Start with the same person, period and currency
An invoice for a calendar month cannot be compared directly with a timesheet ending on the month's second Friday. A contractor's trading name may differ from the name used by the team. A USD amount cannot be subtracted from a EUR amount without an agreed conversion basis.
Write the Company, contractor, date range, currency and invoice reference at the top of your review. Check for an earlier version or a credit before treating a document as a new obligation. If the invoice spans several periods, identify which lines belong in the period under review rather than silently shifting the work dates.
Build the supported amount before checking the invoice
Use approved time with the applicable rate evidence and separately approved expenses. Saved time is not approved time. A receipt is supporting evidence for an expense, not evidence that someone accepted reimbursement.
In this fictional example, a motion designer has 18 approved hours at USD 70 and an approved USD 45 software expense. The supported amount is USD 1,305. An invoice for that same work documents USD 1,305; it is not another USD 1,305 to add to the total.
| Record | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Approved time | 18 hours × USD 70 | USD 1,260 |
| Approved expense | Accepted receipt | USD 45 |
| Supported amount | Time plus expense | USD 1,305 |
| Matching invoice | Evidence for the same work | USD 1,305, not added again |
This example excludes tax, retainers, deposits, currency conversion and other adjustments. Do not force a real arrangement into the example when its terms differ. Use the relevant product rules and appropriate professional advice for those cases.
Diagnose the difference line by line
Suppose the received invoice is USD 1,375. Its time line uses 19 hours at USD 70, rather than the 18 approved hours. The difference is USD 70. Now there is a specific question to resolve: is the extra hour missing from the submitted work, or is the invoice wrong?
| Difference | Check first | Useful next action |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | Submitted and approved time for the same dates | Review missing work or request an invoice correction |
| Rate | Agreed rate and effective date captured with the work | Correct the source that is wrong, preserving the reason |
| Expense | Receipt, expense date and approval decision | Obtain evidence or make the required review decision |
| Total only | Lines, rounding, tax and currency | Identify the exact calculation before approving |
Do not assume an approved timesheet will change just because someone edits a time entry. Follow the system's correction and reapproval process. In Friday Falcon, the amount sources guide explains the accepted records and the time correction guide explains the separate paths.
Ask for a correction someone can act on
“Please fix your invoice” leaves the contractor to guess. A useful request names the line, evidence and expected next step: “The invoice has 19 hours for this period; the approved timesheet has 18. Please submit the missing hour for review, or send a corrected invoice for the approved work.”
Keep the original document, request and replacement identifiable. If the approved work was wrong, correct and reapprove that source rather than editing a correct invoice. In Friday Falcon, Company invoices and timesheet review have different permissions and correction steps. A private client invoice in My business does not belong in this Company contractor review.
Subtract completed payments only after resolving the obligation
After the supported USD 1,305 is agreed, suppose the Company has already paid USD 800 through its bank. The remaining amount is USD 505. The invoice total is not reduced by a failed payment attempt or by money a client owes the agency.
Record the external payment's amount, date, method and useful reference. Keep bank credentials out of review notes. If someone entered USD 850 by mistake, correct that payment record through the offered history-preserving action; do not invent another expense to cancel the error. Correcting the record does not refund or move money.
Try the review before changing software
Use the contractor balance worksheet for a browser-only arithmetic check. It does not approve records, determine tax, send payments or import your data into Friday Falcon. Keep the underlying documents and reconcile the result with the authoritative records.
If a spreadsheet or your current system already makes the decision clear, you may not need another subscription. When the same missing evidence, permissions or corrections recur, test the Friday Falcon amount-review walkthrough and compare the relevant software workflows. Company plans are USD 59 monthly or USD 590 yearly per Company. Account creation and personal client invoicing remain free and separate; see Pricing.