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How To Issue A Refund in WorkZen

All plansBeginnerVideo, 1:26Updated August 7, 2026

Open the payment and choose Issue Refund. Card payments taken through Stripe refund automatically through Stripe; cash and other manual payments are recorded as a refund so your books stay clean. The invoice balance updates either way.

Refunds happen. Doing them cleanly, with the right paper trail, is what separates "no big deal" from "now we have a bookkeeping problem." In WorkZen a refund is its own record, linked to the original payment, so the client, the books, and your tax return all agree.

Where refunds live

Open the payment (from the Payments page or the invoice's Payments section) and click Issue Refund in the actions menu. The option only appears on payments that can still be refunded. Issuing refunds requires the Manage Payments permission.

The refund modal shows three numbers up front: Original Amount, Already Refunded, and Refundable Amount. You can never refund more than what's refundable, and partial refunds are fine; enter an amount or tick Refund full amount.

Card payments vs manual payments

Payment typeRefund optionWhat happens
Card paid through StripeStripe Refund (Automatic refund)Stripe returns the money; the client receives funds in 5 to 10 business days
Card paid through StripeManual Refund (Record only)Nothing moves; you record a refund you handled outside Stripe
Cash, check, e-transfer, otherManual refundYou choose the Refund Method, Refund Date, and Reason for Refund; WorkZen records it

For manual refunds, add a reference number (transaction ID or check number) so the trail is complete.

Warning

Refunds cannot be undone. The refund is recorded and the invoice balance is updated immediately.

What happens to the invoice

The invoice recalculates automatically:

  • Partial refund on a Paid invoice: status moves to Partially Paid.
  • All payments fully refunded: the invoice returns to Sent (or Unsent if it was never sent), with the full balance owing again.
  • The original payment shows as Refunded once it's fully refunded, and each refund appears as its own Refund record linked to it.

One practical consequence: an invoice with live payments cannot be voided. Refund (or delete) the payments first, then Void the invoice if you're cancelling it entirely.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Open the payment

    Go to Payments (or the invoice's Payments section) and open the payment you need to refund.

  2. 2

    Choose Issue Refund

    Open the payment's actions menu and click Issue Refund. The modal shows the Original Amount, Already Refunded, and Refundable Amount.

  3. 3

    Pick the refund method

    For Stripe card payments, choose the automatic Stripe Refund or a Manual Refund (record only). For cash and other manual payments, fill in the Refund Method, Refund Date, and Reason for Refund.

  4. 4

    Confirm

    Click Issue Refund. The refund is recorded against the payment and the invoice balance updates automatically.

See it in action

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Enter any amount up to the Refundable Amount shown in the modal, or tick Refund full amount. You can refund the same payment more than once until it is fully refunded.
The refund is processed automatically through Stripe and the client typically receives the funds in 5 to 10 business days.
A partial refund on a paid invoice moves it back to Partially Paid. Fully refunding all payments returns the invoice to Sent (or Unsent if it was never sent), so the balance shows as owing again.
No. A manual refund is a record of money you returned outside WorkZen (cash handed back, a check mailed). Only the Stripe refund option actually moves funds.
No. The refund modal warns that this action cannot be undone. The refund is recorded and the invoice balance is updated.

This article answers:

  • How do I refund a client?
  • Can I refund a card payment?
  • Can I refund part of a payment?
  • What happens to the invoice when I refund?

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How To Record A Payment in WorkZenRecord cash, check, e-transfer, card, and other payments against an invoice, including partial payments, and see exactly what's still owing.Video, 1:09Find and review payments on the Payments pageThe Payments page lists every payment and refund across all invoices. Filter by status, method, or date, and correct mistakes with a refund.2 min readHow To Create And Send An Invoice in WorkZenCreate an invoice, add line items from your price book or packages, and send it to your client by email with an online payment link.Video, 2:00How to accept credit card payments with StripeConnect a Stripe account so clients pay invoices online, techs take cards in the field, and every payment records itself in WorkZen.2 min read

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