# Void or refund a donation

> The difference between the two, and what each does to your reports and receipts.

Source: https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/donations/void-or-refund-a-donation/

**Who can do this:** Owner, Finance

Voiding corrects your own records. It never moves money — DonorCARE has no separate "refund" button, because sending money back happens at the bank or the payment gateway, not inside DonorCARE.

## The two situations, and what to do in each

**Void when**

- You recorded the wrong amount, the wrong donor, or a duplicate entry.
- A pledge or manual entry was marked completed but should never have been.
- The gift itself is fine, but the record of it is wrong.

**Don't void to represent a refund**

- If a donor's online payment was actually reversed by the gateway after the receipt was already issued, DonorCARE flags it for you automatically — see below. Voiding on top of that flag is a separate decision, not the same action.
- Voiding does not send money anywhere. If you already need to return funds, do that at the bank or gateway first; voiding only updates your books afterwards.

## What voiding actually does

Only a **Completed** donation can be voided. Once voided:

- It is removed from every total and report. It cannot be un-voided.
- If it had an e-invoice that LHDN has not yet validated, DonorCARE cancels it for you automatically. If LHDN already validated it, the donation is locked — you cannot void it at all until that's resolved with LHDN directly. If the e-invoice was submitted more than 72 hours ago, voiding is also blocked until you cancel the e-invoice with LHDN first.
- The donor's receipt link stops working. Anyone who already downloaded a copy still has that file, but the link in their receipt email no longer serves it.
- Any reserved slot or name it held on the campaign (an offering item, a tablet name) is released back for someone else.

## What a gateway refund looks like instead

When a donor's card payment or FPX transfer is reversed by the payment gateway **after** a receipt has already gone out, DonorCARE does not change the donation's status on its own — it stays **Completed** and stays in your totals, because DonorCARE cannot itself move the money back. Instead, it lands in [the triage queue](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/donations/clear-the-triage-queue/) with a note that the payment was reversed after the receipt was issued, so a person decides what happens next — including whether to void it once you've confirmed the money is genuinely gone.

## Steps to void a donation

1. **Open the donation** from [Find a donation](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/donations/find-a-donation/).

2. **Select Void Donation.** Type a reason — this is required and goes into the record.

3. **Confirm.** If your organization has turned on void approvals (off by default), or if you are an Admin rather than an Owner or Finance member, this submits a request instead of voiding immediately — an Owner or Finance member has to approve it before anything changes. See [Set up approvals](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/set-up-approvals/).

Once approved (or immediately, if no approval is required), the donation shows as **Voided** with your reason attached.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "This donation is locked because its e-invoice has been validated by LHDN" | LHDN has already validated the e-invoice | You cannot void it from DonorCARE — this needs to be resolved with LHDN directly first |
| "Cannot void: the associated e-invoice is past the 72-hour cancellation window" | The e-invoice was submitted more than 72 hours ago | Cancel the e-invoice with LHDN before voiding the donation |
| "Only completed donations can be voided" | The donation is Pending, Failed, Canceled or a Draft | There is nothing to void — edit or delete the record instead |
| "Donation is already voided" | Someone already voided it | No action needed |
| "Void request submitted for approval" | Approvals are on, or you voided as an Admin | Wait for an Owner or Finance member to approve it |

## Related

- [Set up approvals](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/team/set-up-approvals/)
- [Clear the donation triage queue](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/donations/clear-the-triage-queue/)
- [How receipts are issued](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/receipts/how-receipts-are-issued/)
- [Fix a failed submission](https://donorcare.my/help/organizations/e-invoicing/fix-a-failed-submission/)