I cannot change or delete a journal entry that has already been posted

Symptom

• You open a journal entry in the Posted state and the fields and lines cannot be edited; or
• you try to delete it and fiscaldoo refuses.

Message

When deleting a posted journal entry from the Journal entries list (Actions › Delete, Accountant profile):

“The document "MISC/2026/00104 (Exemplo DOCS-036 encargos a pagar)" must be kept until 31/12/2036: tax documents are kept for 10 years (CIVA art. 52.º, CIRC art. 123.º) and cannot be deleted before that date, not even by administrators. If it was issued by mistake, cancel it or issue a credit note.”

The message was triggered in the demonstration database. The last sentence (“cancel it or issue a credit note”) is meant for invoices: for a journal entry like this one, the correction is the reversal (below). Pending validation by a certified accountant: the retention period the message quotes (10 years).

On the form of a posted journal entry there is no message: the lines do not open for editing.

Verified causes

• A posted journal entry cannot be deleted. fiscaldoo always refuses, for every profile. The accounts must stay free of amendments and deletions (Corporate Income Tax Code (CIRC), art. 123).
• A posted journal entry cannot be edited on the form. To change a line, either you send the journal entry back to draft (for a journal entry that is not a document issued by the company, in an open period) or you make a reversal. A general journal entry and a supplier bill, for example, can go back to draft.
• Issued invoices, credit notes and receipts are certified documents: they do not go back to draft. They have their own article: I cannot change an invoice that has already been issued.

What to check

1. The type of journal entry: a general journal entry (miscellaneous operations journal, MISC/…) or a sales, purchase or payment document.
2. The date: if it is in a closed period, nothing changes without an exception (I cannot post in a locked period).
3. Whether the journal entry has already gone into a return (DP IVA, SAF-T, withholding tax). If it has, the correction should stay visible, with a reversal.

How to fix it

Correcting with a reversal (recommended)

The reversal creates a new journal entry, with the lines swapped and the reason, and leaves both the error and the correction visible. Then you post the correct journal entry. See How to reverse a journal entry.

Who does it: Accountant.

Going back to draft (in an open period, never on a document issued by the company)

On a posted supplier bill, the Reset to Draft button is at the top of the form. In the demonstration, with the Accountant profile, supplier bill FTF/2026/00040 (unpaid) went to Draft without asking for a reason, and Confirm posted it again with the same number and the same lines.

On a general journal entry, the journal entry's Actions menu has Reverse Journal Entry and Back to draft. In the demonstration, with the Accountant profile:

1. Journal entry MISC/2026/00104 (“Exemplo DOCS-036 encargos a pagar”, 29/10/2026) was posted with the lines 6241 Eletricidade debit €10.00 and 2722 Credores por acréscimos de gastos credit €10.00.
2. Actions › Back to draft put it in Draft without asking for a reason.
3. The two lines were changed to €12.00: 6241 Eletricidade debit €12.00 and 2722 Credores por acréscimos de gastos credit €12.00.
4. Post posted it again with the same number, MISC/2026/00104, with the €12.00 lines (checked on the posted journal entry).

The journal entry's history, below the form, keeps the trail of the change: “Posted → Draft”, one entry for each line changed, with the old and new Balance (“€10.00 → €12.00” and “-€10.00 → -€12.00”), and “Draft → Posted”, each with the user and the time. It does not keep the reason for the change, and the line entries do not say the account.

Prefer the reversal

Going back to draft and changing it alters the journal entry without a reason: the history shows the old amounts, but not why they changed. The reversal leaves the error, the correction and the reason visible. Only use going back to draft for an error spotted straight away, on a journal entry that has not yet gone into any return or filed report. If in doubt, reverse. Pending validation by a certified accountant: when it is acceptable to send a posted journal entry back to draft instead of reversing it, and whether the history trail (old amounts, no reason) is enough for CIRC, art. 123, no. 2, point b).

On a journal entry in a closed fiscal year, Back to draft is refused (Accountant profile):

“The fiscal year 2025 (01/01/2025 to 31/12/2025) is closed: you cannot change the journal entry MISC/2025/00060 (Exemplo DOCS-036 eletricidade de dezembro de 2025) dated 15/12/2025. Why: a closed fiscal year is locked so that the accounts already approved do not change. How to fix it: post it in an open fiscal year or, if it is really necessary, ask Fiscal Administration for an exception with a reason (Accounting › Close › Year-end closing › Lock dates and exceptions). (Developer mode must be on to see it.)”

The journal entry stays as it was. What to do is in I cannot post in a locked period or a closed fiscal year.

Expected result

• With the reversal: the original journal entry stays as it was, and the reversal and the correct journal entry appear in the ledger.
• With going back to draft: the journal entry goes back to Posted, with the same number and the corrected lines, and the history shows the old amounts.

When to contact support

• A journal entry posted by mistake cannot be reversed or sent back to draft and is not in a closed period.
• The journal entry was created by another app (depreciation, payroll, VAT settlement) and you do not know whether you can reverse it without breaking that app.

Information to send

• The journal entry number (for example MISC/2026/00104) and the company.
• The full text of the message, copied from the screen.
• What you wanted to correct and the profile you logged in with.