# Move a contract through its states

The four states of a collection contract, what moves it from one to the next, what each move checks, how to cancel with a reason and bring a contract back, and how to find contracts by state.

A collection contract is always in one of four states, shown at the top right of its form: **To Approve**, **Under Collection**, **Collected** and **Canceled**. The moves are entries of the **Actions** menu, and each one is recorded in the chatter with its date and user.

## The states {#states}

| State | How a contract gets there | What the move checks |
|---|---|---|
| **To Approve** | On creation, after **Create Installments** or **Reschedule Installments**, and after **Reset To Approve** | Nothing |
| **Under Collection** | **Under Collection** in **Actions**, or the second signature | From **Actions**: the contract has installments. The second signature checks nothing |
| **Collected** | **Collected** in **Actions** | Nothing remains to be paid |
| **Canceled** | **Cancel** in **Actions**, offered in every state, **Collected** included | A reason is chosen |

**Under Collection** never waits for the signatures: you may start the collection on an agreement signed on paper. No state is reached by itself except **Under Collection**, after the second signature.

## Find contracts by state {#find}

Open **Collection/Collections**. The list shows the **Status** of each contract, and the kanban view groups the cards by state. In the search bar, the filters **To Approve**, **Under Collection**, **Collected** and **Canceled** keep one state, **My Collections** keeps your own contracts, **Has Remaining** those with money still due and **Finished** those whose end date has passed.

![Each contract shows its status in the list; the filters of the search bar keep one status.](https://jaah.app/web/image/14039-c7105cfd/collection-move-a-contract-through-its-states-states_list-en.png)

## Start the collection {#under-collection}

Open DCC00002, then **Actions** and **Under Collection**. Without installments, the move is refused with "Please generate payment schedule before moving the collection contract to "Under Collection"."

![DCC00002 moved from To Approve to Under Collection.](https://jaah.app/web/image/14043-fbe53d2b/collection-move-a-contract-through-its-states-moved_under_collection-en.png)

## Close a paid contract {#collected}

When **Remaining** reads 0, choose **Collected** in **Actions**. While money remains, the move is refused and the message gives the amount.

![Collected is refused while an amount remains to be paid.](https://jaah.app/web/image/14047-6257f9ec/collection-move-a-contract-through-its-states-collected_refused-en.png)

On a phone, the message opens from the bottom of the screen, with **Close** at its foot.

## Cancel with a reason {#cancel}

1. Choose **Cancel** in **Actions**.
2. Pick a **Reason**, or type a new one and choose **Create**.

![A contract is cancelled with a reason, picked from the list or typed and created on the spot.](https://jaah.app/web/image/14049-49c88743/collection-move-a-contract-through-its-states-cancel_reason-en.png)

On a phone, the dialog opens from the bottom of the screen, with **Confirm** at its foot.

3. Click **Confirm**. The contract shows **Canceled** and its **Cancel Reason** under the amounts.

![The cancelled contract shows its reason under the amounts.](https://jaah.app/web/image/14051-58c3bd61/collection-move-a-contract-through-its-states-canceled-en.png)

Cancelling changes the state and nothing else: the installments, payments and signatures stay on the contract. The reasons are listed, renamed and added in **Collection/Configuration/Cancellation Reasons**.

## Bring a cancelled contract back {#reset}

On a **Canceled** contract, **Actions** offers **Reset To Approve**: the contract goes back to **To Approve**, with its installments and signatures, and the cancel reason disappears from the form. From there, **Under Collection** starts the collection again.

![Reset To Approve brings the cancelled contract back to its first status.](https://jaah.app/web/image/14055-f794900f/collection-move-a-contract-through-its-states-reset_to_approve-en.png)

## Who is told {#alerts}

Each new state can alert the debtor, the owner and the assigned user, by e-mail or WhatsApp, when a **Contract Status** rule exists for it: [Collection settings](collection-settings). **Send to Debtor** and **Send to Owner** also write the message of the current state, as [Get the contract signed](get-the-contract-signed#email) shows.

## FAQ {#faq}

### Why is Collected refused when the last installment is paid? {#refused}

**Collected** reads the contract's **Remaining**: its **Amount** minus its payments in status **Paid**, not the installments. They differ when **Amount** was raised after the schedule was made, or when an installment was set to **Paid** with its own **Pay** button, which records no money ([Installments and reminders](installments-and-reminders#pay)). Register the missing payment or correct **Amount**.

### Can I reopen a collected contract? {#reopen}

Only by cancelling it, then **Reset To Approve**. Both moves stay in the chatter.

### Does cancelling delete anything? {#cancel-delete}

No. Everything stays, and the cancel reason is kept on the contract even after a reset.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/collection/move-a-contract-through-its-states
- Updated: 2026-10-28
- Version: Collection 19.0.3.2.5
- Verified: 2026-10-28