Returns and cancelling an invoice
The difference between cancelling a wrong invoice and creating a return for goods brought back, the permissions each needs, and what happens to stock, the cashbox and the books.
Cancel or return?
| Situation | What you do | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Mistake in an invoice not yet paid (still on screen) | The cancel button on the screen | None; it was never saved |
| A confirmed invoice that is wrong altogether (wrong item, wrong customer) | "Cancel invoice" from its details in the current shift | Fully reversed; disappears from sales and stock comes back |
| The customer brought goods back from a correct invoice | "Sales return" from the top bar | A separate return document; the original invoice stays |
Sales return
The "Sales return" button shows for users with the "returns from the screen" permission. The return screen looks exactly like the sale screen: scan or search the returned items, set the quantity, then "Save return" and "Return saved" appears. A return from the screen creates a "sales return" document without a receipt voucher, and it is counted in the shift reconciliation under "Returns", reducing expected cash.
Returns are saved on the device and sent with sync like invoices, and a return can be held too. Return reasons are defined by the manager in the panel under "Return reasons".
A return without an origin invoice
A return from the cashier screen is not linked to a specific invoice, and the server treats it as a "return without an origin invoice". This is the widest door for abuse in any cashier, so the server governs it by permission, reason and refund method: it rejects the return if the user lacks the permission to return without an invoice, if it has no return reason, or if the refund is cash without the cash refund permission. It may also turn it into an approval request the manager approves from "Approvals". If your return is rejected you find it under "Unsynced documents" with the reason; tell the manager so they create the return from the panel linked to the invoice, as in Sales returns.
Cancelling an invoice
- Open "Current shift" then the "Invoice" tab.
- Tap the invoice to open its details. The "Cancel invoice" button shows for users with the "cancel own invoices" permission.
- Confirm "Cancel this invoice?" and "Invoice cancelled" appears; its status changes to "Cancelled".
Only an invoice created on this device can be cancelled; others show "This invoice is not available on this device". An invoice not yet sent can be cancelled by any cashier on the device because it never reached the server; a sent invoice needs the "cancel own invoices" permission, and the cancellation is sent to the server with the next sync with the reason "cancelled from the cashier".
What happens in the books
- Cancellation: the server reverses the stock moves (the quantity returns to the warehouse at its cost) and reverses the invoice entry in full with a reversal entry, and the invoice is recorded as "cancelled" with the reason. However the server refuses to cancel an invoice that has a receipt allocated to it or a return against it; then the accountant cancels the receipt or the return from the panel first and the invoice after, as in Posting and cancelling.
- Return: a posted document that puts the goods back into stock (if the item is stocked and restocking was requested) at cost, debits "Sales returns" and output VAT, credits the customer or "Cash customer", and reduces the shift's expected cash by what was refunded in cash.
The practical rule
Cancel only what was created by mistake just now and before the customer leaves. Everything actually brought back is a return. That keeps real sales in the reports and returns visible with their reasons.
Frequently asked questions
I cancelled an invoice paid in cash. Do I refund the cash to the customer?
Yes, if the server accepted the cancellation; the cash leaves the drawer and the receipt voucher disappears with the invoice. If the server refused because the receipt is allocated, the amount stays in the cashbox until the accountant handles it from the panel.
Where do I see today's returns?
In "Current shift" under "Returns" in the reconciliation and in the document list, and in the panel under "Sales returns" and in the report of returns without an invoice by user.
Can a cashier cancel another cashier's invoice?
No. Cancelling from the device is limited to invoices created on it; others are cancelled by the manager from the panel.