How to Delete Transactions or Record in Sage 50

Sage 50 is one of the widely practiced accounting software, that helps in business and financial record management. Key characteristics of this feature would be recording, editing, or deleting transactions. Now there are situations when, by mistake, there can be multiple transactions to delete and it may also result in errors, duplications, or updates in the financial data. The procedure of removing a variety of transactions from Sage 50 accounting software, including banking transactions, records, supplier payments, and customer receipts, is explained and guided in this article.

Things you should think about before deleting a transaction in Sage 50:

• Ensure that the Sage 50 backup file has been taken
• No tasks are allowed for work orders in the Sage batch controller
• Delivery messages visible in the Sage controller have been updated in invoicing.

Whether it’s fixing an accidental duplicate entry or a large error, knowing how to delete transactions in Sage 50 is a highly essential skill.

Related topic: Sage 50 Not Showing All Transactions

A Guide to Removing Transactions in Sage 50

Efficiently it can be done by following certain steps while doing the Sage 50 transaction deletion process. You can record and delete the following types of transactions in Sage 50.

• Accounts payable
• Payroll payments
• Sales order and invoice
• Purchase orders
• Purchase invoice
• Receipts
• Expense ticket
• Credit memo
• Check

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

How to Delete Transactions in Sage 50

Step 1: Backup Your All Data

A backup of your company’s data should always be made before deleting any transactions. This measure hinders the cases of deletions by mistakes and also provides you the ability to recover all the records. To create a backup:

• Go to File > Backup.
• The location at which the backup is to be stored can also be selected.
• Ensure you appropriately name the file and then click on OK.

Step 2: Transaction List

• Launch Sage 50 and sign up with the correct permissions as a user.
• Go to the module “Transactions” or any similar module like “Bank,” “Customers,” or “Suppliers.”
• You may also use filters to look through your transactions that you will delete.

Step 3: Selecting Transactions

• Use Ctrl to choose multiple transactions or use Shift for a range of transactions.
• Press right-click and select Delete

Step 4: Confirm Deletion

• Sage 50 will give a confirmation message before deletion.
• Make sure to read through your selection, and click yes to proceed.

How to Delete Bank Transactions in Sage 50

Sometimes bank transactions need to be deleted because discrepancies arise during reconciliation or errors are noticed in data entry. Deleting a bank transaction in Sage 50 is described below:

Step 1: Access the Bank Module

• Click on Bank Accounts from the main dashboard.
• Choose the bank account where the transactions are stored among other records.

Step 2: Locate the Transactions

• By clicking on the word Transactions, you will find all bank-related entries at the bottom of the page.
• When conducted through the program, transactions to be deleted are selected by searching through the list or applying filters.

Step 3: Delete the Transactions

• On the transaction line entries, write or circle the transaction(s) you want to exclude from the analysis.
• On the toolbar, go to the delete button or right-click the keyboard to open the list and then choose delete.

Step 4: Adjust Reconciliations

After deleting a transaction, look at the bank reconciliation report. Sometimes there could be a necessity to change the status of the reconciliation which will help to align the recorded data with the statement.

How to Delete a Purchase Transaction

This clarifies how to delete a purchase invoice. The technique utilized depends on whether it’s been paid or included in a VAT return.

If the invoice has been

• Paid – To delete the payment from the invoice first you have to remove the payment.
• Paid with a credit note- To delete the link to the credit note, you must first delete the credit note.
• Included on a VAT return – In this, you cannot delete the invoice. Also, reverse the invoice value with the credit note.

Delete a purchase invoice

Once an invoice is unallocated and not paid for, you can delete it.

• First of all, you have to select the Purchase Invoices from Purchases.
• After that select the check box next to the relevant Invoice.
• Then you have to select delete from the toolbar.

How to Delete Multiple Transactions

If you want to delete multiple transactions in Sage 50, follow these steps:

• Open Sage and go to the Transactions tab.
• In the Transactions window, click on the transaction you want to delete.
• On the transactions menu, click on Delete Selected.
• In the dialog box that opens, select whether you want to delete all the details of this transaction or just the funding source.
• Click OK to close the dialog box and delete the transaction.

Related Topic: Sage 50 Journal Entries Not Showing Up

How to Delete a Supplier Transactions in Sage 50

Suppliers’ payments may require deletion for reasons of wrong amount, duplication, or canceled supply transaction. Here’s how to remove them:

Step 1: Go to the Suppliers Module

• Access the Suppliers tab, if you are still on the organization’s main screen.
• Choose the supplier linked with the payment.

Step 2: Find the Transactions

• Go to Activity or Transactions under the supplier you are currently working on.
• To do this, locate the payment you want to erase through the payment date, the amount paid, and the payment reference.

Step 3: Delete the Payment

• Highlight the payment.
• To delete items press Delete or use a right mouse button context-sensitive menu.
• Make sure you want to delete it in the prompt.

Step 4: Reallocate Invoices

• Canceling a supplier payment will disassociate the payment from invoices that were paid for by this supplier. Remember to adjust payments to keep the supplier database correct.

How to Delete Customer Receipts in Sage 50

Customer Transactions are considered as sources of cash inflow which shows that sometimes these records may be deleted because of data entry mistakes or canceled transactions. Here’s a step-by-step process:

Step 1: Access the Customer Module

• In the main menu bar, select Customers.
• Choose the customer who had a receipt that has to be deleted.

Step 2: Locate the Receipt

• Navigate to the particular customer’s Activity or Transactions tab.
• Look for the receipt by keying in information such as; the amount that you paid, the date of payment, and the reference number.

Step 3: Delete the Receipt

• Select the receipt in the list.
• Click the Delete option.

Step 4: Reconcile Customer Balances

When the receipt is deleted, the customer account balance will be automatically computed and updated. Verify all of the account’s balances and allocations.

Related Topic: Delete a Payroll Instead of Voiding in Sage 50 

Fix Error: If Delete Button is Grayed Out

This is a Sage 50 error that disables the delete button, which appears grayed out. When you try to click on the button, it fails to work. So you aren’t able to delete any transactions from your company file. It may also occur when you try to delete a purchase order in Sage 50.

Causes for the “delete button is grayed out” error

• The current transaction is tied to another one
• The transaction belongs to a financial year that you’ve already closed
• The transaction data is damaged

Run the vendor/journal synchronization test

Use this test with caution and back up your company file before you test the integrity of your data. And those who are using the Remote Data Access feature need to Stop Sharing before beginning with the integrity check:

Steps to fix transaction error with integrity check in Sage 50:

• Change the accounting period with the following steps:
  • Choose Tasks, then click on System.
  • Click on Change Account Period.
  • Choose the correct account period and click on Ok to proceed.
  • For the following three questions, choose the option No:
    • Would you like to print your invoices or checks before continuing?
    • Would you like to print your reports before continuing
    • Would you like to run an Internal Accounting Review?
  • You’ve successfully changed the current accounting period.
• Go to the Help menu and choose Support Utilities.
• Click on Integrity Check.
• Choose Backup and input a name for the backup file. Click on Save.
• Choose Reindex Files.
• Choose a Vendor from the list, then click on OK.
• When the integrity check loads, choose Continue.
• Click on Reindex files, then click on the Jrnl Header. Choose Ok.
• When the integrity check loads, choose to continue.
• Click on Reindex Files, then Jrnl Row. Click on OK.
• When the integrity check loads, choose Continue.
• From the Data Synchronization Tests section, choose Vendor/Journal, then click OK.
• Try to delete the transaction in Sage 50 to ensure that the issue has been resolved.

Run the invoice/payment sync test

This test also checks the integrity of your accounting data and fixes basic transaction errors. It’s quite similar to the previous test that you ran and doesn’t take that long.

Steps to run the invoice/payment sync test to fix delete transaction errors in Sage 50:

• Create a backup of your company file before proceeding with the integrity check.
• Change your accounting period by going through these steps:
  • Choose Tasks, then click on System.
  • Click on Change Account Period.
  • Choose the correct account period and click on Ok to proceed.
  • For the following three questions, choose the option No:
    • Would you like to print your invoices or checks before continuing?
    • Would you like to print your reports before continuing
    • Would you like to run an Internal Accounting Review?
  • You’ve successfully changed the current accounting period.
• Launch integrity check with the following steps:
  • From the Help menu, choose Support Utilities.
  • Click on Integrity Check.
  • Follow the steps to back up your data and click on Continue.
• In the invoice/payment sync test section, click on the Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable option.
  Note: your choice depends on the type of transaction that you want to delete from Sage 50.
• Choose the appropriate Correction Strategy, then choose OK.
• Try to delete the transaction once again.

Best Practices in Deleting Transactions

• Verify Before Delete: It is recommended not to delete if a client has doubts about certain transaction details to avoid losing necessary information.

• Maintain audit trails: The top five reasons for deletion include recording the reasons for deletion for future use or audit purposes.

• Reconcile After Deletions: Follow a rule of checking differences in accounts often so that no differences should occur after adjustments.

• Limit Deletion Rights: Limitation of performing delete amendment only to authorized personnel in release to prevent removal of transactions.

List of Transactions that Cannot be Deleted in Sage 50

When you fix a transaction, some restrictions apply to the edits you can create. You cannot delete or modify the following types of transactions. Rather, you have to change and re-post them accurately.

#1: Automatic transactions

• For example, transactions are done through the Refund, Write Off, and Return Wizard. This is because the context of this type of transaction shows that it was generated automatically.
• If you revise the transaction, delete the context, and keep the changes, you can delete the transaction. Customer records can be affected by Month to Date (MTD) and Year to Year (YTD) when editing or deleting a transaction.

#2: Journal entries

• Sage Accounts v21 and below – You can only edit the Description and context fields. If you want to fix a journal, you have to reverse it. To do this, post opposite entries on the same date or use the Journal Reversal option.
• Sage Accounts v22 and above – You can edit and delete journals made in these versions. You are not able to delete or modify journals posted in earlier versions of Sage 50.

#3: CIS v1 only

• Matched transactions in the CIS module. To check if a transaction is CIS resolved, tap on the transaction choose the appropriate transaction, and then check the CIS column. If there is a Y in this column, the transaction is CIS resolved.
• If the CIS column does not arise, right-tap on the other column heading, and then choose CIS.
• Sage 50 Accounts v22 and above – If you are using the new CIS v2 module to assist you right CIS transactions, please refer to Sage 50 CIS v2 – Correcting CIS Transactions.

#4: VAT reconciled transactions

• Although you cannot delete VAT-matching transactions, you can reverse them which cancels out the impacts of the original transaction. VAT Cash Accounting – Allotted VAT matching transactions must be manually reversed.

#5: Foreign transactions

• You can only edit the Contact, Description, Bank Reconciliation, and Exchange Rate fields. If you require editing any other fields, you should delete the transaction and re-enter.

#6: Journals involving foreign currency bank accounts

• You may not edit or modify any of the fields for the journals that influence foreign bank accounts. You should change the journal and re-post the right details.

Conclusion

In complicated cases or when a large number of transactions are involved, it is better to seek help from experts. Data loss or confusion is avoided if the procedure is completed by certified Sage 50 experts or accounting specialists. Their knowledge will assist them in establishing best practices and instructing your staff to avoid repeating the mistakes.

Frequently Asked Questions