From time to time, a donor or event attendee might reach out to your ministry requesting a refund. We know managing church finances requires care, so let's walk through how you can easily handle these requests while enhancing your overall experience!
How to issue a Refund for a Gift
You can issue a refund for a gift directly from your transaction logs or a specific person's profile. We highly recommend confirming the exact transaction amount and transaction ID with your donor before completing these steps to ensure accuracy.
Navigate to Giving > Gifts and find the specific transaction. Alternatively, you can navigate to People > All people, select the donor, and view their giving history, then click the transaction to open its details.
Click Refund in the upper-right corner.
If you want to leave a message for the donor, click Add Memo.
If you add a Memo, there are two fields to fill out:
Message: This will be sent to the donor within the refund notice email
Internal Note: This information will remain within the Dashboard
A transaction can only be refunded when it holds a Transfer Pending or Paid status. If a gift is Pending, the refund button will not appear because the funds have not settled. There is no way to cancel a transaction while it is in a Pending state. Additionally, you cannot refund previously disputed gifts, regardless of the dispute outcome.
How to issue a Refund for a Payment
Refunding a payment follows a similar path but does not include an option to send a custom email memo.
Navigate to Giving > Payments and select the specific payment you need to reverse.
Click Refund in the upper-right corner of the screen.
When the confirmation modal appears, click Yes, refund to complete the process.
If you need to refund a payment tied to an event registration, completing the steps above reverses the financial charge but does not remove the person from the attendee list. Check out our guide on Removing & refunding paid registrations for the complete workflow: Removing & refunding paid registrations | Subsplash Support
Viewing Refund Details
Once you issue a refund for either a gift or a payment, the Dashboard provides an audit trail within the original transaction's details page to keep your records clear.
Activity timeline
The Activity timeline shows you exactly who on your staff initiated the refund and the exact date the action occurred. This timeline offers clear internal accountability for your finance team.
Related transactions table
The Related transactions table displays the specific details of the original transaction alongside the newly refunded transaction. This table also includes direct links to the corresponding transfer reports, making bank reconciliation effortless.
Best Practices
To keep your church finances secure and running smoothly, consider adopting these internal workflows:
We recommend having multiple members of your finance team review and approve a refund before an administrator issues it, rather than relying on a single individual.
Issue refunds as soon as possible to prevent the risk of donor-initiated chargebacks (see our article on chargebacks vs. refunds for more information).
How Refunds Work
When you issue a refund, the system pulls the necessary funds from your pending transfer balance. These are the accumulated funds that Subsplash has not yet deposited into your bank account.
You will also receive a small credit for the processing fees from the original gift, which we include automatically in your next transfer.
Here is how your balance adjusts depending on your available funds:
If your pending transfer balance covers the refund, Subsplash processes it immediately. For example, if you have $100 in your pending balance and issue a $75 refund, your balance drops to $25, which will be deposited into your bank during your next scheduled transfer.
If you issue a refund that exceeds your pending balance, your balance will become negative. For example, if you issue a $150 refund with only $100 available, your balance drops to -$50. Any incoming donations will need to cover that -$50 balance before you receive your next bank deposit.
FAQ
How do I void a transaction?
How do I void a transaction?
You cannot void transactions because the payment processor handles all transactions immediately. To reverse a charge, you must issue a full refund using the steps outlined above.
Can I issue a partial refund?
Can I issue a partial refund?
No, you must issue refunds for the entire transaction amount. If a partial refund is necessary, we recommend that you refund the full amount and then assist the donor in creating a new, separate transaction for the correct amount. We maintain this limitation to protect your ministry from exposure to chargeback risks. (see our article on chargebacks vs. refunds for more information).
How do I give a refund to a different card?
How do I give a refund to a different card?
Refunds can only be returned to the exact card or bank account that the donor initially used for the transaction. If a donor closed their account or card, please contact Support for assistance.
How do I cancel a refund?
How do I cancel a refund?
Once a refund has been issued, it cannot be canceled. You will need to instruct your donor to make a new donation to offset the refund.
How do I charge someone's card?
How do I charge someone's card?
Only donors should create charges using your app or web giving screen. If a donor requires assistance, we recommend that you walk them through the process in person if possible.
Why was my donor's charge declined?
Why was my donor's charge declined?
Subsplash does not decline charges. Rather, we request approval from the bank that issued the card. If a customer’s card is declined, they should contact their bank to determine the cause. You can assure them it is not an issue with your organization or your payment provider and suggest they call the support number on the back of their card.
Is there a time limit on refunds?
Is there a time limit on refunds?
Refunds can be issued up to 90 days after the donation was given.
How long does it take for my donor to receive their refund?
How long does it take for my donor to receive their refund?
Refunds take 7-10 business days to process.
Are refunds recorded through my Planning Center or CCB integration?
Are refunds recorded through my Planning Center or CCB integration?
At this time, data related to refunded transactions is not transferred to ChMS integrations. This information will need to be recorded manually.