Biller Genie has a Delete action on every invoice, and merchants reach for it when they want to "make this invoice go away." This article is about what that button actually does (and doesn't do), why it isn't usually the right tool, and what you should do instead depending on your situation.
The right way to handle an invoice you want gone
Pick the path that matches what you actually want to happen:
| You want to... | Do this |
|---|---|
| Cancel the invoice entirely — customer was never billed, billed in error, duplicate of another invoice | Delete it in your accounting software. QBO and QBD let you delete an unpaid invoice from the invoice itself (More menu > Delete). Xero lets you void an awaiting-payment invoice. The change syncs to Biller Genie within minutes and the invoice disappears from both systems cleanly. |
| Cancel an invoice that's already been partially paid or paid in full | Void in your accounting software. Void preserves the audit trail (the invoice exists at $0) and lets you reverse the payment cleanly. Don't delete — your accounting software will refuse anyway because of the linked payment. |
| Stop chasing it but keep the receivable on your books (write-off as uncollectible) | Write off in your accounting software. QBO has a Write Off action; QBD uses a credit memo with the Bad Debt item; Xero uses a credit note. Your accounting software keeps the audit trail and your tax line; Biller Genie sees the invoice as closed and stops reminders/autopay/late fees automatically. |
| Stop sending reminders on this one invoice but leave it open | Open the invoice in Biller Genie and click "Opt Out of Reminders." The invoice stays open, autopay still attempts (if configured), but no further reminders go out. Reversible — you can opt back in. |
| Hide it from your Biller Genie view temporarily while you sort something out | Use Biller Genie's Delete button (described below) — but understand it's a local-only hide that will reverse if the invoice is edited in your accounting software. |
What the Biller Genie Delete button actually does
Inside Biller Genie, deleting an invoice flips a single Hidden flag on the invoice record. That flag has these effects:
- The invoice disappears from your Biller Genie invoice grid and stops showing up in your A/R aging in Biller Genie.
- All scheduled reminders for the invoice stop. No more emails or paper mail will go out about it.
- Autopay attempts stop. If autopay was configured, no further charge will be tried.
- Late fee accrual stops. Already-accrued late fees stay on the invoice but no new ones will be added.
What it does NOT do:
- Does not delete the invoice in your accounting software. The invoice is still there in QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, or Xero — still open, still owed, still on their A/R aging.
- Does not warn you about attached payments. If the invoice has had payments applied through Biller Genie, deleting it locally does not surface a warning. The payment record is unaffected but it's no longer associated with anything visible to the merchant.
- Does not stick. If you (or anyone) edits the invoice in your accounting software — even something trivial like updating a memo — the next Biller Genie sync will flip Hidden back off and the invoice will reappear in Biller Genie. It will resume reminder/autopay/late-fee processing too.
How to delete an invoice in Biller Genie (if it's really what you want)
- Open the invoice from Invoices > All Invoices.
- Click Delete.
- Confirm. The invoice disappears immediately.
There is no "show deleted invoices" toggle in the merchant portal. Once hidden, the invoice can only come back by being edited in the accounting software.
Recovering an invoice you deleted in error
Open the invoice in your accounting software and make any small edit (touch the memo field, save). The next Biller Genie sync will pick up the edit and resurface the invoice. If you can't find the invoice in your accounting software either (and it had attached payments in Biller Genie), contact support@billergenie.com with the invoice number — we can locate the hidden record and help restore it.