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Void or Delete a Billing Transaction

Updated

What this does: Reverses an invoice, payment, credit memo or deposit entered in error, by voiding it (record kept) or deleting it (record removed).

Applies to: GrowthZone staff with access to Finance.

Before you start: Whether you see Void or Delete depends on the Allow Deletion for (days) setting in General Billing Settings. Inside that window you see Delete; outside it, Void. At 0, which we recommend, Void is the only option. See General Billing Settings: every setting explained.

Time needed: About 5 minutes per transaction.

Void or delete?

  • Void keeps the record and reverses its accounting, so your audit trail stays complete. We recommend it in all cases.
  • Delete removes the record for good. For invoices it leaves a gap in your invoice numbers. Don't use it as a financial tool.
  • There is no undo for a void. If you void something by mistake, enter it again.

What you can do with each transaction

Transaction Void Delete Neither is available when…
Invoice Outside the deletion window Inside the deletion window A payment is applied to it. Unapply or remove the payment first.
Payment Outside the deletion window Inside the deletion window It’s applied to an invoice (void only), deposited, or a credit card payment. Use a refund instead.
Credit memo Outside the deletion window Inside the deletion window It’s applied to an invoice. Unapply it first.
Deposit Not available Inside the deletion window It’s a credit card deposit, or you’re outside the window.

Void or delete an invoice

  1. Go to Finance, Billing section, click All Sales/Invoices. To find the invoice quickly, filter the list to Open Invoices. (You can also open it from the contact’s Billing tab.)
  2. Click the hyperlink in the Ref # column for the invoice.
    All Sales/Invoices page under the Finance rail, Billing section, filtered to Open Invoices, with one hyperlink in the Ref # column boxed
  3. Click Void, or Delete if the invoice is inside the deletion window.
  4. Click OK to confirm.

NOTE: A paid invoice can’t be voided or deleted. Delete or unapply the payment first, then return to the invoice.

Void or delete a payment

  1. Open the contact’s record and click the Billing tab. (You can also go to Finance, Billing section, click All Payments.)
  2. Click the Reference Number hyperlink for the payment.
    Contact record, Billing tab, with the Reference Number hyperlink on a payment row boxed.
  3. Click Void, or Delete if the payment is inside the deletion window.
    Edit Payment panel with the Void button boxed
  4. Click OK to confirm. If you deleted the payment, the balances on the invoices it was applied to are adjusted.
  • To void, the payment must not be applied to an invoice. Unapply it first.
  • Deposited payments: can’t be voided. To delete one, you’d have to delete the deposit, delete the payment, then recreate the deposit. This isn’t good accounting practice; check with your accountant first.
  • Credit card payments: can’t be voided or deleted. Use a refund instead; see Refund a payment.

Void or delete a credit memo

  1. Go to Finance, Billing section, click All Credit Memos.
  2. Click the hyperlink for the credit memo.
  3. Click Void, or Delete if the credit memo is inside the deletion window.
    Open credit memo detail with the Void button boxed

NOTE: If the credit memo is applied to an invoice, unapply it before voiding.

Delete a deposit

  1. Go to Finance, Billing section, click All Deposits.
    All Deposits page showing the deposit list, with the Count Of Payments column called out - that is the hyperlink column; Deposit Date is plain text
  2. Click the hyperlink in the Count Of Payments column for the deposit. (Deposit Date is plain text, not a link.)
    Edit Deposit Payments panel with the Delete button boxed
  3. Click Delete.
  4. Click OK to confirm.

NOTE: If Delete isn’t showing, the deposit is outside the deletion window. You can temporarily raise Allow Deletion for (days) to delete it, but this affects all transactions, so set it back afterward. Credit card deposits can’t be deleted; if one needs correcting, contact your payment processor.

What happens in your accounting

  • Voided invoice, accrual accounting: reversing entries are made to the revenue and accounts receivable accounts the invoice originally hit.
  • Voided invoice, cash accounting: nothing is recorded, because nothing was recorded when the invoice was created.
  • Deleted transactions: the record and its entries are removed entirely; nothing shows that it existed.

For credits, write-offs, refunds and overpayments under accrual accounting:

Transaction type What the action reverses Accounting entries reversed
Credits Reverses a transaction. Accounts Receivable credited
Revenue debited
Deposit Account credited
Write-offs Reverses a transaction. Generally treated as bad debt. Accounts Receivable credited
Revenue debited
Deposit Account credited
Refunds Reverses a payment. You can write off the open balance or leave the invoice open. Accounts Receivable credited
Revenue debited
Deposit Account credited
Overpayments Applied from the contact’s Billing tab to selected invoices. Once applied, an overpayment can only be adjusted if the payment hasn’t been deposited. —

Common pitfalls

  • Delete appears instead of Void: the transaction is inside the deletion window. Set Allow Deletion for (days) to 0 so Void is always the only option.
  • Neither button appears: something is applied to it (a payment on the invoice, or the payment or credit memo is applied to an invoice), or it’s deposited or a credit card payment. Check the table above.
  • Voided the wrong item: there’s no unvoid. Re-enter the transaction, and confirm the reference number before voiding.
  • Gap in invoice numbers: caused by deleting an invoice. Void instead when you need to keep a record.
  • Adjusting a deposited overpayment: not possible. Make sure overpayments are applied correctly before you run the deposit.

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