# Why did a pending payment reduce my bill balance?

Allocations can reduce bills before a required payment approval finishes.

Canonical: https://demo.qixcount.com/help/faq/payment-pending-approval

QixCount saves bill allocations when the payment is created, including while a required approval is pending. Those allocations can reduce the bill's displayed balance before the payment posts. The payment detail header can also say Paid in that state. Check the approval request and linked journal before treating either display as completed posting. Read [Record a bill payment](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/bills-and-vendors/record-a-bill-payment) and [Review payments made](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/bills-and-vendors/payments-made). Check for the existing payment before entering another one.