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Payment Issues

Cashier Manager Admin

Use this page when something goes wrong while taking payment — a card terminal that won't respond, a decline, a missing payment button, or totals that don't add up.

Quick fixes​

  • Card terminal not responding — Check the terminal is on and connected, then restart it (off, wait 10 seconds, on). If the screen says the terminal has a pending transaction, finish or cancel it on the terminal, then tap Retry Now.
  • Connection lost during a card payment — Don't charge the card again. Tap Recover Payment to check whether it went through. If it still can't tell, look at the terminal's receipt and tap Receipt Shows Approved or Declined / No Receipt.
  • Card declined — The bank declined it, not Brother POS. Tap Try Again, or ask for another card or payment method.
  • A payment button is missing — An admin turns payment types on under Settings → Edit Settings → Operations, in Payment Types. E-transfer is off until turned on.
  • Change looks wrong — Check the amount you typed. If your store rounds cash to the nearest 5¢, the rounded total is expected.
  • Split payment won't add up — Use the remaining balance the split screen shows for the next payment. Remove a wrong entry with its X button.

Common questions​

I removed a card payment from a split. Is the customer refunded? No. Removing it from the list doesn't refund the card. Void or refund it on the terminal itself, then tap I voided it on the terminal.

I charged the card on a separate terminal. How do I finish the sale? Complete the sale in Brother POS so stock and reports are right. After a failed terminal attempt, use Skip Terminal — it finishes the sale without charging the card again.

Does Brother POS check that an e-transfer arrived? No. It records the e-transfer when you complete it. Check your bank app, and type the reference in E-Transfer Reference (Optional) to make matching easier later.

Tonight's cash doesn't match. Check voids, returns and the cash part of split payments, and look for sales still waiting to sync. See Reconciliation Problems below.

More detail: cash payments

Cash Payment Issues​

Problem: Change Calculation Seems Wrong​

The POS calculates change from the amount you enter. If the change looks wrong:

  1. Check the total. Make sure the cart items and any discounts are correct before taking payment.
  2. Check the amount tendered. Make sure you entered what the customer handed you. The quick buttons ($10, $20, $50, $100) enter that exact amount.
  3. Check for cash rounding. If your store rounds cash to the nearest 5¢, the cash screen shows the rounded total and the adjustment under it. This is expected.
Canadian cash rounding

When Canadian Cash Rounding is turned on, cash totals round to the nearest nickel: totals ending in 1 or 2 round down to 0, 3 or 4 round up to 5, 6 or 7 round down to 5, and 8 or 9 round up to the next 0. Card and e-transfer payments are not rounded. An admin turns this on under Settings → Edit Settings → Products & Inventory.

Problem: CASH Button Is Missing​

The CASH button is hidden when cash payments are turned off for your store. An admin can turn it back on under Settings → Edit Settings → Operations, in the Payment Types section.

More detail: card terminals, declines and lost connections

Card Terminal Issues​

Problem: Terminal Not Responding​

The card terminal does not react when you send a card payment.

Solutions​

  1. Check the terminal's power and connection. Make sure it is powered on and connected to the network.

  2. Restart the terminal. Power it off, wait 10 seconds, and turn it back on.

  3. Check the terminal's own internet connection. The terminal needs its own internet connection to reach the payment processor. Integrated terminals do not work while the register is offline.

  4. Read the message on the payment screen. For example, "Cannot reach terminal. Check terminal is on and connected." or "Terminal has a pending transaction." — in that case, complete or cancel the transaction on the terminal first. The POS then retries on its own, or you can tap Retry Now.

Problem: Terminal Shows Declined​

A decline comes from the card issuer or payment processor, not from Brother POS. The payment screen shows the reason where it can, such as "Insufficient funds", "Card expired" or "Card declined by bank".

Tap Try Again to retry, or ask the customer for a different card or payment method.

Problem: Connection Lost During a Card Payment​

If the connection to the terminal drops mid-payment, the terminal may have charged the card even though the POS did not hear back. The screen says so, for example "Connection lost. Terminal may have processed the payment. Click Recover to check."

  1. Do not charge the card again yet.
  2. Tap Recover Payment. The POS checks with the payment processor and reports "Payment recovered - was approved!" or "Payment recovered - was declined".
  3. If it still cannot tell (Manual Resolution Required), look at the receipt the terminal printed and tap Receipt Shows Approved or Declined / No Receipt to match it.
  4. Tap Start Over to begin the payment again only once you know the first attempt did not go through.
Skip Terminal

After a failed terminal attempt, a Skip Terminal button appears on the built-in card payment screen. It completes the sale without sending it to the terminal. Use it only when you have charged the card another way, such as on the terminal directly.

Recording a card charged outside Brother POS

If you charge a card on a standalone terminal, you still need to complete the sale in Brother POS so inventory and reports are correct. If your CARD button just records the payment (the button on its screen says Complete Sale, not Send to Terminal), use it. It does not charge the card again. If your CARD button sends to a terminal, use Skip Terminal after a failed terminal attempt instead.

More detail: e-transfers

E-Transfer Issues​

Problem: E-Transfer Not Confirming​

Brother POS records an e-transfer payment when you complete it, with an optional reference number. It does not check with your bank that the money arrived.

Solutions​

  1. Check for the e-transfer in your bank's app or website.

  2. Ask the customer to show you their confirmation, if your store policy allows it.

  3. Enter the reference. The e-transfer screen has an E-Transfer Reference (Optional) field. Entering the reference makes reconciliation easier later.

  4. If the transfer has not arrived yet, follow your store's policy on whether to complete the sale or wait.

E-transfer best practice

Set a store policy for e-transfers: do you release the product when the customer shows their sent confirmation, or wait until the funds appear in your account? Consistency prevents confusion.

Problem: E-TRANSFER Button Is Missing​

E-transfer payments are off unless your admin turns them on under Settings → Edit Settings → Operations, in the Payment Types section.

More detail: split payments

Split Payment Issues​

Problem: Split Payment Totals Do Not Add Up​

When splitting a payment across methods, the payments must cover the full sale total.

Solutions​

  1. Use the remaining balance. After each payment, the split screen shows what is still owed. Use that number for the next payment rather than working it out by hand.

  2. Check for cash rounding if one of the payments is cash and your store rounds cash.

  3. Remove a wrong entry. Each payment in the list has a remove (X) button. Remove the wrong one and add it again with the right amount.

Problem: Removing a Card Payment That Was Already Charged​

Removing a payment from the split list does not refund it. If the payment was already approved on a terminal, the POS stops you with Card payment already charged. Tap Back to sale to keep it and finish the sale. Tap I voided it on the terminal only once you have voided or refunded the charge on the terminal itself — the POS doesn't do that for you. Cancelling the whole split window after a card was approved shows the same warning.

Don't walk away mid-split

If a split payment is partly done, do not close or refresh the POS. Finish the remaining payment or ask a manager for help.

More detail: a payment button is missing

Payment Method Not Available​

Problem​

A payment button (such as CASH, CARD or E-TRANSFER) is missing from the register.

Solutions​

  1. Check store settings. An admin chooses which payment types appear under Settings → Edit Settings → Operations, in the Payment Types section. E-transfer is off until turned on.

  2. Check for a connected card terminal. With some card terminals (such as Square, Helcim or Payfirma), the terminal's own button replaces CARD.

  3. Check whether Split Payment is expected. The Split Payment button only appears when more than one payment type is available.

More detail: other payment messages

Other Payment Messages​

MessageWhat it means
"This drawer was just closed. Open the drawer again to ring this sale."The register's cash drawer was closed while the sale was being sent. The sale was not recorded. Open the drawer again, then ring the sale.
"... on this tab was already paid on another till."Another register already took payment for that tab item (for example, the bill was split on two tills). Clear the cart and open the tab again to see what's still owed.
"Take this order's payment as cash or card. Split, gift card and store credit payments can't be recorded when completing an online order."When you complete an online order at the register, take the payment in one go (for example cash or card). Split, gift card, store credit and house account payments can't be used there.
"Failed to save tip. Please try again."The tip on the success screen didn't save. Check the connection and tap the tip again.
More detail: end-of-day totals that don't match

Reconciliation Problems​

Problem​

End-of-day cash counts or payment totals do not match what was expected.

Solutions​

  1. Review the Z-Report. The Z-Report breaks down payments by method for the drawer session. See Z-Reports.

  2. Check for voided sales. A voided sale is removed from sales totals, but the customer's card may still have been charged or cash handed over.

  3. Check for returns. Returns reduce revenue, and the refund may have gone back by a different method than the original payment. A sale paid only by gift card, store credit or house account can't be refunded in cash or to a card. Refund it back to the gift card, or as store credit (a house account sale's refund first comes off what the customer owes on the account).

  4. Check split payments. Only the cash part of a split payment belongs in the expected cash.

  5. Check pending offline sales. Sales still waiting to sync appear in Sales History on the register. They reach reports once they sync.

  6. Run the Sales report in the admin panel for the day and filter by payment method.

When to Contact Support​

Contact your admin or Brother POS support if:

  • A customer was charged twice for the same transaction
  • The POS keeps failing to communicate with the card terminal
  • Payment totals in reports do not match bank deposits after careful reconciliation
  • You see error messages not covered on this page