diff --git a/app/lib/actions/billActions.ts b/app/lib/actions/billActions.ts
index 89a22fb..2ebb595 100644
--- a/app/lib/actions/billActions.ts
+++ b/app/lib/actions/billActions.ts
@@ -150,7 +150,9 @@ export const updateOrAddBill = withUser(async (user:AuthenticatedUser, locationI
     // update the bill in the mongodb
     const dbClient = await getDbClient();
     
-    const billAttachment = await serializeAttachment(formData.get('billAttachment') as File);
+    const billAttachmentFile = formData.get('billAttachment') as File;
+    const billAttachment = billAttachmentFile && billAttachmentFile.size > 0 ? 
+        await serializeAttachment(billAttachmentFile) : null;
 
     if(billId) {