# A recurring template cannot produce an invoice with a negative total

Negative line totals on a template, a generated invoice adding up below zero, and editing a draft to a negative total are now rejected.

Sep 16, 2026 · Breaking

A negative standard or simplified invoice is a corrective in disguise: BeeL. handles negative amounts only as a corrective that points at the invoice it corrects. Creating one was already refused, but a recurring template could still generate one, and a draft could be edited into one. Both are closed now.

Correctives are unaffected: a negative total is normal there.

## What breaks

- **`total_excluding_tax` and `total_including_tax` on a template line must be 0 or more.** A negative one answers `422 VALIDATION_ERROR` with the field in `details`, on create and update, where it used to be accepted.
- **Editing a draft so that its total goes below zero** answers `422 NEGATIVE_TOTAL_REQUIRES_RECTIFICATIVE`, the same answer creating it would get. Negative lines are still allowed as long as the total is not negative.
- **A template whose lines add up below zero no longer generates.** The run fails permanently and the template is paused, with `recurring_invoice.paused`, instead of issuing a negative invoice.

## Does this affect you?

- Look for templates with a line whose declared total is negative, such as a discount written as its own line. Keep the total at 0 or above, or apply the discount as `discount_percentage`.

## What else changed

- **A template whose series is inactive, deleted or of the wrong type is paused as well**, and so is one with no default series to fall back on. It used to be retried every night without ever succeeding.

## Endpoints

- `POST|PUT|PATCH /v1/companies/{company_id}/recurring-invoices` — Negative line totals answer 422 VALIDATION_ERROR
- `PATCH /v1/companies/{company_id}/invoices/{invoice_id}` — A draft edited to a negative total answers 422 NEGATIVE_TOTAL_REQUIRES_RECTIFICATIVE

## Where to go next

- [NEGATIVE_TOTAL_REQUIRES_RECTIFICATIVE](/errors/NEGATIVE_TOTAL_REQUIRES_RECTIFICATIVE)
- [Corrective invoices](/verifactu/corrective-invoices)
- [Recurring invoices](/guides/recurring-invoices)

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