Fixing mistakes
Every financial error has a correct fix — move, reverse, or cancel. None of them is delete, and here's which to reach for.
You will make mistakes in the books. Everybody does. What matters is fixing them in a way that leaves the record explainable.
Nothing is deleted, ever
ManageStrata posts corrections beside the original entry, never over it. The original stays visible, the correction sits next to it, and both carry a reason.
That's what keeps your ledger answerable to an owner two years from now, and what keeps a Form B honest. A deleted entry can't be explained; a reversed one explains itself.
Which fix to use
| What went wrong | The fix | Effect on the money |
|---|---|---|
| Payment credited to the wrong lot | Move to another lot | None — the cash stays in the fund, only the lot credited changes |
| Cheque bounced (NSF) | Reverse the payment | The cash comes back out |
| The same payment entered twice | Reverse one of them | The duplicate cash comes back out |
| Charge raised in error | Cancel the invoice | The charge is removed from the lot's balance |
| Charge for the wrong amount | Cancel, then issue the correct one | Replaced |
| Expense against the wrong fund | Reverse and re-record | Moves between funds |
Payment on the wrong lot
The most common error, and the least alarming.
FinancesRecent paymentsMove to another lot, with a reason.
The money never left the fund — it was only ever credited to the wrong ledger. After the move, the original lot's balance goes back up, the correct lot's comes down, and both ledgers show what happened.
Move, don't reverse and re-enter
Reversing and re-entering produces three entries where one correction would do, and loses the fact that they're the same payment. Use Move whenever the cash genuinely arrived.
Money that never cleared
FinancesRecent paymentsReverse.
For an NSF cheque, a failed transfer, or a payment keyed twice. Unlike a move, a reversal takes the cash back out of the fund — which is correct, because it was never there.
A reversal will show in your next bank reconciliation, which is exactly what you want: the books now agree with the bank.
For a bounced cheque, also consider whether your bylaws let you charge an NSF fee, and whether the owner is now in arrears with interest accruing.
Charge raised in error
Open the lot from FinancesOwner ledgers → Cancel invoice, with a reason.
Reverse the payment first if one was applied
If money has already been applied to the invoice you're cancelling, reverse the payment before cancelling the charge. Otherwise you leave a payment attached to something that no longer exists.
Use it for a charge that shouldn't have been raised at all — a lot billed that shouldn't have been, a duplicate fee run, interest council decided to waive. For a charge that was right in principle but wrong in amount, cancel and reissue rather than editing.
Writing a good reason
The reason is read by someone who wasn't there — an owner, a future treasurer, possibly a tribunal. Make it carry the facts.
Weak: "Correction", "Error", "Fixed"
Good:
- "Payment received 14 June credited to lot 204 in error; e-transfer reference confirms lot 402."
- "Cheque #1043 returned NSF by the bank on 22 June."
- "June fee invoice raised twice by the fee run on 1 June; this is the duplicate."
- "Interest waived by council resolution of 12 July — payment delayed by bank error, evidence provided by owner."
Explaining it to an owner
Send them to their own ledger, where the original, the correction and the reason all appear in date order. It answers the question better than an email will, and it demonstrates that the corporation's records are kept properly — which is often the real concern behind the question.
Mistakes outside the ledger
Wrong meeting result. A finalized result reflects the recorded votes. If a vote was wrongly recorded, correct the vote and re-finalize, and note it in the minutes. If the result was wrong on the substance, that's a governance matter, not a data-entry one — take advice.
Wrong compliance date. Re-record the duty or report with the right date; the cycle recalculates.
Wrong unit entitlement. Fix it in units and lots, then re-check any levy allocated on the old figure — it will be wrong in proportion.
Person on the wrong lot. Fix it on the roster. If charges posted to the wrong lot as a result, correct those separately using the fixes above.
When you're not sure
Two rules that will not get you into trouble:
- Don't improvise. If none of the corrections above fits, contact support before entering anything. An awkward entry made to "balance it out" is far harder to unpick than the original problem.
- Never post a plug. A balancing entry with no explanation destroys the property that makes the ledger worth having.
Everything you do is recorded in the audit trail with your name and the time — including corrections. That's not a warning; it's the feature.
Still stuck? Open Support in the top bar of the app, ask the Assistant, or contact us.