What is the Audit Log report?

The Audit Log is a type of report that allows you to track all changes made to your expenses and invoices. With clear timelines and accurate details of all financial updates made to your expenses and invoices, you can filter by client, change type, entity type, or user to get a customized view of changes.
 
The Audit Log report will only display invoice changes made from May 24, 2024 and expense changes made from September 11, 2024 onwards.
 
You can run the Audit Log report by doing the following:
  1. Select the Reports section
  2. Then select Audit Log under Logs.
 
To adjust your view of the Audit Log report, select the Filter button. From there, you can change:
Audit log report with filter button highlighted.
  • Quick Filters - Select either All to view all logs from all users, or Your Changes to only view changes made by you
  • Date Range - Choose from This month, Last month, This quarter, Last quarter, This year, Last year, All time, or Custom
  • Client - Choose between All or select specific clients to filter by
  • Change Type - Choose between All, Create, Delete, Edit, Settings Update, Status Change, or Undelete
  • User - Choose between All, or a specific team member
  • Entity Type - Choose between All, Invoice, or Expense
  • Clear All Filters - Select this link to restore the filters back to the default settings
 

Overview

The Audit Log reflects changes made both by users and by the FreshBooks system:
 
Statuses
Statuses are applied based on specific changes that occur with your expenses and invoices:
Change TypeExpensesInvoices
Create
When an expense is created from any of these methods:
  • Imported from Bank Connections
  • Imported from a CSV file
  • Generated from a recurring expense
  • Manually created
  • Uploaded a receipt for scanning
When an invoice is created, including created from an estimate / proposal, or from a recurring template
DeleteWhen an expense is deletedWhen an invoice is deleted
Edit
When any of the following is edited on the expense: 
  • Add or edit description
  • Add or edit merchant
  • Add or update tax(es)
  • Attach receipt
  • Category
  • Date
  • Edit grand total
When any of the following is edited on the invoice:
  • Client
  • Date of issue
  • Due date
  • Invoice number
  • Reference
  • Item description
  • Add or edit rate
  • Add or edit taxes
  • Edit quantity
  • Add a new line item to the invoice
  • Update or delete a line item
  • Add, edit, or delete import unbilled time, expenses and projects placeholder
  • Add, edit, or delete discount
  • Add, edit, or delete deposit
  • Add, edit, or delete payment schedule
  • Late fee is added to the total
  • Update notes, terms, or attachments
  • Edit existing payment on invoice
  • Update payment method for the payment entered on invoice
Status Update
When any of the below trigger a status change:
  • Archive
  • Unarchive
When any of the below trigger a status change:
  • Archive
  • Mark as sent
  • Payment is added in partial or full, or is deleted
  • Send by email
  • Unarchive
Setting Update
When any of the following expense settings are changed:
  • Add, edit, or delete client
  • Add, edit, or delete markup
  • Add, edit or delete project
  • Edit currency
  • Mark or unmark as billable
When any of the following invoice settings are changed:
  • Activate or deactivate charge late fees
  • Update late fee amount or days after due date to apply late fee
  • Activate, add, edit, delete, or deactivate payment reminders
  • Currency
  • Language
UndeleteWhen an expense is undeletedWhen an invoice is undeleted
 
System Users
Along with yourself and your team members, the Audit Log will include these system users by default to track certain changes:
  • Automation - Used for changes made automatically by FreshBooks and through FreshBooks’ API, like updating the invoice after refunding an online payment
  • FreshBooks Staff - Used for changes made by FreshBooks staff when assisting you
 
Additional options can also be accessed in the top right corner of the Audit Log:
  • Print - Print the report or save the log as a PDF using the print dialog
  • Export to CSV - Download the log as a CSV file