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2.3. Payment Removal Options

Last Updated 11/02/2026

How to Remove Bills Without a Payment

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Evergreen provides three functions for removing bills without payment: Adjust to Zero, Void, and Forgive. Staff should use the Forgive option in most cases, in order to maintain a record of the bill. The process for each removal function is outlined on this page ,along with information about how the function impacts accounts.

In situations where a patron was billed in error, or the library has determined that a bill should be removed from an account without payment, there are three options for removing the bills:

• Adjust to Zero: Used to fix negative balances
• Void: Used to removeall record of a bill
• Forgive: Used to close a bill without payment but maintain details of the bill. (Recommended option in most cases.)

Adjust to Zero:

Libraries should only use the Adjust to Zero function to remove negative balances that have occurred as a result of refunds.

To use this option:

1. Select the bill to be paid.
2. Choose "Adjust to Zero" from the Actions drop-down menu.
3. A pop-up confirmation will appear. Click Ok/Continue.

What happens when you choose this option?

• The bill is removed from the patron's current billing list
• Bill appears as paid in billing history but not in the Payments sub-tab
• Coded as a Account Adjustment
• Closes out billing transaction
• Does not show up in cash report 

Void

Libraries should only use this function to remove bills completely. Voiding will close out the initial transaction, but will also remove the history of the bill. It should only be used when a bill was applied in error.

What happens when you choose this option?

• The bill is removed from the patron's current billing list
• The bill does not appear in the billing history or the payments
• There is no code associated, but the "Void" field is set to true in the database's history of the bill
• Removesvisible record of billing transaction.
• Does not show up in cash report 
• Closes out relevant circulation transaction

Forgive

Functionally, Forgiveness is a payment type. Using this function maintains the full record of the bill and shows it as closed out. In almost all cases, this is the recommended method for removing bills without payment.

What happens when you choose this option?

• Bill removed from current billing list
• Bill appears as Paid and in Payments sub-tab
• Shows as forgive_payment payment type, appears in forgive_payments table in database
• Shows up in cash reports (under staff user payments).