--- title: Refunds description: "Eventixa separates the **registration cancellation** from the **financial refund**. This is important because cancelling a booking affects the event registration and ticket capacity, while the refund itself returns money through the payment provider. > **Available in:** Eventixa Core + Eventixa…" url: "https://eventixawp.com/docs/refunds/" updated: "2026-09-27" category: Payments --- # Refunds Eventixa separates the **registration cancellation** from the **financial refund**. This is important because cancelling a booking affects the event registration and ticket capacity, while the refund itself returns money through the payment provider. > **Available in:** Eventixa Core + Eventixa Pro > **Location:** Eventixa → Bookings → Open Booking > **Related features:** Bookings, Payment Statuses, Transactions, PayPal, Stripe, WooCommerce, Offline Payment ## Cancellation and Refund Are Different A refund workflow normally involves two separate operations. ### Cancellation Changes the Eventixa booking state and releases applicable ticket capacity. ### Refund Returns money to the purchaser through the payment provider or offline payment method. Do not treat these as the same action. ## Recommended Refund Workflow A typical Eventixa refund workflow is: 1. Open the booking. 2. Verify the payment. 3. Cancel the booking. 4. Confirm ticket capacity is released. 5. Refund the customer through the payment provider. 6. Verify the refund succeeded. 7. Mark the Eventixa booking **Refunded** where appropriate. 8. Add an internal note if useful. ## Open the Booking Go to: `Eventixa → Bookings` Find the booking that needs a refund. Open the Booking Details screen. Before doing anything, review: - Booking reference - Event - Ticket - Quantity - Booking status - Payment status - Payment gateway - Amount - Transaction ID ## Verify the Payment First Before issuing a refund, confirm the transaction actually exists. Check: - Payment status - Gateway - Transaction ID - Amount - External payment provider Never refund based only on a customer message without verifying the original payment. ## Confirm the Amount Paid The amount actually paid may be lower than the original ticket subtotal. For example: **Ticket subtotal:** $100 **Coupon:** -$20 **Amount paid:** $80 The relevant refund amount is based on: **$80** not the undiscounted $100. ## Cancel the Booking When the registration should no longer remain active, cancel the booking. Cancellation can: - Change booking status - Cancel attendee participation - Release ticket capacity This is the Eventixa registration-side action. ## Capacity Release After cancellation, verify the associated ticket capacity is available again where applicable. For example: **Before cancellation:** 1 seat remaining **Cancelled booking quantity:** 2 The released seats should return to availability according to Eventixa rules. ## Refund Does Not Automatically Release Capacity Returning money alone does not necessarily update the Eventixa registration. That is why the booking should be handled separately. ## Cancel Does Not Automatically Refund Money Likewise, cancelling the Eventixa booking does not automatically mean the payment provider returned the money. Always verify the actual refund. ## Mark as Refunded After the real financial refund has been completed and verified, the Eventixa booking can be marked: **Refunded** This keeps the administrative booking state aligned with the payment result. ## Do Not Mark Refunded Too Early Never mark a booking Refunded before the financial refund has actually succeeded. A Refunded status in Eventixa is an administrative record. It does not itself move money. ## PayPal Refunds For PayPal bookings: 1. Open the Eventixa booking. 2. Verify the PayPal transaction. 3. Cancel the Eventixa booking if applicable. 4. Process the refund through the applicable PayPal workflow. 5. Verify the refund in PayPal. 6. Update Eventixa to Refunded where appropriate. The PayPal transaction is the financial source of truth. ## Stripe Refunds > **Requires Eventixa Pro** For Stripe bookings: 1. Verify the Stripe transaction or Payment Intent. 2. Cancel the Eventixa booking if appropriate. 3. Process the refund using the supported Stripe workflow. 4. Confirm Stripe shows the refund. 5. Update Eventixa accordingly. ## WooCommerce Refunds When WooCommerce handled the payment, the financial refund should generally be processed through WooCommerce and its payment gateway. A typical flow is: 1. Open Eventixa booking. 2. Identify related WooCommerce order. 3. Verify amount paid. 4. Cancel Eventixa booking if appropriate. 5. Refund through WooCommerce. 6. Verify the gateway refund. 7. Update Eventixa booking. ## Offline Payment Refunds Offline payments must be refunded outside Eventixa. Examples include: - Bank transfer back to customer - Cash refund - Reversal of manual invoice After the money is actually returned, update Eventixa. ## Manual Refund Workflow For a manual offline refund: 1. Open booking. 2. Verify amount received. 3. Cancel booking. 4. Return the money manually. 5. Confirm refund was completed. 6. Mark booking Refunded. 7. Add a note. ## Full Refund A full refund returns the entire amount actually paid. For example: **Paid:** $80 **Refunded:** $80 The net paid amount becomes: **$0** ## Partial Refund A partial refund returns only part of the original payment. For example: **Paid:** $100 **Refunded:** $25 **Net paid:** $75 Partial refunds require extra care because the booking may not map cleanly to a single fully Refunded status. Document the result clearly. ## Partial Refund Notes If a partial refund is issued, add a useful internal note. For example: **Partial refund of $25 processed through Stripe on September 24, 2026.** This helps other administrators understand the current financial state. ## Refund After Coupon Always refund based on the amount actually charged. Example: **Ticket subtotal:** $120 **Coupon discount:** $30 **Paid:** $90 A full refund should return: **$90** ## Refund and Multiple Tickets If one booking contains multiple tickets, determine whether the refund is: - Full booking refund - Partial quantity refund - Partial financial refund Do not cancel all attendees if only one registration is being refunded unless that is the intended outcome. ## Refund and Attendees Cancelling a booking can affect attendee records. Review the attendee state after cancellation. Do not leave a refunded attendee active if their registration should no longer be valid. ## Refund and Check-In If an attendee has already been checked in, review the situation carefully before refunding. A checked-in attendee has already used the registration. Your event's refund policy may determine whether a refund should still be allowed. Eventixa itself does not replace your business policy. ## Refund and Recurring Events For recurring events, verify the correct occurrence before refunding. Check: - Event - Occurrence date - Ticket - Booking - Transaction This avoids refunding the wrong registration. ## Refund and Virtual Events For Virtual or Hybrid events, a refunded registration should no longer be treated as an active paid registration. Review whether virtual access should remain available. ## Refund and Waitlist > **Waitlist requires Eventixa Pro** Cancelling a paid booking can release capacity. If Waitlist is enabled, the newly available capacity may be offered to the next eligible waitlisted person. This can happen before the financial refund is fully processed because capacity and money are separate concerns. ## Refund Before Waitlist Release Before cancelling a booking on a sold-out event, understand that cancellation may trigger waitlist reservation behavior. Make sure you are ready for the seat to become available. ## Transaction Verification Use the transaction ID to locate the original payment. For example: - PayPal transaction reference - Stripe Payment Intent - WooCommerce gateway transaction ID Verify the transaction before refunding. ## Transaction and Refund Reference Some payment providers create a separate refund reference. Keep this information in the payment provider for reconciliation. If useful, record a concise note in Eventixa. ## Booking Notes Booking Notes are useful for refund history. Examples: **Booking cancelled by administrator.** **Full Stripe refund processed and verified.** **Partial refund of $20 issued.** ## System Notes Eventixa may add system-generated notes when booking status changes. Review them before adding manual notes. ## Refund Status History A useful refund audit trail includes: - Original payment - Cancellation - Financial refund - Refunded status - Internal notes This makes later support easier. ## Refund Policy Eventixa provides the tools to manage booking and payment state, but your organization decides its refund policy. Your policy may define: - Refund deadline - Partial refund rules - Non-refundable fees - No-show policy - Event cancellation policy Publish those terms clearly for customers. ## Event Cancellation If the entire event is cancelled, multiple bookings may need refunds. Use a controlled process: 1. Identify affected bookings. 2. Verify paid amounts. 3. Cancel registrations. 4. Process refunds. 5. Verify each transaction. 6. Update Eventixa. 7. Communicate with attendees. ## Avoid Bulk Financial Assumptions Do not assume every booking needs the same refund amount. Bookings may differ because of: - Coupons - Ticket types - Quantities - Partial payments - Different gateways Review the actual paid amount. ## Customer Requests Refund Before processing: 1. Find booking. 2. Confirm customer identity. 3. Review event policy. 4. Verify payment. 5. Confirm amount. 6. Decide whether registration should be cancelled. 7. Process refund. ## Customer Was Charged Twice If the customer reports a duplicate charge: 1. Verify both payment transactions. 2. Confirm which booking each belongs to. 3. Determine whether both transactions succeeded. 4. Refund the unintended duplicate only. 5. Add a note. Do not cancel the valid booking unless necessary. ## Customer Says Refund Is Missing If Eventixa shows Refunded but the customer says they did not receive the money: 1. Open payment provider. 2. Verify refund status. 3. Check refund date. 4. Check refund amount. 5. Confirm payment method. 6. Provide appropriate provider-side reference where useful. Eventixa's status alone is not proof the bank has finished processing the refund. ## Refund Processing Time Payment providers and banks can take time to deliver refunded funds to the customer. The actual timing depends on the external payment provider and financial institution. Do not promise an exact bank-processing time unless the provider confirms it. ## Failed Refund If the payment provider rejects the refund: - Do not mark Eventixa Refunded. - Investigate the failure. - Correct the issue. - Retry where appropriate. - Update Eventixa only after success. ## Expired Booking with Payment If a booking is Expired but a payment actually completed: 1. Verify the gateway. 2. Confirm the amount. 3. Review whether the registration can still be honored. 4. If not, process a refund. 5. Update Eventixa appropriately. ## Free Bookings A free ticket has no financial transaction to refund. You may cancel the registration, but there is no payment to return. ## RSVP RSVP Going / Not Going is not a paid transaction. There is no payment refund workflow for a normal RSVP response. ## Refund and Reporting Refunded bookings can affect reports. When reviewing revenue, distinguish: - Gross payments - Refunds - Net revenue Do not count refunded transactions as retained revenue. ## WooCommerce Reporting For WooCommerce payments, also review the WooCommerce order and refund reporting. Keep WooCommerce and Eventixa consistent. ## Gateway Fees Payment gateway fees may not always be returned to the organizer when issuing a refund. This depends on the provider. Eventixa does not control the external provider's fee policy. ## Refund Security Only authorized administrators should process refunds. Before refunding, verify: - Booking - Customer - Payment - Amount - Gateway Refunds move real money and should be handled carefully. ## Do Not Store Sensitive Data Never place: - Full card number - CVC - API secret - PayPal secret - Stripe secret key inside booking notes. Use the transaction ID and refund reference instead. ## Test Refunds Before Going Live Before accepting production payments, test the refund workflow for each payment method you plan to use. Test: - PayPal refund - Stripe refund - WooCommerce refund - Offline refund - Capacity release - Booking status - Attendee status - Notes ## Test Coupon Refunds Complete a discounted test booking. Then refund it. Verify that you refund the actual charged amount. ## Test Multiple Tickets Create a booking with multiple tickets. Test whether your intended refund policy works for: - Full refund - Partial quantity - Partial amount ## Test Recurring Event Refunds Register for a specific occurrence. Refund the booking. Confirm the correct occurrence and capacity are updated. ## Common Problems ### Booking Is Cancelled but Payment Still Shows Paid The financial refund has not been completed yet. Cancel and refund are separate. ### Refund Was Processed but Booking Still Shows Paid Verify the provider refund, then update Eventixa as appropriate. ### Eventixa Shows Refunded but Customer Has Not Received Money Check the payment provider. The refund may still be processing externally. ### Wrong Refund Amount Check: - Original ticket total - Coupon - Amount actually paid - Partial refund history ### Capacity Did Not Return Review: - Booking status - Attendee state - Ticket capacity - Waitlist behavior ### Refund Was Sent for the Wrong Booking Stop and review the transaction references immediately. Use booking and transaction IDs to reconcile the records. ### Customer Was Refunded but Still Has Virtual Access Review the booking and attendee eligibility for the Virtual or Hybrid event. ### Refunded Booking Still Has Checked-In Attendee This may be historically correct if the attendee was already checked in before refund. Review the event policy and record notes appropriately. ## Recommended Full Refund Workflow 1. Go to **Eventixa → Bookings**. 2. Open the booking. 3. Verify booking reference. 4. Verify payment status. 5. Verify gateway. 6. Verify transaction ID. 7. Verify actual paid amount. 8. Cancel the booking. 9. Confirm capacity release. 10. Process the refund with the payment provider. 11. Confirm refund success. 12. Mark Eventixa booking Refunded. 13. Review attendee status. 14. Add an internal note. ## Recommended Partial Refund Workflow 1. Verify the original transaction. 2. Confirm the partial refund amount. 3. Process the partial refund externally. 4. Verify the result. 5. Keep the Eventixa booking state appropriate for the remaining registration. 6. Add a detailed internal note. Do not automatically mark the whole booking Refunded when only part of the payment was returned unless that matches your workflow. ## Important Notes - Cancelling a booking and refunding money are separate operations. - Cancel first when the registration should no longer remain active. - Verify ticket capacity after cancellation. - Process the real refund through the payment provider. - Only mark Eventixa Refunded after the financial refund is verified. - Refund the amount actually paid after coupons and discounts. - PayPal, Stripe, WooCommerce, and Offline payments have different refund workflows. - Partial refunds require careful documentation. - Waitlist can claim capacity released by a cancelled booking. - Free tickets and RSVP do not have financial refunds. - Always verify external payment transactions before changing financial states. ## Related Documentation - [Payment Overview in Eventixa](https://eventixawp.com/docs/payment-overview/) - [Payment Statuses in Eventixa](https://eventixawp.com/docs/payment-statuses/) - [Transactions in Eventixa](https://eventixawp.com/docs/transactions/) - [PayPal Payment in Eventixa](https://eventixawp.com/docs/paypal-payment/) - [Stripe Payment in Eventixa Pro](https://eventixawp.com/docs/stripe-payment/) - [WooCommerce Payments in Eventixa](https://eventixawp.com/docs/woocommerce-payments/) - [Offline Payment in Eventixa](https://eventixawp.com/docs/offline-payment/) - [Canceling and Refunding Bookings in Eventixa](https://eventixawp.com/docs/canceling-refunding-bookings/)