Batch Posting & Voiding
A payment batch moves as one: post together, void together. This article covers the batch's own lifecycle — the Batch Actions that drive it, and exactly what cascades to the payments inside when you cancel a run.
Access you'll need. Posting and voiding a batch requires the Accounts Payable v2 permission set (AP clerks & managers) or Accounting Admin v2 (system administrators). The Accounting Controller v2, Accounts Receivable v2, and Read Only v2 sets can view but not post or void.
The batch lifecycle
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | The batch exists but its money hasn't moved. (Wizard-created batches are normally born Posted — Draft appears when payments were staged for a later release.) |
| Posted | The run is live: payments posted, applications made, ledger updated. The batch's Record Count, Draft Count and Total Amount summarize its state. |
| Void | The run is cancelled — every payment inside voided with it. |
The Batch Actions button on the batch record offers the status changes valid for its current state — posting a staged batch, or voiding a posted one. A posted batch, like a posted payment, can't be edited; its facts are in the ledger.
Before you void a run: the reality check
Voiding fixes your books; it doesn't recall money. Walk this list first:
- ACH/wire runs: was the file actually transmitted to the bank? If yes, the money is moving — voiding now makes your books disagree with the bank. Reconcile reality first (see bank reconciliation).
- Check runs: were the checks printed and mailed? Place stop payments with the bank for every check that left the building — the void doesn't stop paper.
- Partial problems: is the whole run wrong, or one payment in it? The cascade has no half-measure — see the warning below.
The void cascade, precisely
Voiding a batch is the nuclear option for a wrong run — and it's thorough. For every payment in the batch:
- The payment's status becomes Void, carrying the batch's void reason and date.
- Its accounting entries are removed — the cash returns to your books.
- Its applications are unwound — every invoice it settled becomes outstanding again, back in AP aging.
- Check numbers, where assigned, remain consumed — cancelled paper is still used paper. Stop the physical checks with your bank.
The batch record itself stays, frozen, with its void reason — one line that explains why an entire run was rolled back.
Choosing the right undo
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| One vendor's payment in the run is wrong | Void that one payment |
| The whole run used the wrong bank account / date / duplicate selection | Void the batch, fix, rerun |
| The run is fine but one invoice inside was matched wrongly | Fix that application only — no voiding at all (see Applying Disbursements) |
Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Voiding the batch to fix one bad payment | Every correct payment voids with it — vendors already paid become "unpaid" in your books, and a check run's numbers are all spent for nothing | Void the one payment individually; the batch and its other payments stand |
| Voiding after the ACH file went to the bank | The books say the money returned; the bank keeps paying — reconciliation breaks for every payment in the run | Confirm with the bank first; if the money moved, the fix is recovery from vendors, not a void |
| Skipping stop payments on a voided check run | Voided in REDA Financials, cashable at the bank — the worst of both worlds | Stop payment on every printed check, then void |
| A vague batch void reason | One reason is stamped on every payment in the run — "void" explains nothing, N times over | Say what happened to the run: "duplicate of June 5 batch, rerun same day" |
| Rerunning before the void completes its unwinding | Step 1 of the new run may not yet show the restored invoice balances — you under-select | Void, verify the invoices are back to outstanding, then rerun |
Where to go next
- Creating a Payment Batch — the wizard.
- Voiding a Disbursement — the single-payment version.
- Check Stock & Check Printing — what happens to check numbers.
Frequently asked questions
You can void that individual payment — it stays linked to the batch (with Void status) so the run's history remains complete. You can't detach or delete it.
Yes — consumed permanently, exactly as if the paper checks were printed and shredded. The replacement run takes fresh numbers from the bank account's stock. Place stop payments with the bank for the physical checks.
The batch's Cash Disbursements tab lists its payments; each payment's Applications tab shows the invoices it settled; and the batch's Audit Trail records every status change with who and when.
Every application in the run is unwound, so each invoice gets its full balance due back and reappears in AP aging — aging from its original due date, exactly as if the run never happened. Rerun the payments to settle them again.
Batch status changes are subledger changes: they take the Accounts Payable or Accounting Admin permission set. Accounting Controller is read-only on subledger transactions and reviews the outcome rather than driving it.
Yes — and it's worth writing carefully, because the batch's void reason is carried onto every payment it voids. One good sentence ("duplicate of June 5 run") documents the whole event permanently.
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