Void an Invoice

Voiding permanently cancels an invoice that was issued in error or is no longer required. A voided invoice cannot be edited, paid, or reinstated, but it is retained in the system for audit and reporting purposes. If an invoice needs to be cancelled and replaced, void it and create a new invoice.

Before You Void

Before you can void an invoice, the following conditions must be met:

• The invoice must be in Draft, Issued, or Partially Paid status. Invoices with status Paid, Void, or Written Off cannot be voided.
• If any receipts have been fully allocated to the invoice, those allocations must be reversed first. You cannot void an invoice while it has active, fully-allocated payment records.
• You must have the finance.invoices.void permission. Finance officers without this permission will not see the Void option.

Note: Partially allocated receipts do not block voiding if the invoice is only in Partially Paid status — you still need to reverse the partial allocations first before the void action becomes available.

Void an Invoice

1. Open the invoice from Finance → Invoices.
2. If the invoice has any active receipt allocations, reverse them first:
   • In the invoice detail, find the Payments or Allocations section.
   • Click Unallocate next to each active allocation and confirm the reversal.
3. Once all allocations are reversed, click the Actions menu and select Void Invoice.
4. In the confirmation dialog, enter a Reason for Voiding. This reason is required and is recorded for audit purposes.
5. Click Confirm Void.

The invoice status changes to Void immediately. The invoice is no longer editable and no further payments or adjustments can be applied.

What Happens After Voiding

When an invoice is voided:

• The invoice status is set to Void and the void reason and timestamp are recorded.
• The invoice is removed from the student’s outstanding balance.
• The invoice remains visible in the Invoices list and in reports, clearly marked as Void.
• Any adjustments that had been applied to the invoice are automatically voided alongside the invoice.
• Receipt allocations that were reversed before voiding remain reversed; the receipts themselves are unaffected and can be reallocated to other invoices.

Important: A voided invoice cannot be reinstated. If the student still owes the same charges, create a new invoice.

Note: Voided invoices remain visible in Finance → Invoices when you filter by status Void. They are excluded from outstanding balance reports but included in full audit export reports.

Write Off an Invoice

Writing off an invoice is a separate action from voiding. A write-off is used when the debt is considered unrecoverable — for example, when a student has left without paying and collection attempts have been exhausted.

Unlike a void, a write-off does not remove the invoice from financial records. Instead, it moves the outstanding balance to a bad debt account and records the write-off for accounting purposes.

To write off an invoice:

1. Open the invoice from Finance → Invoices.
2. Click the Actions menu and select Write Off.
3. Enter the Write-Off Amount. This can be the full balance or a partial amount if the student has made some payments.
4. Enter a Reason for the write-off.
5. Click Confirm Write-Off.

The invoice status changes to Written Off. Like voided invoices, written-off invoices are immutable and appear in finance reports under the Written Off status.

Important: Writing off an invoice is an accounting action with financial implications. Only finance administrators with the appropriate permissions can perform a write-off. Consult your finance policy before proceeding.

Next: Export Invoices