In COINS ERP+, invoice Status and hold codes are stored as separate fields. An invoice can show a Status of Unpaid while also carrying a hold code — this is expected behaviour, not an error. This article explains what each field shows, where to find hold code information, how to release a hold, and how status changes as an invoice moves through the payment process.
What the Status field shows
The Status field on the invoice enquiry screen reflects the payment state of the invoice, it shows where the invoice is in the payment lifecycle, not whether it is on hold.
Status | What it means |
Unpaid | The invoice has not yet been paid. It may or may not be on hold. |
Selected | The invoice has been selected for inclusion in a payment batch but has not yet been paid. |
Costed Unpaid | The invoice has been costed but not yet paid. |
Paid | The invoice has been paid. |
📌Note: An invoice showing Unpaid is not necessarily ready for payment. Always check the Commercial Hold Code and Financial Hold Code columns separately to confirm whether a hold is in place.
What hold codes show
Hold codes record the reason an invoice has been placed on hold and prevent it from being paid until the hold is cleared. There are two types:
Commercial hold codes — used by the Commercial department, for example when goods have not been fully delivered or were delivered damaged.
Financial hold codes — used by the Finance department, for example when payment should be withheld pending a credit or until a specific date.
Hold codes are set up for your organisation. The meanings of specific codes are configured in Commercial Hold Codes Maintenance and Financial Hold Codes Maintenance in COINS ERP+.
Why invoices show Unpaid instead of the hold code
Following maintenance updates, the invoice enquiry screen displays the payment Status (Unpaid, Paid, and so on) in the Status column. Hold code information is stored in separate columns, the Commercial Hold Code and Financial Hold Code fields, and does not appear in the Status column.
If you previously saw hold codes in the Status column and no longer do, the display has changed as part of a maintenance update. The hold codes are still present on the invoice, they are now visible in their own dedicated columns.
Add hold code columns to your enquiry screen
Open the invoice enquiry screen.
Right-click on the column headers to open the column set configuration.
Add the Commercial Hold Code and Financial Hold Code columns to your view.
Save the column set.
The hold codes for each invoice will now be visible alongside the Status column.
📌Note: Column set configuration is per user. Each user who needs to see hold codes must add the columns to their own view, or an administrator can update the default column set.
Release a hold on an invoice
To release a hold on an individual posted invoice:
Go to Accounts Payable, then Invoices, then select Amend Posted Invoices.
Search for the invoice and open it.
Clear the hold code from the Commercial Hold Code or Financial Hold Code field as appropriate.
Save the invoice.
To approve multiple invoices for payment at once:
Go to Accounts Payable, then Invoices, then select Approve Invoices.
Select the invoices you want to approve using the selector.
Approve them for payment.
⚠️Important: Your organisation's approval workflow may require specific users to approve Commercial and Financial holds separately. Confirm with your Finance team who is authorised to clear each hold type before proceeding.
How status changes through the payment batch workflow
As an invoice moves through a payment batch, its Status changes to reflect its position in the process:
When an invoice is added to a payment batch, its Status changes to Selected.
When the batch is frozen, the Status may update to reflect the costed state.
If a batch is unfrozen, the invoice Status returns to Unpaid.
Once the payment is processed, the Status updates to Paid.
These status changes are normal and do not indicate an error. An invoice that returns to Unpaid after a batch is unfrozen is not lost, it can be selected again in a new payment batch.
Raise a support ticket
Raise a support ticket if:
A hold code cannot be cleared after following the steps above and you have the appropriate authorisation.
An invoice status is not updating correctly after a payment batch is processed.
Hold code columns are not available to add to your column set.
Include the invoice number, the current Status shown, the hold code value if visible, and a screenshot of the invoice enquiry screen.