Articles on: General

What to Do When a Refund Doesn't Go Through

If a card refund doesn't go through, Apprentice tells you why and keeps a notice on the payment. Here is what each notice means and what to do.

Where to find notices

The Process Refund window stays open and explains the problem. A notice also stays on the payment until a later refund works or you dismiss it. Find it in:

The project's Money tab, under History
Payments, then History (artists)
Revenue, then History (shop owners and admins)

Front desk staff can't see these notices. Every notice has a Reference code. Give it to support if you need help.

"Refund of $X didn't go through"

Stripe said no, so no money went back to the client.

Not enough balance: The Stripe account that got the payment doesn't have enough balance. The window only shows Close. Try again after new payments come in, or contact support.
Stripe didn't accept the refund: Contact support before you choose Try again.

"Refund of $X not confirmed yet"

We can't tell yet if the refund went through. Check History in a few minutes. Don't try again until you've checked, because a second try could refund the client twice. If it isn't in History, contact support with the Reference code.

"Refund of $X is on hold" (split payments)

Part of a split shop and artist payment couldn't be taken back yet, so the client has not been refunded. Apprentice keeps trying. Choose Try again to try right away. If it is still on hold after about a week, contact support with the Reference code. You can't dismiss this notice.

How fees are shared and how a short balance is recovered on split payments are still being confirmed. Treat the amounts shown as the guide, and ask support if a number looks wrong.

"We couldn't check for failed refunds"

The page couldn't look for notices. Choose Retry.

Dismiss a notice

Choose Dismiss, then Hide notice. Dismissing only hides the notice for everyone. It doesn't change the refund. If the same payment fails again, a new notice shows. Check History before hiding a "not confirmed yet" notice.

Updated on: 09/10/2026

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