Made a mistake on a validated e-invoice? How to cancel it within 72 hours

If you spot a mistake on an e-invoice that LHDN has already validated, your business can cancel it in MyInvois within 72 hours of validation, give a reason, and issue a correct one. After 72 hours, cancelling is no longer possible. The fix then is a credit note, debit note or refund note e-invoice.

Validated or invalid: which one do you have?

Check the status in MyInvois first, because the fix is different (e-Invoice Guideline v4.8, section 2.5.2):

• Submitted: sent and passed the first checks, but not yet Valid. Wait for the final result.

• Invalid: the e-invoice failed LHDN's checks. It never became a valid e-invoice, so correct the details and submit again.

• Valid: it passed the checks and now has a unique ID. It can't be edited, so cancel it or issue a note (see below) (Guideline v4.8, section 2.3.3; General FAQs, Q47).

• Cancelled: the supplier cancelled it within 72 hours. It's no longer valid.

How do you cancel within 72 hours?

The 72 hours start from the time of validation, not from when you noticed the mistake. Here's the flow, based on LHDN's guideline (section 2.3.6):

1. Find the e-invoice in the MyInvois Portal (or through your system if it connects via API).

2. Cancel it and state the reason, for example a wrong TIN, price or quantity. A justification is required.

3. LHDN notifies the buyer that the e-invoice was cancelled.

4. Issue a new, correct e-invoice and submit it for validation (General FAQs, Q47 and Q49).

5. Send the new copy to the customer and let them know the old one is cancelled.

A quick heads-up to the customer before you cancel saves confusion on their side.

Keep cancelling for genuine mistakes. HASiL lists high invoice cancellation among common compliance issues (HASiL seminar Q&A, 22 Jul 2026, Q18).

What if the customer finds the mistake?

The buyer can request a rejection in MyInvois within 72 hours of validation, with a reason such as a wrong SST number or business details. Your business gets a notification. If you agree, cancel it within the same 72 hours and reissue. If you don't cancel in time, the e-invoice stands and any change needs a new e-invoice (Guideline v4.8, section 2.3.6).

Missed the 72 hours? Use a note

Once the window has passed, the original stays valid. There's no deadline for issuing a note (General FAQs, Q51 and Q52). Your business corrects it by issuing a new e-invoice that adjusts the original (Guideline v4.8, section 1.4):

Situation Use this Amount was too high, a discount was missed or goods came back, and no money goes back to the customer Credit note Amount was too low or there's an extra charge Debit note Money is being returned to the customer Refund note

Each note should quote the unique identifier number of the original e-invoice in the "Original e-Invoice Reference Number" field (General FAQs, Q50). Your business can also use a note within the 72 hours instead of cancelling, if that suits your process better.

Why fix it quickly?

Incomplete or incorrect information in a validated e-invoice is an offence under section 120(1)(d) of the Income Tax Act 1967, HASiL has said (HASiL seminar Q&A, 22 Jul 2026, Q1). For past errors, LHDN is running an e-Invoice Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme from 7 July 2026 to 31 December 2027 (General FAQs, Q123). If you're still inside the 72 hours, cancelling and reissuing remains an option (Q126). Ask your tax agent whether the programme applies to your business.

Small habits that prevent mistakes

• Keep each regular customer's TIN, SSM number and address saved, so they aren't retyped every time.

• Check the validation result straight after submitting, while the sale is still fresh.

• Agree who in your business checks e-invoices daily, so the 72 hours don't slip past.

For more on buyer details, see our guide to TIN for e-invoice. And if a wrong e-invoice is holding up deliveries, read how to stop typos from freezing your deliveries.

FAQ

• Can a validated e-invoice be edited?
  No. Cancel it within 72 hours and issue a new one, or issue a credit, debit or refund note after that (General FAQs, Q47).

• When does the 72-hour clock start?
  From the date and time LHDN validated the e-invoice.

• Can the buyer cancel the e-invoice?
  No. The buyer can only request a rejection. Only the supplier can cancel (Guideline v4.8, section 2.5.2).

• Does this apply if your business e-invoices voluntarily?
  Yes. LHDN's guideline doesn't set separate rules for voluntary e-invoices, so the same 72-hour and note rules apply. If your business is below RM3 million, also check whether it needs to e-invoice at all.

How Duitbooks can help

In Duitbooks, your business creates an invoice, submits it to MyInvois and sees LHDN's validation result in Duitbooks. Seeing the result straight away helps your business spot a problem early. Duitbooks is free during beta.