# Backdating Start Dates {% embed url="" %} Backdating allows you to set a booking start date in the past — whether you’re creating a brand-new booking or adjusting an existing one. This can be helpful when a vehicle has already been handed over, or when you need to correct booking records to reflect real-world events. Below is an overview of how backdating works in Loopit and what to keep in mind when selecting historical dates. *** ### Backdating When Creating a New Booking When you create a booking, the date picker allows you to select *any* date in the past. Loopit will automatically check vehicle availability for that date range based on historical utilisation, ensuring that no vehicle is ever double-booked. A few things to note: * **Historical availability is enforced** — vehicles show as available only if they were not already allocated during that period. * **Lead times can be ignored** — if you have lead times configured, you can toggle **Ignore Lead Time** to allow selection of dates that would normally fall within your buffer period. * Once a past date is selected, simply choose an available vehicle and complete the booking as usual. *** ### Backdating an Existing Booking You can also backdate a booking that is already requested, confirmed or active. 1. Open the booking. 2. Select **Edit Booking**. 3. Adjust the **Handover Date** to a past date. Loopit will again validate the vehicle’s historical availability. If the vehicle was booked or unavailable during a particular date range, those dates will not be selectable. *** ### Activating a Booking With a Backdated Start Date If you backdate a booking that is *not yet active*, Loopit will prompt you to decide how to handle any unbilled days. You will see a comparison between: * The original scheduled start date * The revised backdated start date * The number of days between them You can then choose: #### **Charge for Unbilled Days** Loopit will generate a single invoice covering all recurring fees applicable to the period between the backdated start date and the activation date. #### **Do Not Charge** No invoice is generated.\ This option is useful if you plan to handle charges manually or have more complex billing requirements. *** ### Important Behaviour to Understand * **Historical availability is always respected.**\ The same vehicle cannot be applied to overlapping bookings — including those backdated into the past. * **Backdated dates become locked after invoicing.**\ If you choose to charge for unbilled days, the revised start date becomes fixed and can no longer be edited. * **If you do not invoice**, you may continue to adjust the backdated start date until billing has occurred. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.loopit.co/bookings/lifecycle-of-a-booking/editing-a-booking/backdating-start-dates.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.