How to void a check in Xero: void, delete, or remove and redo
To void a check in Xero, go to Purchases, then Checks, tick the check, click Void, choose whether to void it on the date it was created or on a date you pick, and confirm. Xero deletes the payment, returns the bill to Awaiting payment and keeps the check in the register, so its number can't be used again. The check register is available to US and Canadian organizations.¹
The void date you choose decides what happens to your bank balance, and payments recorded without Xero's check register need Remove & Redo instead of a void.
Which fix to use in Xero:
A check from the check register, number stays used: void it.
A check from the register, you want the number back: delete it.
A bill payment or spend money recorded without the register: Remove & Redo.
The payment is right but matched to the wrong bank line: unreconcile it.
You no longer owe the bill: void the bill.
A check from the register was lost: void it, then pay again with a new check.
Voided by mistake while the check is still with the payee: record the payment again, with no new check.
How to void a check in Xero
You void a check in Xero from the check register:
In the Purchases menu, select Checks.
Tick each check you want to void and click Void.
Choose to void on the date the check was created, or select a void date.
Click Void (Xero shows the number of checks selected) to confirm.¹
You need the Administrator role or Standard with bank account access to work with checks.²
What happens when you void a check in Xero
Voiding a check in Xero deletes the payment transaction and returns the bill, credit note or expense claim the check paid to Awaiting payment.¹
If the check paid a spend money transaction, Xero deletes that transaction too.
The voided check stays in the check register and its number can't be reused.¹
Next, pay the bill with a new check, or void the bill as well if you no longer owe it (see below).
Which void date should you pick in Xero?
Xero lets you void a check on the date it was created or on a date you pick, and the choice decides which period the reversal lands in:
The date the check was created: for a check printed by mistake or destroyed before it went anywhere. Xero reverses the payment "as if it never happened", which changes your bank balance back in the check's original period.¹
A date you pick: for a stale or expired check that will never be cashed. The reversal posts on that date, so your bank balance in Xero before that date doesn't change. For a check from a period you've already reconciled or reported on, pick a date in the current period. Checks voided on a specific date can't be deleted.¹
Void or delete a check in Xero?
In Xero, void a check when you want to keep its record and retire its number, and delete it when you want to use the number again.¹
To delete, select the check in Purchases, then Checks, click Delete and confirm. The check leaves the register, though you can still find it by searching with the status set to Deleted, and the bill goes back to Awaiting payment, as with a void.¹
Only deleting frees a number: Xero won't let you reuse the number of an uncleared, reconciled or voided check in the same bank account.³
How do you reverse a payment in Xero?
To reverse a payment in Xero that wasn't made through the check register, use Remove & Redo: a bill payment or spend money transaction recorded that way has no check to void.
Bill payment: go to Purchases, then Bills, open the bill, click the payment line (Less payment and its date), then Options, then Remove & Redo. The bill returns to Awaiting payment, and the bank statement line stays so you can reconcile it again.⁴
Spend money: go to Accounting, then Bank accounts, open the account, tick the transaction and choose Remove & Redo. Xero deletes the transaction completely; if it was reconciled, the statement line stays.⁵
Remove & Redo can't be reversed.⁴˒⁵
How to unreconcile a payment in Xero
If the payment in Xero is right and only the bank match is wrong, unreconcile it instead of removing it: open the transaction, then Options, then Unreconcile. Both the payment and the statement line stay; only the link between them is removed. The exception is a transaction you marked as reconciled by hand: unreconciling it deletes its statement line too.⁶
What if a check is lost or hasn't cleared in Xero?
In Xero, void a lost check from the check register and pay the bill again with a new check. For a payment recorded without the register, Xero handles the two cases differently:⁷
Lost check: remove and redo the payment, which returns the bill to Awaiting payment. Record a new payment when you reissue the check, and add a note to the bill.
Check still waiting to clear, when you want the bank balance in Xero to match the bank: leave the bill paid, then:
Create a receive money transaction in the same bank account, coded to a clearing account.
Mark both it and the payment as reconciled.
When the check clears, record a spend money transaction to the same clearing account.
Xero suggests talking to your accountant or bookkeeper about the best option, especially when the payment spans reporting periods.⁷
Reconciled, locked or closed periods
Xero blocks most changes in locked or closed periods:
With a lock date set, users can't add or edit transactions dated on or before it; you can let Administrators through. Only an Administrator can set or remove the lock date.⁸
A transaction in a locked or closed period shows a padlock, and you can't use Remove & Redo on it until the period is reopened.⁹
Once a reconcile period is closed, you can't delete or unreconcile the transactions inside it. To change one, reopen the period from the Reconcile period tab of the bank account, make the change and close the period again.¹⁰
What happens if you void a bill in Xero?
Voiding a bill in Xero cancels what you owe the supplier. You can only void a bill with an Awaiting payment status, so for a paid bill remove the payment first.¹¹
To void it, open the bill from Purchases, then Bills, then Awaiting payment, open the menu and choose Void. A voided or deleted bill can't be restored, though you can copy it into a new one. Xero warns that voiding a bill could have tax implications and suggests checking with your accountant.¹¹
Can you restore a voided check in Xero?
Xero's help describes restoring a voided check in one case only: a check voided on a specific date can be restored and then deleted if you need its number back.¹ A request for restoring voided checks in general on Xero's product ideas board is marked not in the pipeline, per a September 2025 reply.¹²
What if you voided a check that's still with the payee?
If you voided a check in Xero that's still out with the payee, don't send a second one. Record the payment on the bill again and put the original check number in the Reference field, which shows during bank reconciliation, so the payment matches when the check clears.¹³
Where Booke fits
Sorting out a stale check or a bank line nobody recognizes takes your judgment. We build Booke AI to handle the routine bank-feed lines around it: an AI Bookkeeper working directly inside QuickBooks Online and Xero, with no new platform and no new bank connections. Every day it reviews the transactions on the bank feeds you already have connected, categorizes them and matches them to existing records and documents. Unclear transactions are flagged for a human decision. Booke automates up to 80% of manual bank feed work, for $129 per business per month.
On QuickBooks Online? Our guide to voiding a check in QuickBooks Online covers its void, the reversing entry for closed months and payroll checks. For how reconciliation works in both, see our bank reconciliation guide.
Sources
We checked every step on this page against Xero Central on October 16, 2026.
Xero, Void or delete a check created in Xero, Xero Central (US). Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, User role access to checks, bank accounts, transactions and statements in Xero, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, View or edit checks created in Xero, Xero Central (US). Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, Delete an invoice or bill payment, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, Delete an account transaction, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, Unreconcile an account transaction, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, Account for uncleared, lost or expired cheques, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, Set up or remove lock dates, Xero Central (US). Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, How to use automatic bank reconciliation, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, Reconcile a period, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
Xero, Delete or void a bill, Xero Central (US). Read October 16, 2026.
Xero Product Ideas, Checks - Restore voided checks, status Not in pipeline, reply by Xero's community manager September 9, 2025.
Xero, Record cheque numbers, Xero Central. Read October 16, 2026.
