Void Transaction: Cancel a Charge Before It Settles

Mistakes happen. A donor accidentally enters $500 instead of $50. A duplicate donation gets processed during a busy Sunday. An event registration charge needs to be reversed before the end of the day. In moments like these, the last thing you want is for that charge to settle to the donor’s bank account—only to process a refund days later and leave the donor wondering about the mystery charge on their statement.

Why Voids Matter for Your Church

A void is fundamentally different from a refund. When you void a transaction, the charge is cancelled at your payment gateway before it settles. That means the funds are never collected from the donor’s account. The charge simply disappears from their statement—as if it never happened. Compare that to a refund, where the original charge appears on the donor’s statement and then a separate refund credit shows up days later. For same-day corrections, a void gives your donors the cleanest possible experience.

Until now, voiding a transaction required logging into your NMI (Process4Change) gateway portal separately. That meant leaving your OnlineGiving.org control panel, navigating the gateway interface, finding the transaction, and performing the void manually. It worked, but it was an extra step that took time and required gateway portal credentials.

Void Directly From Your Control Panel

Void Transaction brings that capability right into the transaction invoice you already use every day. With a single click from the Refund dropdown menu, you can cancel a same-day charge at the NMI gateway without ever leaving your control panel. The transaction updates to Cancelled automatically, notifications are sent, and your audit trail is preserved.

This feature is available on all three invoice views—Donations, Payments, and Checkouts—so no matter where the transaction lives, you can void it from the same familiar interface.

Built for NMI (Process4Change) Customers

Void Transaction is available exclusively for churches using the NMI (Process4Change) payment gateway. If your church processes giving through NMI, the void option appears automatically on approved, same-day transactions. No configuration or setup is required—it’s ready to use right now.

If your church uses a different gateway (Stripe, PayPal, or PaymentSpring), the void option will not appear. You can continue using the standard Refund feature for transaction reversals.

In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Void Transaction feature.

Void Transaction User Guide:

The Void Transaction feature allows administrators to cancel a same-day transaction at the NMI (Process4Change) payment gateway before the charge settles to the donor’s bank or card account. When voided, the charge disappears entirely from the donor’s statement—no refund line item, no pending charge, no confusion. This guide covers everything you need to know to use the feature confidently.

Key Takeaways

• Cancel Before Settlement: Void a same-day transaction so the charge never reaches the donor’s account.
• One-Click From the Invoice: Select “Void Transaction” from the Refund dropdown—no gateway login required.
• Available on All Invoice Views: Works on Donations, Payments, and Checkouts invoices.
• Multi-Fund Support: A single void cancels all fund rows in a split donation automatically.
• Built-In Safety Guards: Same-day enforcement, confirmation dialogs, and automatic audit logging protect against mistakes.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding Void vs. Refund
   • When to Void
   • When to Refund
   • Side-by-Side Comparison
2. Where to Find the Void Option
   • Donations Invoice
   • Payments Invoice
   • Checkouts Invoice
3. How to Void a Transaction
   • Step-by-Step Instructions
   • What Happens After a Void
4. Multi-Fund Donations
5. Safety Guards and Requirements
   • Same-Day Requirement
   • Partial Refund Guard
   • Gateway Error Handling
6. Impact on Your Church Management System
7. Frequently Asked Questions

1. Understanding Void vs. Refund

Both voids and refunds reverse a transaction, but they work in fundamentally different ways. Understanding the difference helps you choose the right option and set the right expectations with your donors.

When to Void

Use a void when the transaction was made today and you want to cancel it entirely before it settles. Voids are ideal for same-day corrections: wrong amounts, duplicate charges, accidental donations, or event registrations that need to be cancelled immediately. The donor will never see the charge on their statement.

When to Refund

Use a refund when the transaction was made on a prior day and has already settled, or when you only need to return a partial amount. Refunds reverse the charge after settlement—the donor sees both the original charge and a refund credit on their statement.

Side-by-Side Comparison

2. Where to Find the Void Option

The Void Transaction option is located inside the Refund dropdown button on the transaction invoice. It appears as the last item in the dropdown, separated by a divider line and marked with a red icon to distinguish it from refund options.

Donations Invoice

Navigate to Giving > Donations and click any transaction row to open the invoice. The Refund dropdown in the invoice header contains: Full Refund, Partial Refund, and Void Transaction.

Payments Invoice

Navigate to Giving > Payments and click any transaction row to open the invoice. The Refund dropdown contains: Full Refund and Void Transaction.

Checkouts Invoice

Navigate to Payments > Checkouts and click any transaction row to open the invoice. The Refund dropdown contains: Full Refund and Void Transaction.

Note: The Void Transaction option only appears when the transaction is in Approved status, the payment gateway supports voids (currently NMI only), and no partial refunds have been processed on the transaction.

3. How to Void a Transaction

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. Navigate to Giving > Donations (or Payments, or Checkouts).
3. Click the transaction row you want to void. The transaction invoice will open.
4. In the invoice header, click the Refund dropdown button.
5. Select Void Transaction from the bottom of the dropdown menu.
6. A confirmation dialog will appear explaining what will happen:
   • The transaction will be cancelled at the payment gateway before settlement.
   • The status will be updated to Cancelled in Online Giving.
   • You are responsible for updating or removing this transaction in your church management system (ChMS).
7. Click OK to confirm and proceed with the void.
8. The page will reload automatically, showing the transaction’s updated Cancelled status.

What Happens After a Void

Once the void is processed successfully:

• The transaction status changes to Cancelled in your control panel.
• The charge is cancelled at NMI before it settles—the donor will not see it on their statement.
• A task queue notification is created alerting administrators to the void and reminding them to update their ChMS.
• An audit log entry is recorded with the administrator’s name, the old and new status, and the gateway response.
• ChMS event triggers fire automatically (same triggers used for refunds).

4. Multi-Fund Donations

When a donor splits a gift across multiple funds (for example, $200 to the General Fund, $150 to Missions, and $50 to the Youth Fund), all of these fund rows are linked together as a single transaction group. When you void the transaction:

• A single void request is sent to NMI—one gateway transaction covers the entire charge regardless of how many funds it was split across.
• All fund rows in the group are updated to Cancelled status automatically.
• You do not need to void each fund row separately.

This ensures multi-fund donations are handled cleanly with a single action.

5. Safety Guards and Requirements

Same-Day Requirement

Voids are only available on the same calendar day as the original transaction, based on your church’s configured timezone. If you attempt to void a transaction from a prior day, you will see a friendly message: “Voids are only available on the same day as the original transaction. Since this transaction was not made today, please use the Refund option instead.”

Tip: If you know a transaction needs to be cancelled, void it as soon as possible on the same day. While the void window is technically open until midnight in your church’s timezone, NMI may settle the batch earlier in the evening, which would cause the void to be rejected.

Partial Refund Guard

If a partial refund has already been processed on a transaction, the Void Transaction option is automatically hidden from the Refund dropdown. Once partial settlement activity has occurred, voiding is no longer possible—only additional partial refunds or a full refund are available.

Gateway Error Handling

If the NMI gateway rejects the void (for example, if the batch has already been settled), the error message from the gateway is displayed directly to you. In this case, close the error and use the Refund option instead.

6. Impact on Your Church Management System

When a transaction is voided, Online Giving fires the same event triggers used for refunds. Depending on your ChMS integration, this may automatically update the transaction record in your church management system.

However, not all ChMS platforms process void notifications automatically. The confirmation dialog before every void reminds you to check your ChMS records and update or remove the voided transaction if needed. This ensures your financial books stay balanced.

A task queue notification is also created in your Online Giving control panel. This notification includes a direct link to the transaction and explains that the status was changed to Cancelled due to a void. It serves as a reminder to verify your ChMS records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I void a transaction from yesterday or a prior day?

No. Voids are only available on the same calendar day as the original transaction, based on your church’s timezone. If the transaction was made on a prior day, the void option will still appear in the dropdown (since we can’t know the settlement status from the button alone), but you’ll receive a message directing you to use the Refund option instead.

Why don’t I see a Void option on my transactions?

The Void Transaction option only appears for churches using the NMI (Process4Change) payment gateway. If your church uses Stripe, PayPal, or PaymentSpring, voids are not available from the control panel. Additionally, the transaction must be in Approved status with no partial refunds already applied.

What’s the difference between voiding and marking a transaction as cancelled?

Voiding sends a cancellation request to the NMI gateway, which stops the charge from settling to the donor’s account. Marking as Cancelled (via Edit Status) only changes the status in Online Giving—it does not communicate with the gateway. If you mark a transaction as cancelled without voiding it, the charge may still settle to the donor’s account. Always use the Void option for same-day cancellations to ensure the charge is stopped at the gateway.

Can I void a transaction that has a partial refund?

No. Once any partial refund has been processed, the Void option is hidden. At that point, the transaction has already had settlement activity, and a void is no longer possible at the gateway. You can process additional partial refunds or use Full Refund instead.

Does voiding a split/multi-fund donation cancel all the funds?

Yes. When a donor splits a gift across multiple funds, a single void cancels the entire charge at the gateway and updates all fund rows to Cancelled. You don’t need to void each fund separately.

Will my ChMS be updated automatically?

Online Giving fires event triggers for voids (the same triggers used for refunds). If your ChMS integration handles these notifications, it may update automatically. However, we recommend checking your ChMS after any void to confirm the record has been properly updated or removed. The confirmation dialog before each void includes this reminder.

What if the gateway says the transaction has already been settled?

If NMI’s batch has already settled (even if it’s still the same calendar day in your timezone), the gateway will reject the void. You’ll see the gateway’s error message directly in the control panel. In this case, use the Refund option instead to reverse the charge after settlement.

Is there an audit trail for voids?

Yes. Every void is recorded in the transaction’s audit log with the administrator who performed it, the old and new status values, the gateway response, and a timestamp. This ensures full accountability and traceability for all transaction changes.

Need help? Contact us at support@onlinegiving.org or call (615) 206-4000. We’re happy to walk you through the void process or answer any questions.