Can I backdate, edit, or delete a transaction?

[AC]

The title of this post has been edited from the original:  Can you delete a transaction?

How do you delete a completed "Cash" transaction? I ran it just as a test.

[AC]

The title of this post has been edited from the original:  Can you delete a transaction?

[#3]

Hi @TheGlencafe,

Right now we have no plans to add the ability to backdate, delete or manipulate transaction information after a sale is complete. 

For context, the ability to manipulate transactions can cause issues for reporting and chargebacks. Also, it would make it easier for fraudsters and scammers to commit crimes using Square Point of Sale. 

If you have test cash transactions in your transaction history, you can always refund these payments to balance your books. See our help article on how to refund a payment.

Hopefully this has provided some transparency on this request, and why it's not available. 

[#4]

Hello @alexaiezza, welcome to the Seller Community! 

Currently adding the ability to delete a transaction is not on our road map. The reasoning behind this is we use this information to submit 1099-K's to the IRS. I'm not saying you would do this, but it would be easy to cook your books if this ability was available. 

Another request on this thread is to be able to void transactions so they don't show on reports. Currently we are in the process of collecting feedback for this request. I don't have a timeline on when it might be available. 

If you have any other questions please let me know! 

[#5]

@TomTr

I appreciate your feedback in regards to this. I know you've probably read this multiple times within the Seller Community, but we really do send customer feedback over to our Product Teams, and advocate for changes for you.

I absolutely agree that a void feature would help with training and testing, and also make reporting look a lot cleaner as well. You make a great point that with test payments, or payments made by mistake, nothing is ever actually sold, so your gross sales report shouldn't reflect a sale (which is what results when issuing a refund).

As you've alluded to in your previous post, there are two different requests within this thread. Some folks are looking for the ability to completely remove or delete a transaction, which isn't possible at this time. We don’t have any new information around whether or not this will ever become available.

The other option that folks are looking for, having an option to mark payments that have been completed as voided/cancelled rather than refunded, would help sellers a ton and we’ll continue to reiterate that to the team on your behalf.

We know this request is important to you, so as soon as there are updates that we’re able to share publicly, we will.

I hope this provides more clarity, and thank you all, again, for your feedback!

[#6]

Maybe the Square team can find a way to mark the transactions as Void, so that they do not affect sales totals, but neither are the transactions erased.

From an accounting standpoint, I can see why they would not let a transaction just be deleted. There has to be a documentation trail.

When I have to make test transactions, when I refund the transaction I make note that it was a test transaction and that is why it was refunded. There is also the "Accidental Charge" notation available.

Then when I download my sales reports, I sort the test transactions out and make a note in my saved spreadsheet.

[TomTr]

@Current and future posters. Please refrain from asking for a way to "Delete" transactions and instead focus on a way to "Void" transactions. The ablity to delete a transaction is not something that should be included in any POS system as it defeats the POS systems function as a record keeping system. A "Void" is a documented way to say that a transaction did not happen and most POS systems allow you to control which employees have acces to this option.

[roamingrunway]

Great response!

[EJ_]

@TomTr

I appreciate your feedback in regards to this. I know you've probably read this multiple times within the Seller Community, but we really do send customer feedback over to our Product Teams, and advocate for changes for you.

I absolutely agree that a void feature would help with training and testing, and also make reporting look a lot cleaner as well. You make a great point that with test payments, or payments made by mistake, nothing is ever actually sold, so your gross sales report shouldn't reflect a sale (which is what results when issuing a refund).

As you've alluded to in your previous post, there are two different requests within this thread. Some folks are looking for the ability to completely remove or delete a transaction, which isn't possible at this time. We don’t have any new information around whether or not this will ever become available.

The other option that folks are looking for, having an option to mark payments that have been completed as voided/cancelled rather than refunded, would help sellers a ton and we’ll continue to reiterate that to the team on your behalf.

We know this request is important to you, so as soon as there are updates that we’re able to share publicly, we will.

I hope this provides more clarity, and thank you all, again, for your feedback!

[vtclare]

Yes, another vote for the void option! not only does this happen when testing but also when the customer changes their mind, or I make a mistake, or a thousand other reasons.

[SugarHillWorks]

Using online payments only (no POS):

Not being able to simply void a mistake transaction is completely ridiculous. Having to let the mistaken charge go through, and then a slow refund on the customer's card is embarassing! Both to me as a business owner, and to Square.

If I had known that there was no way to simply void a transaction, I would have never moved over to Square. Voiding a transaction so it doesn't get sent with the end-of-day batch is basic and has been standard for decades. Not good enough. What is wrong with you Square?

[GeorgeX]

That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. I hope Square is working on either a Void function  or creating a “practice” or “training” mode.

[GeorgeX]

What I find most irritating is the transparently trite and apathetic canned responses to our pleas by the Support team. Do you really think we don't see through responses like "Thank you for posting" and "We appreciate your sharing your business processes and needs", yada yada, ad nauseum? It's downright arrogant and condescending.

In addition, how can you respond to such a hugely demanded request---that also happens to be a fundamental function of any POS system---with answers that imply you haven't decided if you will ever add it??!! 

Lastly, I can't help feeling like the internal attitude at Square is such that you have so many customers "on the hook", knowing it would be too painful, inconvenient &/or time-consuming to switch to a competitor, that you just don't care....until a competitor starts taking chunks out of your market share.

[MTSU]

You are absolutely right, GeorgeX.  There is definitely the feeling that retaining users isn't that high on Square's priority list.   My observation, FWIW, is that Square is an entry-level processing service designed to get small entrepreneurs and people doing business in a casual way up and moving quickly with a minimum of fuss.  I see it locally in tiny, independently owned businesses that are just starting out, food trucks, cafes, etc.  You don't see it in larger stores.  The second thing you're right about is people being captive.  We use it when selling Girl Scout cookies and other fundraisers.  SO CONVENIENT!!!  No more lost sales because someone didn't have cash with them when they see the girls are out and suddenly realize they want 5 boxes of Thin Mints and a dozen Samoas.  As a group that handles money only once or twice a year, it's actually perfect for us.  And since the service fees come out of what the girls earn selling cookies, it IS very important to us that the fees be kept low.  Square does that very, very well for us.  So my annoyance with the lack of a true "training module" is tempered by knowing it's not a huge bookkeeping issue for us.  But in my other capacity as a tax attorney, I can say that for serious businesses needing to keep accurate books, not having the ability to do a void is a serious flaw.  Preventing the dummy transaction so often created in setting up the account could be so easily solved.  Why Square doesn't add that, and its lack of responsiveness to its users is the part I would be suspicious about as a business owner considering which POS system to use.

[QBJ]

If I had a dollar for every time I have seen this question, I could buy the company. C’mon, Square. This is low hanging fruit. 

[QBJ]

[INFORMATION REDACTED]

[douglastonwine]

Square! 

please give the full control of transaction record to user!!!   Authorized user should be able to remove the voided transaction from the book!!! 

[Zinkandr]

I just found this thread. I'm supper annoyed because I accidentally entered a sale today, and now it's totally messed up my gross sales. Basically, any report that includes today will be garbage, which is worse than no number at all. 

[katieand]

Oh no! What exactly are you looking for out of reporting? You might be able to work around this if you export your transaction data to excel/another spreadsheet to be able to delete that transaction. 

Let us know if that works!

[drtracy]

Hi! Why is it that the ability to delete or void a transaction hasn't been created yet? 
When can we expect this to be fixed?

When I make a change to the transaction that should automatically reflect in the sales report.

Thanks!

[Helen]

@drtracy I don't have a timeline for when this might be available. I will share your request with the Payments team here thank you for letting us know what you're looking for! We'll update this thread as soon as we have any updates.

[emilysarmoire]

It is absolutely ridiculous that a transaction can not be voided. I was sold Square under the premise that it did everything a retail POS can do. FALSE! Every other POS systems allows you to void transactions. In fact, Square for restaurants deso. There is no good reason it doesn't for retail. My new employees have been making mistakes all over the place and my books are a mess. I will be pursuing legal action. 

[VanKalkerFarms]

you can void a transaction. https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5814-comp-and-void & https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/6144-use-comp-and-void-on-your-square-point-of-sale

[emilysarmoire]

No. That only works for restaurants.

For some reason, Square doesn't want retail stores to be able to void a transaction.  

[BaamHoldings]

Link doesn't work anymore and it seems it only applied to restaurants anyway.

How can it be that complex to be able to void a transaction?

Come on guys...

[katieand]

Hi @BaamHoldings - I just updated the link since it looks like the title of the article got changed. It should work now and it applies to POS. https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5814-comp-and-void (Here it is again just in case) https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/6144-use-comp-and-void-on-your-square-point-of-sale

[BaamHoldings]

Thanks for the quick reply and updated link!

I'll make sure to take a look at this procedure 😉