Help
What Is The Difference Between Voiding and Refunding?
In this help article, learn how to void and refund payments. There is an important distinction between the two which can save you money if you understand the difference.
Voiding A Transaction
What It Is:
Voiding cancels a pending transaction before it is fully processed or settled by emilyPAY at the end of the day. Your batch(all of your transactions that day) will close automatically around 9PM so you need to void any relevant transactions before that time on the SAME day.
Key Characteristics:
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Timing: Can only be done before the batch settlement (same day at 9PM).
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Effect: The charge is canceled before it hits the customer’s account. The business is NOT charged a processing fee.
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Result for the customer: The transaction may disappear from their pending charges, or show as a brief “authorization” hold that drops off.
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No money is moved, so there are no fees associated with the refund.
Best Used When:
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You catch a mistake immediately (e.g., wrong amount charged, duplicate transaction).
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A customer changes their mind before settlement.
Refunding a Transaction
What It Is:
Refunding returns money after the transaction has been fully processed and settled. Next day and later after your batch with emilyPAY has been closed.
Key Characteristics:
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Timing: Can only be done after the transaction settles (usually 1 business day after the charge).
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Effect: The funds are sent back to the customer’s account.
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Result for the customer: The charge posts to their account, and a refund appears later (often within 3–10 business days).
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Processing fees will still be charged to the merchant.
Best Used When:
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The customer requests a return or cancellation after the fact.
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The charge has already gone through and is showing as a completed payment.
Summary Comparison
Feature |
Void |
Refund |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Before settlement (same day) | After settlement (1+ days later) |
| Funds Moved? | No | Yes, money is returned |
| Customer Sees… | May see an authorization that disappears | Charge + separate refund |
| Fees for merchant? | Usually no | Sometimes yes |
| Use Case | Caught mistake right away | Customer dispute or return later |
How To Void a Transaction (same day)
If you wish to Void a transaction, follow these steps exactly.
- Go to the patients invoice for today
- Unlock the invoice by clicking the unlock button (image below outlined in red). This will allow you to edit the invoice after payment has been taken.
- Go to the transactions section of the invoice and click the “Void Transaction” button (outlined in red). Note: this button is only active before your batch closes on the same day as the payment was taken. It will NOT be available the following day or later.
- Follow the instructions to continue to void the payment.
- If Void is not an option, you will have to Refund the payment. See below for that process.
How To Refund A Payment
In order to refund a payment, follow these steps exactly. You can refund products, services, credit, admin fees and cancellation fees.
Go to the patients Account Tab and Select the “Refund” button. Outlined in red below.
A modal will pop up on the screen and you can select what you wish to refund.
Click the Next button
After you click the next button, a refund modal will pop up and you can refund the balance to the payment method of your choice. When you are ready, click the pay button to refund.
After the transaction is complete you can click done or the email or print buttons just like you would for any payment.
If you are refunding to a credit or debit card using emilyPAY terminals, select the terminal you wish to give to the customer and click PAY. The customer will then be asked for their card to refund to that payment type.
Once the item has been refunded, you will see a new invoice in the account tab for the refund. This is because the original payment and the refund are recorded as 2 separate transactions which is different from the void process above.