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# Refunding a Payment

Apprentice has two refund buttons. **Refund** sends money back to the client's card. **Record refund** only writes a refund in your records, and no money moves.

## Before you start

Pick the right button for how the client paid:

- **Card, Tap to Pay, payment link, or the payment window in Apprentice:** use **Refund**. The money goes back to the client's card.
- **Cash, Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Cash App, or check:** pay the client back yourself first, then use **Record refund**.

Who can refund:

- The artist on the project can send a card refund.
- A shop owner or admin can send a card refund for a payment the shop received.
- Front desk can record an outside refund, but can't send a card refund.

## Refund a card payment

1. Open the project and choose the **Money** tab. Find the payment under **History** and choose **Refund**.
   You can also open **History** from **Payments** (artists) or **Revenue** (shop owners and admins), open the payment's **⋯** menu, and choose **Refund**.
2. The **Process Refund** window shows **Client Paid**, **Already Refunded**, and **Available to Refund**.
3. Enter an amount, or choose **Full Refund** or **50%**.
4. Pick a **Reason** and add an optional note.
5. Choose **Process Refund**, read the summary, then choose **Confirm**.

A refund takes the payment first, then the tip, then the service fee. You can't refund more than what's left, and you can't undo a refund.

## Record an outside refund

1. Choose **Record refund** on the payment. The **Record Outside Refund** window opens.
2. Check the **Original payment**, the **Payment Method** you used, the amount, and the **Date Refunded**.
3. Choose **Record Refund**.

This only logs the refund. It does not send money.

## Who pays for a refund

A full card refund gives the client back everything they paid on that payment, including any tip and service fee. The whole refund comes out of the Stripe balance that received the payment: the shop's if the shop received it, or yours if you are a solo artist. Apprentice keeps its own fee.

If that balance is too low, Stripe refuses the refund and no money moves. Try again after new payments come in, or contact support.

## After a refund

- **History** shows the refund, its status, and a Stripe refund ID. **Refund is processing** means Stripe hasn't finished yet.
- The client's bank usually shows the refund in 5 to 10 business days.
- Apprentice doesn't email the client about a normal refund. Stripe may send a receipt. Tell your client yourself.

## Split shop and artist payments

Some shops split each card payment between the shop and the artist automatically. Refund these in Apprentice with **Refund**, not in the Stripe Dashboard. Apprentice takes each side's share back first, then refunds the client. If a side's balance is short, the refund can show **Refund is on hold** until it can finish.

We are still checking how Stripe fees are shared on split payments, and how a refund recovers when a side's balance is short. Until that is confirmed, treat the amounts the window shows as the guide, and ask support if a number looks wrong.

## If something goes wrong

Check **History** before you try a refund again. For failed or unconfirmed refunds, see [What to Do When a Refund Doesn't Go Through](https://help.useapprentice.com/en/article/what-to-do-when-a-refund-doesnt-go-through-hziwah/).

## Related articles

- [What to Do When a Refund Doesn't Go Through](https://help.useapprentice.com/en/article/what-to-do-when-a-refund-doesnt-go-through-hziwah/)
- [Recording External Payments](https://help.useapprentice.com/en/article/recording-external-payments-d6t94n/)
- [Viewing Your Payment History](https://help.useapprentice.com/en/article/viewing-your-payment-history-n17byf/)
- [Tracking Your Earnings and Payouts](https://help.useapprentice.com/en/article/tracking-your-earnings-and-payouts-lyq85x/)