Cobot allows you to refund payments made on invoices, sending the funds back to the payer’s account. This can be done automatically (with Stripe) or manually, if you're using payment methods.
Currently, automatic refunds are only possible if you're using Stripe. For other payment methods, refunds must be processed manually (though Cobot can record them for your tracking).
Automatic Refunds (via Stripe)
With Stripe, you can issue refunds automatically within Cobot.
Go to Manage » Invoices » Locate the invoice you wish to refund » Payment Records » Add Refund.
You will automatically be forwarded to a screen pre-filled with the original amount and the Payment Method (Stripe) that was used to pay the invoice. You can either refund the full amount or just part of it, e.g. if a member accidentally overpaid their invoice.
2. Click Issue Refund.
And that’s it! The money will be refunded to your member’s original payment method via Stripe within seconds. You will also see an activity in the activity feed as well as on your Dashboard.
⚠️ Stripe does not return their processing fees when a refund is issued. Learn more on Stripe’s support page.
IMPORTANT NOTE
If you've enabled the Must Pay For Time Passes Instantly option under Customize » Features » Payments, refunds for Time Passes purchased with a credit card are currently not supported.
This functionality will be available soon.
Manual Refunds (or Non-Stripe Payments)
If your clients are using other payment methods than Stripe (e.g., PayPal or manual payment methods), you'll need to manually refund the payment through your external service. You can still record the refund in Cobot for accurate bookkeeping.
Go to Manage » Invoices » Locate the invoice you wish to refund » Payment Records » Add » Refund.
The payment method used to pay for the invoice will be selected by default.
Click on Record Refund.
⚠️ Recording the refund in Cobot for a non-Stripe payment does not send any money back. You will need to do this manually.
Payment Status Update After Refund
Once a refund is issued—whether automatically or manually—the invoice status in Cobot will update accordingly.
The invoice status will reflect one of the following:
Unpaid – Invoice had been fully paid and the full amount was refunded.
Partially Paid – Invoice had fully been paid and only part of the payment was refunded.
Paid – Invoice had been overpaid and only the overpaid amount was refunded.
Deleting Payment Records
Deleting a payment record does not cancel or undo the refund, nor will it change the invoice status and/or paid/payable amount.
Creating Correction Invoices for Refunded Payments
Depending on your accounting methods, you can also create correction invoices for your refunded payments.