An invoice split should not hide the real approval decision
The site contact asks for two smaller invoices
Suppose your customer contact says an invoice exceeds their approval limit and asks you to divide it into two smaller amounts. They suggest this will avoid sending it to a more senior manager.
Pause before changing the records. Separate invoices may be appropriate for genuinely separate work or an agreed billing structure, but the request needs a clear explanation that matches what actually occurred.
Clarify what the customer is asking
Ask whether the issue is separate projects, different purchase orders, staged work or an internal approval threshold. Identify who can confirm the correct billing arrangement and whether the existing invoice remains in the customer's system.
Keep the discussion factual. The purpose is to understand the legitimate process, not to help someone disguise the value of a transaction from their own approver.
Check the underlying agreement
Compare the proposed split with the work, accepted price and payment arrangements. business.gov.au's contract guidance recommends clearly describing the work and payment terms, including any agreed stages.
If the request changes those arrangements, obtain appropriate confirmation before acting. An informal instruction from a site contact should not be treated as proof that the customer has approved a contractual change.
Protect the invoice history
Ask your bookkeeper or accountant how any legitimate correction should be recorded. Preserve the original invoice, the reason for the change and the links to replacement documents. Avoid leaving both the original and replacements in the collectible balance.
Do not create false dates, descriptions or separate jobs to make the request appear acceptable. Seek advice where the proposed treatment raises accounting or tax questions.
Find a lawful practical route
The customer may need to obtain the proper approval for the original amount. Alternatively, its authorised accounts team may confirm a genuine project allocation supported by the agreement and records.
Record the agreed action and who will complete it. Keep the payment question visible while the administrative issue is resolved, without assuming that changing paperwork automatically changes when the amount is due.
Resolve the reason before issuing replacements
For the next split request, obtain the explanation and check it with the appropriate customer contact and your accounts team. Make any justified change traceable and reconcile the resulting balance.
If the request remains an attempt to bypass approval through misleading records, decline that approach and ask for the correct escalation route. Clear documents protect the account better than a convenient but inaccurate workaround.