Unblock a recording when the VAT period is settled or the fiscal year is closed in SamBooks
10 min read
A message stops you recording or deleting an entry: VAT period already settled, or fiscal year closed. Here is what it means and how to get past it.
What this is for
SamBooks stops you from writing or deleting an entry that would fall inside an already-consolidated period, so it never silently alters numbers you've already declared or closed. These are two independent guards, and you can run into either on its own:
- VAT period already settled: this only triggers if the entry touches at least one VAT account (payable or receivable) and its VAT date falls in a month or quarter for which a VAT settlement has already been calculated.
- Fiscal year locked or closed: this triggers on any entry whose date falls in a year you've manually locked, or that you've closed for statutory purposes at year-end.
Neither guard has a shortcut: there's no way to force or bypass the block from a dialog. The only way through is to reopen whatever was closed, or to record in the right period instead.
Before you start
Unlocking a fiscal year or cancelling a VAT settlement requires a role with write permissions on accounting (Manager or Administrative).
How to do it, step by step
1. Read the message carefully: it already tells you what to do
SamBooks doesn't just say "blocked": the message changes depending on what you're doing, and it already contains the right suggestion.
- Recording a manual entry or a purchase invoice with a VAT date in a settled period: "Month {N}/{year} has already been settled: you cannot post a VAT date ({date}) here that falls in a closed period. Use the first open period ({suggested period}) as the VAT date, or reopen that period's settlement and resettle it." — note that SamBooks already suggests the first free period for you.
- Recording a sales invoice or self-invoice with a VAT date in a settled period: "...you cannot record a sales invoice/self-invoice here with VAT date {date}. VAT payable is due in the period the transaction took place, and it CANNOT be pushed forward (that would be a missed payment): reopen that period's settlement and resettle it (consider a voluntary correction), then record it." Here there's no suggested period at all: for a sales invoice, the only path is to reopen and resettle the correct period — never push the date forward.
- Deleting an entry that a closed settlement relies on: "...you cannot delete this entry with VAT date {date}, it would fall in a closed period and would leave an already-closed settlement without the supporting document. Reopen that period's settlement to be able to delete the entry, then resettle."
2. If you can, use the suggested open period
For a manual entry or a purchase invoice, the fastest fix is to change the VAT date to the period the message itself suggests. You won't touch anything already settled, and the entry goes through right away.
3. Otherwise, reopen the VAT settlement for that period
Go to VAT settlements in the left-hand menu. Find the row for the period you need and press the "Cancel settlement" icon. The "Cancel this settlement?" dialog opens, with one of these two texts depending on whether a tax payment form is linked:
- "The settlement will be cancelled: the linked VAT closing entry is reversed, and the linked tax payment form that was generated is cancelled in cascade."
- "The settlement will be cancelled: the linked VAT closing entry is reversed." (if there's no linked tax payment form)
If the linked tax payment form has already been paid, the button isn't available: instead you'll see the notice "Tax payment form already paid: the settlement cannot be cancelled." — in that case you need to deal with the tax payment form first.
Press "Cancel settlement" in the dialog: the final toast is "Settlement cancelled." The period reopens and you can record or delete just like on any other month.
4. Record or fix the entry
With the period reopened, go back to the entry you needed (or reopen the document) and complete the action: you won't hit the block anymore.
5. Resettle the period
Once you've fixed what needed fixing, go back to VAT settlements and recalculate the period with "Calculate period," entering the year and month/quarter again: SamBooks aggregates the updated data and recreates the closing entry.
6. If the block is on the fiscal year, not the VAT period: unlock it from Fiscal years
If the message talks about a locked fiscal year ("Fiscal year {year} locked: no new entries allowed. Unlock the fiscal year from the Adjustments page, or fix the entry's accrual date."), go to Adjustments in the menu, open the "Fiscal years" tab, and on the row for that year press "Unlock." (the status badge switches from "Locked" to "Open"). The toast confirms "Fiscal year unlocked." The same button, when the year is open, shows "Lock" — the one someone at your company likely used to lock it in the first place, useful to know if you find a locked year and aren't sure why.
7. If the fiscal year is closed for statutory purposes, not just locked
The message is different: "Fiscal year {year} closed: no new entries allowed. Reopen the fiscal year (reopening/reversal of the closing) or fix the entry's accrual date." This is a stronger block than a simple "Lock": it comes from the "Closing" tab of Adjustments, where the fiscal year was closed for statutory purposes (revenue/cost entries to the income statement, profit/loss to reserves). It's not the same thing as the "Locked" year from step 6, and it doesn't unlock with the same button.
8. In the general ledger, a locked period also shows up in which actions are available
If you open the General ledger and a manual entry no longer shows the pencil "Edit entry," only "Fix (reverse and reissue)," it's the same period block described in this guide: the entry falls in a settled VAT period or a locked/closed fiscal year. In that case, the only way through is to fix it with a true reversal in the open period — covered step by step in the dedicated guide.
What actually happens when you cancel a settlement
Even though the dialog text says the closing entry "is reversed," what actually happens is simpler: the closing entry linked to the settlement gets deleted (soft-delete), not paired with an opposite-sign entry the way "Fix" works in the general ledger. The settlement record itself gets marked as cancelled, and if a tax payment form had been generated from that settlement and not yet paid, it gets cancelled in cascade along with it. The practical result for you doesn't change: the period reopens, the VAT account shows its pre-settlement balance again, and you can record entries again — the only imprecision is the word "reversed" in the dialog's text.
Why a sales invoice can never be pushed forward
With a manual entry or a purchase invoice, SamBooks conveniently offers you the first free period as an alternative. Not with a sales invoice, and that's a deliberate choice: the VAT payable on an invoice is due in the period the transaction actually took place, not the period you record it in. Pushing it forward would mean declaring that VAT in a later period — a missed payment for the correct period. That's why, if you need to record a sales invoice today with a VAT date in an already-settled month, the only path SamBooks offers is to reopen and resettle that period (possibly considering a voluntary correction), never to push the date forward.
Ask Sam
You can ask Sam to both calculate a VAT settlement and cancel one, with the same result as the buttons in this guide — for example, "cancel the June 2026 VAT settlement." You can lock or unlock a fiscal year from the "Fiscal years" tab through chat the same way. For a fiscal year closed for statutory purposes it's a bit different: the closing is a tracked, reversible action in Sam's action log, so the most direct way to have it undone is to ask Sam directly, describing which fiscal year to reopen.
If something goes wrong
- I cancelled the settlement but the entry is still blocked: double-check the entry's actual VAT date — if it falls in a different month than the one you just reopened, the block you're seeing belongs to a different period.
- The "Cancel settlement" button isn't there, or it's disabled: hover over the icon — if you see "Tax payment form already paid: the settlement cannot be cancelled," you need to deal with the linked tax payment form first.
- I unlocked the fiscal year from the "Fiscal years" tab but the message still talks about a closed fiscal year: these are two different things (steps 6 and 7 above). "Locked" and "Closed" have two different buttons in two different tabs of the Adjustments page.
- I closed the fiscal year by mistake: the closing is a reversible action — ask Sam to undo it as soon as you notice, before recording anything else in that year.
- On a general-ledger row I only see "Fix," not "Edit": it's the same block described in this guide (settled VAT period or locked/closed fiscal year) applied to that specific entry — see step 8.
Frequently asked questions
It tells me the month has already been settled and I can't record: what do I do? If you can, use the open period SamBooks suggests in the message itself as the VAT date. If you really need to record in that month, go to VAT settlements and press "Cancel settlement" on that period, record your entry, then recalculate the settlement.
I get "fiscal year closed, no new entries allowed": what does that mean? The year the entry belongs to has been closed for statutory purposes from the "Closing" tab of Adjustments. It needs to be reopened (by asking Sam, who can undo the closing action) before you can record anything in that year again.
How do I unlock a fiscal year? If it's only "Locked" (a manual lock, not a statutory closing): Adjustments → "Fiscal years" tab → press "Unlock" on that year's row.
I need to record a December invoice but December's VAT has already been settled: what do I do? Reopen December's settlement from VAT settlements ("Cancel settlement"), record the invoice, then recalculate December's settlement. You can't move that invoice's VAT to a later month.
I can't delete an entry from a closed period: why? Because deleting it would leave an already-closed settlement without the document backing it up. Reopen that period's settlement first, then delete the entry, then resettle.
Can I move the VAT date to the next month to avoid the block? On a manual entry or a purchase invoice, yes — it's the fastest fix if the data allows it. Not on a sales invoice: VAT payable is due in the month the transaction took place, and moving it would be a missed payment.
How do I reopen a VAT settlement to fix an invoice? VAT settlements → "Cancel settlement" icon on that period's row → confirm in the dialog. If a linked tax payment form has already been paid, you need to deal with that first.
Why do I only see "Fix" on the row, not "Edit"? Because that general-ledger entry falls in a settled VAT period or a locked/closed fiscal year: in that case SamBooks hides "Edit" and "Delete" and leaves only the true reversal in the open period.
What does "locked period" mean in the general ledger? It means the entry's VAT date or recording date falls in an already-settled month/quarter, or in a locked or closed fiscal year: the entry is no longer editable or deletable in place.
I closed the fiscal year by mistake, how do I undo it? The closing is a tracked, reversible action: ask Sam to undo it as soon as possible, before recording any more entries in that year.