You try to cancel an electronic invoice on the SAT portal and get the message “No se pudo realizar la cancelación” or “El CFDI no puede ser cancelado”. Maybe the portal loads indefinitely or your e.firma is not recognised during the process. These errors are more common than they seem and have concrete solutions. This article covers the main causes of CFDI cancellation errors on the SAT portal and the exact steps to resolve them.

The Error

The most common errors when cancelling a CFDI on the SAT portal are:

  • “No se pudo realizar la cancelación” — Generic message that may indicate several different problems.
  • “El CFDI no puede ser cancelado” — The system rejects the request due to fiscal rules.
  • “Error al procesar la solicitud. Intente más tarde” — Server timeout or SAT outage.
  • “Certificado no válido” or “e.firma inválida” — Problem with the digital certificate during signing.
  • “El receptor no ha aceptado la cancelación” — The CFDI requires recipient approval and they have not responded.
  • “UUID no encontrado” — The fiscal folio does not exist in SAT records or was entered with a typo.

These errors appear when trying to cancel from sat.gob.mx in the Electronic Invoice section, or when using bulk cancellation tools.

Root Cause

There are multiple causes for CFDI cancellation errors:

Fiscal and process causes:

  • The CFDI has active related documents (payments, credit notes, complements).
  • The recipient must accept the cancellation but has not responded within the deadline.
  • The selected cancellation reason does not match SAT rules (since 2022 reasons 01, 02, 03 or 04 are mandatory).
  • The CFDI belongs to a prior fiscal year and requires a special process.

Technical causes:

  • The e.firma (FIEL) is expired or the .cer and .key files do not match the issuer’s RFC.
  • The browser is outdated or blocks SAT portal connections.
  • The SAT portal is experiencing high load or scheduled maintenance.
  • The UUID was entered with a typing error.

Configuration causes:

  • The PAC (Authorized Certification Provider) is no longer enabled for that CFDI.
  • The digital seal certificate (CSD) was revoked, affecting related records.

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Confirm the CFDI exists and is active

Before cancelling, validate the CFDI status on the SAT portal:

  1. Go to sat.gob.mx and log in with your RFC and e.firma or password.
  2. Navigate to Factura Electrónica > Consulta de CFDI.
  3. Enter the UUID (fiscal folio) and verify the status is “Vigente” (active).
  4. If it shows “Cancelado”, the CFDI was already cancelled previously.
  5. If it does not appear, check whether the UUID contains typing errors.

2. Verify your e.firma validity

  1. Access the SAT portal > Certifica > Consulta tu certificado.
  2. Enter your RFC and check the certificate expiration date.
  3. If expired, renew it at the SAT or at an in-person service module.
  4. Confirm that the .cer and .key files correspond to the same issuer RFC.

3. Check whether the CFDI requires recipient acceptance

Since 1 January 2022, various CFDI require the recipient to accept or reject cancellation:

  1. In SAT portal > Buzón Tributario, verify whether you sent the cancellation request to the recipient.
  2. Contact the recipient to log in to their Buzón Tributario and accept the cancellation.
  3. If they do not respond within 3 business days, the SAT automatically cancels the CFDI.
  4. CFDI for amounts under $1,000 MXN do not require recipient acceptance.

4. Select the correct cancellation reason

Since 2022, indicating the reason is mandatory:

CodeReason
01Invoice issued with errors, replacement issued
02Invoice issued with errors, no replacement
03The transaction did not take place
04Nominative transaction related to a global invoice

Selecting the wrong code will cause the SAT to reject the cancellation.

5. Execute the cancellation on the portal

  1. Go to sat.gob.mx > Factura Electrónica > Cancelación de CFDI.
  2. Select “Por UUID” or “Masiva” as appropriate.
  3. Enter the UUID and the cancellation reason.
  4. Load your e.firma (.cer and .key) and enter the private key password.
  5. Click “Cancelar” and wait for confirmation.
  6. Download the Acuse de Cancelación (cancellation receipt) as proof.

Alternative Solution

If the SAT portal continues to fail, you can cancel using these methods:

From your invoicing software: Tools like Aspel SAE, CONTPAQi Factura Electrónica or Contpaq i Comercial include cancellation modules that connect directly to the SAT through your PAC. This method is more stable than the web portal.

From the SAT web service: The SAT publishes cancellation web services at cancelacfd.sat.gob.mx. It requires technical knowledge but is more reliable during peak hours.

Bulk XML cancellation: If you have multiple CFDI to cancel, prepare a bulk cancellation XML file and send it to the SAT. Consult SAT technical documentation for the required format.

Through your PAC: Contact your Authorized Certification Provider directly. Many PACs offer their own cancellation tools that bypass the bottlenecks of the web portal.

Prevention

To avoid CFDI cancellation errors in the future:

  • Keep your e.firma updated — Renew it at least 30 days before it expires.
  • Verify data before issuing — A correct CFDI from the start removes the need to cancel it.
  • Use updated browsers — The SAT portal works best with recent versions of Chrome or Edge.
  • Avoid peak hours — Monday mornings and month-end days see the highest portal load.
  • Save your receipts — Keep the cancellation receipt alongside the original CFDI XML.
  • Know fiscal deadlines — Check current SAT rules for cancellation by fiscal year.

CFDI timbrado error: If the CFDI could not be stamped in the first place, check the PAC errors. See CFDI Error: Could Not Stamp Fiscal Document.

XML import error in Aspel: When importing a cancelled CFDI into Aspel SAE and an invalid document error appears, see Aspel SAE: Error Importing CFDI XML.

e.firma error in Aspel SAE: If your e.firma fails to load in Aspel SAE, see Aspel SAE: Error Loading e.firma FIEL from SAT.

Payroll CFDI errors in Aspel NOI: For CFDI errors related to payroll receipts in Aspel NOI, see Aspel NOI: CFDI Payroll Receipt Stamping Error.

Summary

  • The “No se pudo realizar la cancelación” error can have fiscal causes (recipient not accepting, related documents) or technical causes (expired e.firma, portal down).
  • Since 2022, selecting the correct cancellation reason (code 01-04) is mandatory.
  • Many CFDI require recipient acceptance; if they do not respond within 3 business days, the SAT cancels automatically.
  • CFDI for amounts under $1,000 MXN do not require recipient acceptance.
  • If the portal fails, cancel from your invoicing software or directly through your PAC.
  • Always keep your e.firma current and save the cancellation receipt.