---
title: Stop Work and Invoice Early
description: Stop work and invoice early when a customer calls a job off or a vehicle can't be fixed, and choose which parts were used so stock stays right.
---
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1. [MetaFleet Answer Hub](https://support.metafleet.ai/?hsLang=en)
2. [Invoicing & Payments](https://support.metafleet.ai/invoicing-payments?hsLang=en)
# Stop Work and Invoice Early
## End a job before it's finished, release the technician and move the order straight to invoicing, so you still bill what was done.
**For:** Dispatchers and managers · **Permission:** the one that lets you cancel a service order · **Time:** ~2 minutes
### Quick summary
1. Open the order and find **Stop work & invoice** (on a tow, **End work & invoice** at the top of the order).
2. Pick why the work is stopping.
3. Tick the parts the technician fitted.
4. Click **Stop work & invoice**, then review and send the invoice.
### Before you start
- Use this when the customer calls the job off at the door, the vehicle can't be fixed, or you need to stop and bill what was done.
- You need the same permission that lets you cancel a service order. On a repair or tow order the button doesn't show without it. On a visit the button shows, but the stop is refused with "You do not have permission to stop work on this service order."
- Make the call with the customer first. The technician is released as soon as you confirm.
- There is no way back. A stopped order can't return to in progress.
### Find the button
The button shows only while there is still work to stop. Where you look depends on the order type:
- **Repair order:** the **Invoice** tab. Once the technician has submitted all repairs, the button is replaced by **End Work & Review**.
- **Tow:** the top of the order, to the right of the title, next to **Cancel Service Order**. It shows on every tab until the tow is delivered and reads **End work & invoice**.
- **PM or inspection visit:** the visit page, on the invoice row next to **Preview**. It shows once the technician is on the way and the visit has a service order. It goes away when the order reaches invoicing or the visit invoice has been sent.
### Say why the work is stopping
Click the button. A window opens.
1. **Pick a reason.** **Customer cancelled** is preselected. The others are **Vehicle is not on-site**, **Site inaccessible**, **Area is not covered** and **Other**.
2. **Add a note** if it helps. The note is required for **Other**.
> The reason and note are internal. They go on the order's timeline and in reports. They don't appear on the invoice or in customer emails.
### Tell MetaFleet which parts were used
If the order has part lines, the window asks **Which parts were used?** Nothing is ticked at first.
1. **Tick each part the technician fitted.** The **Used** box fills with the full quantity.
2. **Lower the quantity** if only some were fitted. It can't be more than the quantity on the order.
3. **Check the line under the list.** It reads, for example, "1 part used. Everything else goes back to stock."
> Anything you don't tick comes off the order and goes back to stock. It isn't billed. If you skip every part, all of them go back.
A part line can show a note under its work item, such as "Estimate not sent · not on the invoice". That part wasn't going to be billed.
If the order has no part lines, the question doesn't show. A tow usually has none.
### Confirm the stop
1. Click **Stop work & invoice** (on a tow, **End work & invoice**).
2. Fix anything the window flags. "Enter how many were used, or untick it." means a ticked part has no quantity.
To back out, click **Keep working** (on a tow, **Keep the tow running**). Nothing changes.
### What happens next
- The technician's work stops and the job closes on their device.
- The order reads **Work Stopped** until it is invoiced, not **Repair Complete**. On the Repair Board, the last step reads **Work Stopped** too.
- The order moves straight to invoicing. It skips diagnosis, estimate and repair approvals.
- Everything recorded so far stays on the invoice for you to review: labor, work items, the call-out charge and fees. Parts you didn't tick are gone.
- Work items that never reached approval don't block **Send Invoice**.
- On a visit, any truck already finished is still billed. Trucks not finished are canceled.
- The customer gets nothing at the moment of the stop. They hear about it when you send the invoice. The email is titled **Work Stopped: Invoice For Call-Out**, says the repairs were not completed, and gives your phone number for a new visit.
Open the **Invoice** tab, trim lines if you need to, then send. See [Approve and Send an Invoice](https://support.metafleet.ai/approve-and-send-an-invoice?hsLang=en).
### Stop work and invoice or Cancel Service Order?
| | Stop work & invoice | Cancel Service Order |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Technician | Released | Released |
| Invoice | Yes, from what was recorded | None. Nothing is billed |
| Order ends as | Invoicing, then paid | Canceled |
| Use it when | You want to bill the trip or the work done | The job should never be billed |
See [Manage a Service Order](https://support.metafleet.ai/manage-a-service-order?hsLang=en) for canceling.
### Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I don't see the button | You don't have the permission that lets you cancel a service order | Ask an admin to add it to your role. |
| Confirm says "You do not have permission to stop work on this service order." | Visit pages show the button to everyone, but the stop needs the cancel permission | Ask an admin to add it to your role. |
| I see **End Work & Review**, not **Stop work & invoice** | The technician already submitted all repairs | Use **End Work & Review** to finish the job the usual way. |
| The button is gone on a visit | The visit has no service order yet, it already reached invoicing, or the visit invoice has been sent | Go on to the invoice. Stopping isn't needed. |
| Confirm says the order already reached invoicing, was invoiced or is closed | The technician finished, or someone else moved the order, while your page was open | Reload. Use **End Work & Review** or **Send Invoice** instead. |
| The window won't close on confirm | The reason is **Other** with no note, or a ticked part has no quantity | Add the note or the quantity, or untick the part. |
| A part I didn't use is still on the invoice | It was ticked in the window | Stopping can't be undone. Remove the line on the **Invoice** tab before you send. |
### FAQs
**Can the technician stop the job?**
No. Only a dispatcher or manager with the cancel permission can stop it.
**Will I still get the call-out charge?**
Yes. The order is invoiced, so the call-out charge and fees on it stay as recorded.
**Do I have to answer the parts question?**
Yes, if it shows. Nothing is ticked at first, so answering "none" means every part goes back to stock.
**Can I undo it?**
No. Stopped orders don't go back to in progress.
### Related articles
- [Approve and Send an Invoice](https://support.metafleet.ai/approve-and-send-an-invoice?hsLang=en)
- [Understand the Service Order Lifecycle](https://support.metafleet.ai/the-service-order-lifecycle?hsLang=en)
- [Book a Tow and Run the Tow Board](https://support.metafleet.ai/book-a-tow-and-run-the-tow-board?hsLang=en)
- [Review and Send a PM Visit Invoice](https://support.metafleet.ai/pm-invoicing?hsLang=en)
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