Refund as store credit
When a supplier gives money back on an invoice, they can pay the refund as store credit instead of cash. Store Credit is the default refund method. A refund is issued from the invoice's Manage Payments → Issue Refund tab, or from the refund step of Cancel entire order. The refund is recorded on the invoice like any refund, but instead of money leaving the supplier, the amount is added to the customer's balance.
Who uses it
- Supplier staff with full invoice access (Admin, Clerk by default) for a refund from the invoice, and full order cancelation access to cancel with a refund.
- Restaurants are told about a refund (email, SMS and push), with the method named "Store Credits". From the invoice, only when Notify customer is ticked; from Cancel entire order, always, even when the cancellation itself isn't announced.
How it works
From the invoice
On a Paid or Partially paid invoice, open Manage Payments → Issue Refund, choose Issue Full Refund or Custom Amount, keep Store Credit as the method and confirm. The amount is added to the customer's balance with the supplier and nothing is booked. The customer is told only if Notify customer is ticked. See Refunds.
From Cancel entire order
The cancel dialog's last step, Issue a Refund ("A refund is required to complete the cancellation."), appears when the customer has paid money that hasn't been refunded. It offers only Issue Full Refund ($X), which is the money paid minus what's already been refunded.
- "Please select the refund method.": Store Credit is selected and listed first. Under it: "Refund amounts are added to this customer's store credit balance. You can apply that balance to a future invoice when you record a payment." No account field is shown for Store Credit.
- Pick the date the refund was issued and add an optional note.
- Click Confirm Cancellation & Issue Refund.
The order is cancelled and the refund recorded in the same save. See Cancellations & returns for the credit the order itself held, which comes back separately.
Errors
| Situation | Message |
|---|---|
| The cancellation or refund can't be saved | "Unable to Cancel Order" toast: "We encountered an issue while canceling your order. Please try again or contact support if the problem persists." Nothing is cancelled, refunded or credited |
Calculations
How much can be refunded
Refundable = money paid − money already refunded. Money paid counts cash, check, card, bank, Other, Other ACH and Other Credit Card. It does not count store credit spent on the invoice, or Clipp-funded promotion payouts. Credit spent on an invoice can't be refunded; it comes back separately when the order is cancelled.
| Paid in money | Credit applied | Already refunded | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| $100.00 | $0.00 | $30.00 | $70.00 |
| $40.00 | $60.00 | $0.00 | $40.00 |
| $0.00 | $100.00 | $0.00 | $0.00, so the cancel dialog has no refund step |
Knock-on effects
Cancel INV-1001 with $30.00 paid in cash, refunded as store credit. Joe's Diner held $0.00.
| What | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Store credit balance | $0.00 | $30.00 |
| Invoice: Refunded Amount | $0.00 | −$30.00 |
| Records | — | + Credit Issued, Store Credit, $30.00 ("Refund Date", "Refund Amount") |
| Invoice PDF: Refunded Method | — | "Store Credits: $30.00" |
| Bookkeeping | — | Nothing |
The same refund in cash would differ only in two rows: the credit balance stays $0.00, and bookkeeping gets Payment Reversal – Order Cancelled, category Sales Return, −$30.00.
Messages (sent when a refund is recorded)
| To | Channel | Says |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | Email (refund received, invoice PDF attached) | Refund amount $30.00, refund method "Store Credits", invoice INV-1001, and the cancellation reason |
| Supplier | Email to the supplier's business email (refund issued, PDF attached) | The same facts |
| Restaurant | Push and SMS, to staff who can see invoices | The refund amount, invoice and supplier (verify exact text) |
A refund is told even when the supplier didn't tick Notify customer on the cancellation.
Where it shows up
Invoice Records (chip Credit Issued, labelled "Refund Date" and "Refund Amount") · customer Payment History · invoice preview and PDF (Refunded Amount, and "Store Credits" under Refunded Method) · refund emails, SMS and push.
Permissions
A refund from the invoice needs full invoice access. Cancelling an order, and so the refund with it, needs full order cancelation access.
Decisions
- Store Credit is listed first and preselected. (Why it is the default isn't recorded; verify with product.) (#2121)
- Store-credit refunds book nothing. Credit isn't money leaving the business. (#2306, IMM-009)
- Refunds are capped at what was paid in money. (#2499, IMM-021, IMM-022)
- A cancellation and its refund are one save. A failed refund used to leave the order cancelled with no credit returned. (#2321)
Known limitations
- A cancellation refund is always the full amount. A partial or custom-amount refund is made from the invoice's Issue Refund tab instead, which isn't offered once the invoice is cancelled or while it is Processing.
- A store-credit refund shows the chip Credit Issued, while its labels say "Refund Date" and "Refund Amount", and the delete button says Delete Credit.
FAQ
The customer paid entirely with store credit. How do I give it back? There's no refund step ("no remaining refundable amount"): cancel the order and all its credit returns automatically, or remove the store-credit payment (Correct or remove).
I want to refund $30 of a paid invoice without cancelling it. Open the invoice, Manage Payments → Issue Refund, choose Custom Amount, enter $30.00 and pick Store Credit or another method. See Refunds.
Does a store-credit refund count as an expense? No. Only cash-type refunds book a Sales Return entry.