How to fix a duplicate payment in your books (customer or vendor)

How-to guides / Duplicate payment

The accounting behind it

Duplicates usually come from entering a payment by hand and then again from a bank feed, or from two people entering the same check. In that case the books show money that never moved, and the bank won't reconcile.

A real double payment is different. The money left (or arrived) twice, so both entries are true. What is left is a balance owed between you and the other party: a customer overpayment, or an amount the vendor owes you back.

For a vendor paid twice, the second payment can't sit against a bill that is already paid. Record it to an asset account such as Due from Vendors until the refund arrives or the vendor applies it to a future bill.

Vendor really paid twice: second payment
Account	Debit	Credit
Due from Vendors (asset)	Amount
Bank		Amount

Vendor refunds it
Account	Debit	Credit
Bank	Amount
Due from Vendors		Amount

Worked example: a $640 bill paid twice

Your bookkeeper paid a $640.00 bill by e-transfer and you also mailed a cheque, which the vendor cashed. Both left the bank. The bill payment covers the first; the second goes to Due from Vendors. Three weeks later the vendor refunds $640.00 and the asset clears.

If instead the bank shows only one $640.00 payment, you simply entered it twice: void the extra one.

Second cheque
Account	Debit	Credit
Due from Vendors	$640.00
Chequing		$640.00

Common mistakes

Deleting one of two real payments to make the vendor balance look right. The bank won't reconcile.
Recording the vendor's refund as income.
Leaving a customer's double payment applied to random invoices without asking them.
Reconciling past a duplicate entry by ticking it, which locks the error into a finished reconciliation.

In AcboBooks

Find both entries. Open Activities → Transactions, or Reports → Account Register for the bank account, and look for the two entries with the same amount and date.
Data-entry duplicate. If the bank shows one payment, click Void on the extra entry (kept at $0 for the record) or Delete (removed permanently). A customer payment that was applied to invoices must be voided or deleted before its invoices can change.
Customer paid twice. Leave both payments in place. The second shows as a credit on the customer in Customers → Receive Payment; apply it with Apply credits to open invoices.
Vendor paid twice. Create an Other Current Asset account called Due from Vendors in Company → Chart of Accounts. Record the second payment with Banking → Write Checks to that account. When the refund arrives, use Banking → Make Deposit from that account.

Bank Feeds skips lines it has already imported, and its Accept and Match… buttons link a feed line to an entry you already made, which avoids most duplicates.

Menu names are from AcboBooks 0.2.1. Not using it yet? Try it free for 15 days, with the sample company to practise on.

Questions

Should I void or delete a duplicate entry?

Void keeps a $0 record, which is safer if anyone printed or sent it. Delete removes it. For an entry that never really happened, either is fine; void if in doubt.

How do I stop duplicates from bank feeds?

Match feed lines to entries you already made instead of adding them again. In AcboBooks use Match… on the Bank Feeds screen.

The customer paid the same invoice twice. Do I refund?

Ask them. Most customers accept a credit on the next invoice.

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Updated October 25, 2026. General bookkeeping information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules differ by state and province and change over time; check with the IRS, the CRA or your accountant for your own situation.

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How to fix a duplicate payment