Why Didn’t the Post-Invoice Jobs Complete?

Modified on Tue, Oct 21 at 1:58 PM

Applies To: Work 365 (Dynamics 365 / Power Platform)
Audience: Administrators, Billing Teams, Support Engineers

Overview

After an invoice is generated, Work 365 can automatically run post-invoice actions—sync to accounting, charge payment profiles, generate PDFs, and send invoice emails—based on each Billing Contract’s automation settings.
These are kicked off by the workflow Work 365 Start Job (and downstream jobs). If that workflow or a dependent integration is misconfigured or fails, the invoice will exist but the post-processing won’t run.

Reference: Work 365 Support Portal – Invoice Automation Troubleshooting

Symptoms (What you’ll see)

Invoice record created, but no email sent, no PDF attached, no payment attempt, or no accounting doc in the target system.
Related Work 365 Jobs show Waiting, Dispatched, Failed, or never created.
Billing Contract shows automation toggles enabled, but nothing happened.
Clicking Run Now on the job fails with a connector or credential error.

What Triggers Post-Invoice Jobs?

Post-invoice actions are controlled on the Billing Contract:

Setting (on Billing Contract)	Effect when Enabled
Generate PDF	Creates & attaches the PDF to the Invoice.
Auto-Send Email	Sends the invoice email using the configured template.
Auto-Charge Payment Profile	Charges the default payment profile (e.g., card/ACH).
Auto-Sync to Accounting	Creates/updates the invoice in your accounting system (QBO/NetSuite/BC, etc.).

All of the above are orchestrated by Work 365 Start Job and subsequent Invoice Post Processing jobs.

Common Causes & Fixes

Cause	Description	Resolution
“Work 365 Start Job” inactive or wrong owner	Core workflow disabled or owned by a deactivated user; Dynamics won’t run it.	Go to Settings → Processes → Work 365 Start Job. Set Status = Active and Owner = Service/App User. Reactivate and reassign if needed.
Billing Contract automation misconfigured	Toggles not set, or set without required connectors (payments/accounting).	Open the Billing Contract and verify: Generate PDF, Auto-Send Email, Auto-Charge, Auto-Sync. Disable unused, fix missing connectors/accounts.
Downstream integration failure	Accounting connector error (SKU mapping/tax/customer), or payments declined.	Invoice → Jobs tab → open job → read Parameters/Job Results. Fix product/tax/customer mapping, credentials, or payment method. Then Run Now.
Jobs stuck in Waiting/Dispatched	Queues/workflows not progressing (owner/permissions or background service issue).	Work 365 → Jobs: filter Job Type = Invoice Post Processing. Ensure Work 365 Start Job is active, service/app user has roles; then Run Now.
Email send blocked	Mailbox not approved, server-side sync disabled, or template missing.	Approve the From mailbox; ensure Server-Side Sync is configured; check the Email Template exists & is Active (headers/placeholders valid).
PDF generation not configured	Invoice template or PDF engine misconfiguration.	Confirm Work 365 Invoice Template is selected (Admin/Config). Ensure the template is published and the PDF step is enabled.
Payment profile issues	No default profile, expired card, AVS/ACH failure, or processor credentials invalid.	On the Billing Contract, set a valid Payment Profile. Verify processor credentials in Work 365 → Settings → Payment Processor; retry job.
Accounting connector consent/keys expired	Tokens/keys rotated or expired; sync call fails.	Re-authenticate the accounting connector (QBO/BC/NetSuite). Click Verify Connectivity. Retry the job.
Product/Tax mapping gaps	Product ID/SKU mismatch, missing tax code, or unknown currency.	Align Product ID ↔ SKU, set valid Tax Code/Rate, ensure Currency exists in Dynamics. Re-run the sync job.
Security/permissions gaps	Service/App User lacks Work 365 roles or mailbox send rights.	Assign Work 365 Service and (if needed) Work 365 Portal Service roles. Grant mailbox Send As or use a dedicated sender.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1) Open the affected Invoice

In Dynamics, open the Invoice and go to the Jobs tab to view post-processing jobs created for that invoice.

2) Inspect the Job Details

Open the latest Invoice Post Processing job.
Review Parameters and Job Results for clear error strings (e.g., “customer not found,” “token expired,” “mailbox not approved,” “payment declined”).

3) Fix the Root Cause

Workflows: Activate Work 365 Start Job; make the Service/App User the owner.
Billing Contract: Enable the correct toggles (Generate PDF, Auto-Send Email, Auto-Charge, Auto-Sync).
Email: Approve mailbox, verify server-side sync, confirm Email Template is Active and correct.
Payments: Validate Payment Profile, processor credentials, and retry.
Accounting: Re-consent/re-connect; fix product/tax/customer mappings; ensure currency exists.
Security: Confirm the service/app user has required Work 365 roles and mailbox permissions.

4) Re-run the Job

On the job, set Status = Waiting (or set Scheduled For ~5 minutes ahead).
Click Run Now.
Watch status progress Waiting → In Progress → Succeeded.

5) Verify Outcomes

PDF attached to the Invoice.
Email activities created/sent (and customer received).
Payment posted (and transaction reference stored).
Accounting invoice created/updated with correct lines/taxes.

Bulk Recovery (Many invoices)

Advanced Find → Work 365 Jobs.
Filter: Job Type = Invoice Post Processing AND Status ≠ Succeeded.
Select all after the root cause is fixed → Run Now.

Tip: Start with a small batch to validate the fix before bulk reprocessing.

Quick Health Checklist (Pre-Run)

Work 365 Start Job → Active and owned by Service/App User.
Billing Contract → toggles set correctly (Generate PDF / Auto-Send / Auto-Charge / Auto-Sync).
Email → From mailbox approved; server-side sync healthy; template Active.
Payments → Valid Payment Profile; processor connectivity verified.
Accounting → Connector Verified; product/tax/customer mappings current.
Security → Service/App User has Work 365 Service role (and others as needed).

Prevention & Best Practices

Dedicated Service/App User: Owns Work 365 Start Job; avoids breaks when human accounts change.
Smoke tests after changes: After connector, consent, password, or role changes, generate one test invoice and ensure end-to-end completion.
Dashboards & alerts: Use Billing Administrator/Manager dashboards and consider a Power Automate alert for jobs stuck in Waiting/Dispatched > X minutes.
Template governance: Keep a catalog of Email Templates & Invoice Templates; avoid deleting defaults.
Documentation: Maintain a runbook with: workflow owner, connector accounts, required toggles, sender mailbox, and retry steps.

FAQs

Q: The invoice exists, but nothing fired—no jobs at all.
A: The Work 365 Start Job is likely Inactive or owned by a deactivated user. Activate it and reassign to the Service/App User, then create a test invoice.

Q: Email step failed only for some invoices.
A: Check those customers’ email addresses, template tokens, and From mailbox routing. Also review Do Not Allow/opt-out flags on Contact/Account.

Q: Accounting sync created the customer but not the invoice.
A: Fix missing Product SKU, Tax Code, or Currency mapping; re-run the Invoice Post Processing job.

Q: Payment didn’t run, but email and PDF did.
A: Confirm Payment Profile exists on the Billing Contract, is set as default, and payment processor credentials are valid.

Summary

If post-invoice actions didn’t run, it’s usually due to:

An inactive/mis-owned Work 365 Start Job,
Disabled/misconfigured Billing Contract automation toggles, or
Integration/credential/consent failures (email, payments, accounting).

Fix path: Activate/assign the workflow → correct toggles/credentials/mappings → re-run the job from the Invoice → Jobs tab (or bulk via Work 365 Jobs). Once corrected, future invoices should complete the full automation flow.