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Attribution

e-Invoice shows Failed, has no IRN, or cannot be cancelled

After you submit a Sales Invoice, India Compliance generates the e-invoice and stores the IRN and QR code on it. This page covers what to do when the e-Invoice Status says Failed, when the IRN is missing, and when an e-invoice cannot be cancelled or changed.

The messages#

e-Invoice can only be cancelled upto 24 hours after it is generated

Other signs of the same problems: e-Invoice Status = Failed or Pending, no IRN or QR code on the printed invoice, or the GST portal shows an e-invoice that EnigmaERP does not.

How it works#

When an e-invoice is generated, the government portal returns an IRN (Invoice Reference Number) and a signed QR code. India Compliance saves them on the Sales Invoice and in an e-Invoice Log, and sets e-Invoice Status to Generated.

The government allows you to cancel an e-invoice only within 24 hours of generating it, and an e-invoice can never be edited. After that, corrections go through a credit or debit note.

e-Invoice Status is Failed, or there is no IRN#

  1. Open the Sales Invoice and read the error in the e-invoice section or the e-Invoice Log.
  2. If it is a credentials or API error, see GST API errors.
  3. If it is a data error (GSTIN, PIN code, HSN code, address), correct the master data, then use e-Invoice → Generate on the invoice to try again.
  4. If the portal says the IRN already exists (duplicate IRN), the e-invoice was created on an earlier try that EnigmaERP did not record. Use e-Invoice → Generate again. India Compliance fetches the existing e-invoice and links it, if its buyer GSTIN and invoice amount match this invoice. With Fetch e-Invoice details from GST Portal on in GST Settings → General, it also looks on the GST Portal when the e-invoice portal does not return the details.
  5. If the error is e-Invoice cannot be generated because the posting date exceeds the reporting time limit of … days as specified in GST Settings, the invoice is older than the government's reporting limit set in e-Invoice Reporting Time Limit (in Days). The e-invoice can no longer be generated for it. Issue a new invoice with today's date, or check the limit with your tax adviser.

Older versions set the status to Failed when someone generated an e-invoice a second time from the Sales Invoice list. This was fixed in India Compliance 15.25.5. Update the app if your version is older.

The e-invoice was made directly on the government portal#

If you generated or cancelled the e-invoice on the portal instead of from EnigmaERP, record it on the invoice:

  • Generated on the portal: e-Invoice → Mark as Generated, and enter the IRN, acknowledgement number and date.
  • Cancelled on the portal: e-Invoice → Mark as Cancelled, and enter the cancellation details.

Cancel an e-invoice#

Within 24 hours of generating it:

  1. Open the Sales Invoice and click Cancel.
  2. Choose to cancel the IRN with the invoice. With Automatically Cancel e-Invoice on Invoice Cancellation on in GST Settings, this happens without asking.

After 24 hours, the portal will not cancel the e-invoice:

  • To correct the invoice, issue a credit note against it, and a new invoice with the right details.
  • If the Sales Invoice must be cancelled in EnigmaERP anyway (for example it was deleted on the portal), turn off Restrict Cancellation if e-Invoice not Cancellable in GST Settings → General, cancel the invoice, and then turn it back on.

An e-invoice cannot be amended. Cancel it and issue a new invoice, or use a credit note.

The invoice has only nil-rated or exempted items#

Nil / Exempted / Non-GST Items in e-Invoice in GST Settings → General decides what happens: Do Not Generate, Generate with Other Charges, or Generate with Taxable Values. If an item shows as Nil-Rated by mistake, check its Item Tax Template and GST details. See Why is GST wrong or missing on my invoice?.

Print the Sales Invoice with the e-Invoice print format (or a custom format with the QR code). See e-Invoice QR code in print formats.

Adapted for EnigmaERP from the ERPNext documentation, © Frappe Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Content licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0. EnigmaERP is a product of Enigma and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Frappe Technologies Pvt. Ltd.