How to cancel an invoice on paypal

So you just sent a PayPal payment but realized the amount was wrong? Or you suddenly decided that any amount was wrong and you no longer wish to send that given party any money? You can cancel certain types of PayPal payments easily.

Table of Contents Show

Why can't I cancel a payment on PayPal?
How to cancel a PayPal payment
Cancel a Pending Payment
Request a Refund for a Completed Payment
Cancel a Money Request or Invoice
How do I delete an invoice on PayPal app?
Can invoices be refunded PayPal?
Can you cancel an invoice?
How do I cancel a request on PayPal?

On the other hand, some PayPal payments can't be canceled and your only recourse would be to ask for a refund or to dispute the charge with the company itself, if that's warranted.

Assuming you have sent a payment that requires the receiver to actively claim it, you may be able to cancel that payment and keep your cash.

Quick tip: If you receive a payment like this, you can refund it using our guide on how to refund a payment on PayPal in 4 simple steps.

Why can't I cancel a payment on PayPal?

In order to be canceled, payments must be in Pending or Unclaimed status. Since most PayPal payments go through instantaneously, this is most likely why you are unable to cancel a payment on PayPal.

PayPal automatically refunds pending and unclaimed payments after 30 days, so action is not necessarily required on your part if you send the payment to a non-existent email address.

How to cancel a PayPal payment

1. Log into your PayPal account and click on the tab Activity at the top of the screen.

If the payment was sent recently, it will also be accessible through the Summary screen.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 2: Click the All Activity drop-down menu in the top-left corner of the website and select Payments Sent. Choose the time period during which you sent the payment and then click the View button.

If the payment was sent recently, it appears under the Pending header without having to filter by date.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 3: Locate the payment you want to cancel and click the associated Cancel link.

PayPal (Chrome)

Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 4: Click the Cancel Payment button to confirm you want to cancel the payment.

There is no charge for cancelling a payment.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Step 5: Review the provided details to confirm that the cancellation request was successful.

PayPal (Chrome)

Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Request a Refund for a Completed Payment

Once a payment has been accepted by the recipient, PayPal can't take it back. In this situation, you need to contact the recipient in order to request a refund. It is up to the recipient whether to refund the money. PayPal does not have any rules or regulations requiring that accepted payments be refunded if a sender makes this request.

To obtain the recipient's contact information, click the Summary tab on the main menu, if it's not selected already, and then select the transaction in which you sent money to the recipient.

Cancel a Money Request or Invoice

If you've sent a money request or invoice to someone through PayPal, you can cancel it, as well. Click the Activity button on the main menu along the top of the screen, locate the request or invoice and click the associated Cancel link. Click Yes to confirm you want to cancel the request or invoice.

Click "Send a Reminder" to remind the recipient he has an outstanding request for money.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Click the "Check this box" check box if you don't want to inform the recipient that the request has been canceled.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of PayPal

Tip

If your payment was funded by a credit card rather than a checking account or your PayPal balance, the money is put back on the credit card. Depending on how your banking is set up, it can take up to 30 days for the canceled payment to appear on your credit card statement.

When you cancel a payment, the original recipient receives an email telling her that the payment has been canceled by the sender.

How do I delete an invoice on PayPal app?

Locate the invoice or search using the filters above your list of invoices. Click the dropdown arrow to the right of the invoice; To edit, select Edit from the menu, make the required changes, then click Save and Continue. To delete, select Delete from the menu, then in the pop-up window, click Delete again to confirm.

Can invoices be refunded PayPal?

If you need to refund a PayPal transaction, you can do so in just a few steps from your "Activity" page: Click “All transactions.” Select "Issue a refund." Enter the refund amount.

Can you cancel an invoice?

Since invoices are legally binding documents, canceling them must be done correctly by issuing a credit memo. A credit memo, also known as a credit note, is a document that's issued from a business to a customer to cancel all or part of a sale. It's also used to document a refund.