# 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.