Fixing Mistakes in the Register

GoodBooks never lets a posted transaction be silently rewritten — every fix leaves a visible trail, which is exactly what your auditor (and your board) wants to see. That means there's a right tool for each kind of mistake. Here's how to pick.

All of these live in the ⋮ menu on the register row (or on the entry's own page).

Correct Entry — wrong account or fund

This is the fix you'll use most. Choose Correct Entry, pick the account each line should have been coded to (you can even split a line across several accounts with Add Split), give an optional reason, and click Create Correcting Entry.

GoodBooks posts a small adjusting entry that moves the amount from the wrong account to the right one — the original entry stays put, gains an adj badge, and its page shows the corrected result with a link to the adjusting entry. Your check number, date, and payee are untouched, and the bank balance never changes (it was always right — only the coding was off).

Edit Details — wrong date or description

Edit Details on the entry page lets you change the date or description. A reason is required and is kept with the entry. Dates can't be moved into a closed accounting period or changed on a voided entry. Each line's memo can be edited the same way (pencil icon, reason required). You can also add or append attachment pages any time from the ⋮ menu.

Void — the transaction shouldn't exist

Void Entry (or Void Check) removes the transaction's effect on every balance but keeps it visible, clearly marked Voided, for the audit trail. There is deliberately no delete — nothing ever disappears from the books.

Voiding a check asks one extra question: whether the printed check itself is bad. If it's spoiled, lost, or wrong, keep the "Also void printed check" box checked — the check number is logged as voided and will never be reused. If the paper check is fine and only the coding was wrong, cancel and use Correct Entry instead, which keeps the check valid.

Two limits to know:

• Reconciled entries can't be voided. Once an entry has been cleared in a completed bank reconciliation, it's locked.
• Voiding can't be undone — re-enter the transaction if you void the wrong thing.

Create Reversing Entry — undo in a new period

On plans with manual journal entries, Create Reversing Entry posts a brand-new entry dated today with all debits and credits swapped. Use it when the original was correct at the time (say, last month, now closed) and you need to back it out cleanly in the current period. The new entry's description starts with "REVERSAL:" so its purpose is obvious.

If approvals are involved

On plans with two-person approval, a rejected payment is automatically voided. Use Amend & Resubmit on the rejected entry to create a corrected copy and send it back for approval in one step.

Good to know

• Every fix is logged — who, when, and (for detail edits) why. The entry page's Audit block and the activity feed show the history.
• If you catch a mistake before anyone reconciles or approves it, the fixes above are all still the way — there's no "quick edit" for posted entries, and that's a feature, not a limitation.