Cancellations

Cancelling or terminating a service causes WHMCS to stop generating invoices. For services that use a provisioning module, it can also include the end of access or service for associated provisioned accounts. The way in which you or your clients cancel or terminate their services alters how the system handles them.

Admin Cancellations and Terminations

You can cancel or terminate services in the Admin Area using the following methods:

Cancellation MethodDescription
Immediate TerminationAdmins can terminate services immediately from within the Admin Area by running the associated module’s Terminate command or setting services that do not use automation to Cancelled. Use this method when you want to end service immediately, before the end of the current billing cycle.
For more information, see Cancel Services Immediately.
Fixed TermsWhen you create products at Configuration () > System Settings > Products/Services, you can use the Auto Terminate/Fixed Term setting to set a number of days after which to automatically terminate the service. Use this method when the product’s services will always terminate after a set amount of time.
For more information, see Products and Offering Free Trials.
Scheduled TerminationAdmins can configure services to terminate automatically at the end of the current billing cycle. Use this method when the customer will continue to use the service until the billing period ends but does not want to renew the service for another billing cycle.
Scheduling cancellations requires you to enable Cancellation Requests at Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings.
For more information, see Schedule a Service Termination.
Service DeletionAdmins can delete services to remove them entirely from the client’s record. Use this method if, for example, you added a service to the wrong client by mistake and need to quickly rectify the problem.
For more information, see Delete a Service.

Client Cancellation Requests

Clients can cancel services themselves using cancellation requests. Cancellation requests allow your clients to request cancellations directly from within the Client Area using a cancellation link. This ensures that clients can automatically terminate the services they no longer want with no additional manual steps from you.

Enable Client Cancellation Requests

To allow clients to do this:

  1. Enable Show Cancellation Link in the Other tab at Configuration () > System Settings > General Settings. The cancellation link will immediately begin to display in the Client Area on the Product Details page.
  2. If you want the system to automatically perform cancellations that clients request, enable Cancellation Requests at Configuration () > System Settings > Automation Settings. The system will automatically run the Terminate command for the appropriate modules and change cancelled service statuses to Cancelled on their due date.
    If you do not enable this, admins must manually approve all cancellations.

Cancellation Request Process

When a client chooses to cancel a service from within the Client Area, it would follow this process:

  1. The client clicks Request Cancellation on the Product Details page in Client Area.
  2. The system prompts the client to provide a cancellation reason and select a termination type:
    • Instant terminations run the next time that the cron runs.
    • End of the Current Billing Cycle terminations run after the billing cycle ends.
  3. The system prompts the client to choose whether to disable Auto Renew for a domain (allowing it to expire) if all of the following are true:
    • A matching domain exists.
    • The matching domain is active under the client’s account.
    • The domain has Auto Renew enabled.
  4. The system cancels any unpaid invoices for the service.
    • If the service renewal’s invoice also includes other items, the system will only remove the cancelled item from the invoice.
    • The system will also remove any discounts or group discounts that apply to the cancelled service.
  5. The system sends a notification email to admins and adds the cancellation to the list at Clients > Cancellation Requests.
  6. The system cron job either runs the termination command (if you enabled Cancellation Requests) or waits for admin approval (if you did not enable Cancellation Requests).

Manual Cancellation Approval

If you do not enable Cancellation Request, admins must approve the cancellation manually after the client submits the request.

To manually approve a cancellation:

  1. Click on a service in the list at Clients > Cancellation Requests to go to the service in the Products/Services in the client’s profile.
  2. Click Terminate in the list of module commands.

Void Cancellation Requests

If a client decides not to cancel after submitting a cancellation request, you can void that cancellation request.

To do this:

  1. Go to Clients > Cancellation Requests in the Admin Area.
  2. Click the X icon for the desired cancellation.

This will stop the cancellation from processing. Update the status of any cancelled invoices to Unpaid to prevent billing errors.

Addon Termination

When WHMCS terminates a service, it also cancels the service’s associated addons.

You cannot currently schedule addon cancellation without cancelling the associated service.

When you terminate or cancel an addon, the system uses the current date for Termination Date. You can update this date for addons with the Terminated or Cancelled statuses from within the Admin Area.

Last modified: June 24, 2024