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Payments / Manage payments / Refund a payment

Refund a payment

Last updated: 14th July 2022

Use a refund to return a payment to a customer. Refunds can be made in the Dashboard or by using this API endpoint.

There are two types of refunds you might need to process:

  • Full refund. A full refund returns the total amount of the payment to the customer — it can only be performed once.
  • Partial refund. A partial refund returns a sum less than the captured amount. A payment can be refunded multiple times, but cannot exceed the original payment amount.

Refunds are always processed in the same currency as the captured payment.

You cannot cancel a refund after it has been processed.

Overview

To process a refund successfully, you must provide the payment ID of the captured payment. You can find the ID:

  • In the response of the payment request
  • In the webhook notification

The requests are the same for partial and full refunds. Any refunds for less than the original captured amount will be considered partial refunds.

Use the endpoint below to request a refund.

If required by the card scheme, we will trigger a refund authorization before processing your refund.

Endpoints

For the full API specification, see the API reference.

    post

    https://api.checkout.com/payments/{id}/refunds

    Request examples

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    {
      "reference": "ORD-5023-4E89",
      "metadata": {
        "coupon_code": "NY2018",
        "partner_id": 123989
      }
    }

    Response examples

    A successful refund request returns a 202 Refund accepted response. However, if there was a problem with your request, you'll receive an error response.

    Refunds are asynchronous requests, which means they happen behind the scenes. The API response does not confirm whether or not the refund was successful. Create a webhook so you are notified.

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      {
        "action_id": "act_y3oqhf46pyzuxjbcn2giaqnb44",
        "reference": "ORD-5023-4E89",
        "_links": {
          "payment": {
            "href": "https://api.checkout.com/payments/pay_y3oqhf46pyzuxjbcn2giaqnb44"
          }
        }
      }

      If unsuccessful, you may also receive a 403 Refund not allowed or 404 Payment not found error.

      Refund authorization

      If the card scheme requires it, we will automatically trigger a refund authorization on your behalf before processing your refund.

      Refund authorizations only apply to card payments.

      If a refund authorization is requested, you can find the Retrieval Reference Number (RRN) in refund webhook notifications and in the get payment actions call.

      If the refund authorization is declined, you will receive a 422 response, like the one below.

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      {
        "request_id": "f5feff3f-d2ef-4c82-b4d0-ff443731581f",
        "error_type": "processing_error",
        "error_codes": [
          "refund_authorization_declined"
        ]
      }

      If you want to know the reason for the decline, you can either subscribe to refund webhook notifications, use our get payment actions endpoint, or view it in your Dashboard account.

      Testing

      To test a declined refund authorization, request a refund with the amount set to 3738.

      Troubleshooting

      If your refund request was unsuccessful, the checklist below may help you identify the problem:

      • Is the refund amount higher than the original payment?
      • Has the payment already been refunded?
      • Did you send the authorization ID instead of the payment ID?

      On this page

      Overview
      Refund authorization
      Troubleshooting