Processing Refunds

This guide explains how to issue refunds for transactions in GovPayPlan.

Refund Availability

Important

Refunds must be enabled by your agency administrator. If you don't see the refund option, contact your administrator to verify that refunds are allowed for your agency.

Refund Eligibility

Not all transactions can be refunded. A transaction is eligible for refund when:

• Refunds are enabled for your agency
• Transaction has not yet processed (settled to the bank)
• Your user role has refund permissions

Processing Window

Once a payment has fully processed and settled to the bank, it can no longer be refunded through GovPayPlan. Processing typically occurs within 24 hours of the transaction, but may happen more quickly.

TIP

To refund a transaction, act promptly after the payment is made. Check the transaction status to confirm it hasn't yet processed.

Types of Refunds

Full Refund

Returns the transaction amount to the payer.

Partial Refund

Returns a portion of the transaction amount. You can issue multiple partial refunds until the full amount is refunded.

Service Fees

Refunds may not include service or convenience fees. The refundable amount is the original payment amount excluding any fees that were charged at the time of the transaction.

Issuing a Refund

Step 1: Find the Transaction

1. Navigate to Transactions
2. Search for the transaction by:
   • Transaction ID
   • Payer name or email
   • Date range
   • Reference number

Step 2: Open Transaction Details

Click on the transaction to view its details.

Step 3: Initiate Refund

1. Click the Refund button
2. Select refund type:
   • Full Refund - Refunds entire amount
   • Partial Refund - Enter the amount to refund

Step 4: Provide Refund Reason

Select or enter the reason for the refund:

• Customer request
• Duplicate payment
• Service not provided
• Billing error
• Other (specify)

Step 5: Confirm and Process

1. Review the refund details
2. Click Process Refund
3. Wait for confirmation

TIP

Once a refund is issued, it typically takes 5-10 business days to appear in the payer's account, depending on their bank.

Refund Notifications

When a refund is processed:

• Payer receives an email confirmation
• Transaction status updates to Refunded or Partially Refunded
• Refund appears in reports

Viewing Refund History

To see all refunds:

1. Navigate to Reports > Transaction Reports
2. Filter by status: Refunded or Partially Refunded
3. Or use the Refunds filter in the sidebar

Handling Refund Issues

Refund Option Not Available

If you don't see the refund option:

• Refunds may be disabled for your agency - contact your administrator
• Transaction has already processed - once settled, refunds are no longer available
• Insufficient permissions - your user role may not have refund access

Payer Hasn't Received Refund

If a payer reports not receiving their refund:

1. Verify the refund status in GovPayPlan
2. Advise that refunds take 5-10 business days to appear
3. Advise them to check with their bank
4. Escalate to support if beyond expected timeline

Refund Permissions

Refund capabilities depend on your agency's settings and your user role.

INFO

These permissions only apply if refunds are enabled for your agency. See Agency Settings for information on enabling refunds.

Role	Full Refund	Partial Refund	Refund Limit
Operator	Yes	Yes	Set by admin
Manager	Yes	Yes	Higher limit
Administrator	Yes	Yes	Unlimited

Related Topics

• Creating Payments - Process new payments
• Transaction Reports - View refund reports
• Roles & Permissions - Configure refund permissions