Things to look out for - Invoice Common Pitfalls
Be mindful of these common pitfalls when processing or managing invoices in Navigator
1. Cancelling without NDIS API integration
This is the most critical thing to watch for. If your account does not have NDIS API integration and you cancel an invoice in Navigator that has already been submitted to NDIS:
Navigator will NOT cancel the claim with NDIS. You must log into PRODA or PACE and cancel the payment request manually.
If you forget to do this, NDIS will continue processing or paying the claim, leading to incorrect payments and reconciliation issues.
2. Cancel PRODA payments after refunds
After processing a refund, if the invoice had NDIS payment request numbers, you need to also cancel those with NDIS. On accounts with API integration, use the Cancel PRODA payments button. On accounts without, do it manually in PRODA or PACE.
3. Splitting changes scope
When you split an invoice, the new invoice inherits the same status. If the original was approved, the split invoice is also approved. Make sure both halves are still correct before proceeding.
4. Cloning creates a task, not an invoice
When you clone, the result is a new task that goes through the full intake process. It's not an instant copy of the invoice in its original state.
5. Deleting vs cancelling
- Delete when the invoice should never have existed — it's removed from views entirely
- Cancel when the invoice was legitimate but should not be paid — it remains visible in the history
Deletion is only available for invoices that haven't been submitted to NDIS. Once submitted, you must cancel instead.
6. Extract timing and deletion
Extracts cannot be deleted within 10 minutes of creation. Bank transfer extracts cannot be deleted after being marked as complete (because remittance advice has already been sent). Plan management fee extracts cannot be deleted at all.
7. Payment amount validation
When uploading NDIS payment results, the system verifies that paid amounts match expected amounts within a 1-cent tolerance. Any discrepancy flags an error that needs manual investigation.
8. NDIS API cancellation failures
If the automatic NDIS API cancellation job fails after all retry attempts, the system automatically:
- Creates a task tagged with
ndis_api_error - Adds a note to the invoice with the error message
Monitor the ndis_api_error tag to catch these failures and resolve them manually in PRODA.