How to Void a Settlement

This article was developed to provide instructions on how to cancel settlement offers and payments within the FORTH CRM. There are two stages:

• Voiding and Deleting a Settlement Offer
  • Voiding the Settlement Offer
  • Deleting the Settlement Offer
• Canceling a Settlement Payment
  • Automated Disbursement Fee Cancellation
• FAQ

Voiding and Deleting a Settlement Offer

This section provides instructions on how to void a Settlement Offer within the FORTH CRM.

1. Click the Settlements tab, which takes you to the Settlements & Negotiations page (see the image below). 

2. Type in the desired client in the "Contact" text field. 

3. Click Apply Filter. This will create a list of all the settlement offers submitted for this client.

4. Select the settlement offer you wish to cancel by clicking the green right-facing arrow icon on the far right of the entry (see the red highlighted area in the image above). This will direct you to the following page:

5.  At the top of the page, you will see the image above. The circle with a slash (Item 1) is used to void settlement offers. The trashcan icon (Item 2) is used to delete a settlement offer.

Voiding the Settlement Offer

IMPORTANT: Voiding offers will delete unprocessed payments and fees and mark the debt as Unsettled.

1. To void the settlement offer, select the circle with a slash (Item 1). A popup window will open asking if you are sure you wish to void the settlement offer. 

2. Click Ok. This voids the settlement offer, and all settlement payments scheduled will be voided from the client's payment schedule.

How to add the option for Voided reasons

You may select a "Void Reason", if the ability to edit Settlement Settings is enabled on the account. Once the Settlement Settings are enabled, follow the steps below to add a voided reason.

1. Click on the Settlements tab, and then click "Settings'.
2. Select "Offers Voided Reasons" from the left side panel.
3. Click the "Add an Offer Voided Reason" link, and then provide that voided reason into the field that appears on the page.
4. If you need to eliminate an unused field, click the red and white dash icon next to that row to delete it.
5. When finished, click "Save Settings".
   

• If voided statuses are configured, a dropdown is included in the warning modal to select the voided reason and contains all voided reasons present on the account.

• When an offer is saved with the voided reason selected, the reason is included in the History log.

• The voided reason is present as a field to show in the settlements page, and can be exported for further reporting.

Deleting the Settlement Offer

1. To delete the settlement offer, click the trashcan (Item 2) . A popup window will open asking if you are sure you wish to delete the offer. 

2. Click Ok. This will delete the settlement, but DOES NOT void the offer.

Canceling a Settlement Payment

This section provides instructions on canceling a settlement payment within the Forth CRM.

1. Search for the client you wish to cancel a settlement payment for in the Client's section of the CRM. 

2. Once you are on the desired client's page, click the Enrollment link in the Navigation Bar.

3. This will direct you to the Enrollment Details section to view the client's Payment Schedule. Scroll down the payment schedule to find the settlement payment you wish to cancel. 

4. Click the green arrow next to the payment you wish to cancel (see the red highlighted image below).

5. Once you find the settlement payment to cancel, click on the blue paper and yellow pencil Click to Edit icon located to the far right of the entry (see the red highlighted image below).

6. An Add/Edit Payment edit box will appear on your screen which will allow you to modify the settlement payment.

7. Click the Action dropdown menu (shown above) and select Cancel Transaction. 

8. Click Save to save your changes.

Automated Disbursement Fee Cancellation

When a settlement payment is cancelled, any associated pending disbursement fees are automatically cancelled. 

Once the status of a settlement payment is changed to Cancelled. The FORTH system immediately and automatically identifies any "Pending" disbursement fees linked to that specific payment.

The FORTH CRM then automatically updates the status of those associated fees to Cancelled without requiring any additional clicks.

If you then view the Amortization Schedule, you will see that the cancelled fees are no longer calculated toward the balance, ensuring the schedule reflects the correct remaining totals.

Note: This automation only affects Pending fees. Fees that have already been Cleared will not be changed, ensuring your historical accounting records remain secure and audit-ready.

FAQ

1. How does the system determine if an EPF should remain scheduled after a void?

The decision is driven by the status of the first settlement payment. If the payment has reached a stage where it is considered "committed" (e.g., the money is in flight or delivered), the linked EPFs remain on the schedule.

2. Should EPFs remain scheduled if a check has been "Shipped" but not yet "Cleared"?

Yes. If a settlement payment status is Shipped or Cleared, it is treated as a "Processed" event. In these cases, all linked EPFs will stay open and scheduled post-voiding.

3. What happens to EPFs if the settlement is cancelled or fails due to low balances?

If a settlement is not processed (Status: Open, Pending, Cancelled, Low Balance, or Error Processing), the system will automatically delete any linked EPFs upon voiding the offer.

4. Does the order of operations matter if a payment is cancelled before the void?

Yes. If a settlement is cancelled before the void occurs, the status changes to Cancelled. According to the expected behavior, a cancelled status falls under the "Not Processed" category, meaning the system will delete the linked EPFs when the void is finalized.

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