an invoice-lock policy turned on. A standalone shop, or a shop whose franchisor hasn't enabled locking, will never see a Locked badge.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I still collect payment on a locked invoice?
A: Yes. Locking only blocks editing the invoice's line items, notes, due date, or status — collecting payment keeps working normally.
Q: Where do I request an unlock?
A: Open the locked invoice itself and click Request unlock on the card below it. There's no separate page for this.
Q: Does HQ see the reason I give for the unlock request?
A: Yes — the request form is explicit that your HQ Admin sees whatever you type, so be specific about what needs to change.
Q: What if HQ denies my request?
A: The card shows the denial, plus HQ's note if they left one, and offers a Request again button so you can submit a new request — for example with more detail on why the change is needed.
Q: How long does an approved unlock last?
A: HQ sets the time window when they approve your request. The invoice re-locks automatically once that window closes, or sooner if HQ revokes the grant early.
Q: Who at my shop can request an unlock?
A: Anyone with the same permission needed to edit an invoice's pricing and line items — by default the Owner, Admin, and Manager roles. Your Owner can grant that permission to other roles if your shop needs it.