Refunds
When a booking is cancelled, a charge needs to be reversed, or a guest has overpaid, you can record a refund on the booking. Refunds are tracked in the payment history alongside regular payments so you have a complete financial record.
When to process a refund
Common scenarios where a refund may be needed:
- Booking cancellation -- The guest cancels and your cancellation policy entitles them to a full or partial refund.
- Overcharge correction -- A charge was added in error and the guest has already paid.
- Shortened stay -- The guest checks out early and you agree to refund the unused nights.
- Service not provided -- An extra service or amenity that was charged was not available during the stay.
- Charge removed after payment -- You removed or reduced a charge on the Charges tab and the guest has overpaid.
How cancellation policies affect refunds
Your cancellation policy determines how much a guest is entitled to when they cancel. The policy defines refund rules based on how far in advance the cancellation happens.
Example: applying a cancellation policy
Suppose your listing uses a 14-day cancellation policy with these terms:
- Cancel 14 or more days before check-in: full refund.
- Cancel less than 14 days before check-in: no refund.
Scenario A -- Guest cancels 20 days before check-in
The booking total is EUR 1,000 and the guest paid a EUR 300 deposit.
- Policy result: Full refund entitled.
- Action: Record a full refund of EUR 300 (the amount the guest actually paid).
- Balance after refund: EUR 0 paid, EUR 0 owed (booking cancelled).
Scenario B -- Guest cancels 3 days before check-in
The booking total is EUR 1,000 and the guest paid EUR 1,000 in full.
- Policy result: No refund.
- Action: No refund is recorded. The guest forfeits the full amount per your cancellation policy.
- You may choose to cancel the booking status while keeping the payment on record.
Scenario C -- Guest cancels 10 days before check-in (partial refund policy)
If your policy allows a 50% refund for cancellations 7-14 days before check-in, and the guest paid EUR 1,000:
- Policy result: 50% refund = EUR 500.
- Action: Record a partial refund of EUR 500.
- Balance after refund: EUR 500 retained.
TIP
Always reference your cancellation policy when determining refund amounts. Documenting the policy terms in the refund notes creates a clear record if there is ever a dispute. For example: "Refund per 14-day cancellation policy -- cancelled 10 days before check-in, 50% refund applies."
How to record a refund
Refunds are recorded once per booking, not per individual payment. There is a single Record Refund action that works against everything the guest has paid so far.
- Open the booking and go to the Payments tab.
- Click Record Refund.
- Enter the amount to refund. The modal shows the maximum refundable -- the total net paid across the whole booking (all payments minus any earlier refunds). You can't refund more than that.
- Optionally add a reason (recommended for your records).
- Tap the method row that matches how you're returning the money -- Bank transfer, Cash, Card, Stripe, or Other. Tapping the method row records the refund immediately (there's no separate "confirm" button).
The refund appears in the payment history as a negative amount, and the booking's financial summary updates:
- Total paid decreases by the refund amount.
- Balance remaining increases by the refund amount (or the booking may show a zero balance if cancelled).
WARNING
Recording a refund in hejGuide is a bookkeeping action only -- it updates the financial records on the booking but does not move any money. If the guest paid by card via Stripe, you must issue the actual refund in your Stripe dashboard separately; hejGuide cannot reverse a charge. Always send the money before or shortly after recording the refund here.
Refund workflow for online (Stripe) payments
If the guest originally paid by card through an online payment link, the refund process involves two steps:
Step 1 -- Process the refund in Stripe
- Log in to your Stripe dashboard.
- Find the original payment transaction.
- Process the refund (full or partial) through Stripe's refund function.
- Stripe returns the money to the guest's original card.
Step 2 -- Record the refund in hejGuide
- On the booking's Payments tab, click Record Refund.
- Enter the same amount you refunded in Stripe and add a reason such as "Refunded via Stripe -- charge ch_xxxx".
- Tap the Stripe method row to record it.
WARNING
Refunds for card payments must be processed in your Stripe dashboard. hejGuide cannot initiate a refund to the guest's card. The Record Refund entry in hejGuide is for your bookkeeping only.
Why two steps?
hejGuide records the payment data but does not hold or move guest funds. Stripe is the one that actually processed the charge and holds the relationship with the card networks. Only Stripe can reverse the transaction back to the guest.
Refund workflow for manual payments
If the guest originally paid by cash, bank transfer, or another offline method:
- Return the money to the guest using the appropriate method:
- Cash -- Hand the cash back to the guest.
- Bank transfer -- Send a transfer to the guest's bank account.
- Record the refund in hejGuide on the Payments tab.
Partial refund examples
Partial refunds are common and flexible. Here are practical examples:
Example 1 -- Shortened stay
A guest booked 7 nights at EUR 100/night (EUR 700 total) and paid in full. They check out after 5 nights due to a personal emergency. You agree to refund the 2 unused nights.
- Refund amount: 2 x EUR 100 = EUR 200 partial refund.
- Record a partial refund of EUR 200 on the Payments tab.
- Remaining on record: EUR 500 paid for 5 nights stayed.
Example 2 -- Service not available
A guest paid EUR 1,200 total, which includes a EUR 100 pool heating charge. The pool heater broke during their stay. You agree to refund the pool heating charge.
- Refund amount: EUR 100 partial refund.
- Optionally, also remove the pool heating charge from the Charges tab so the total due updates to EUR 1,100.
- Record a partial refund of EUR 100 on the Payments tab.
Example 3 -- Cancellation with partial refund policy
A booking totals EUR 2,000. The guest paid EUR 600 as a deposit. They cancel within the window where your policy allows a 50% refund.
- 50% of total = EUR 1,000, but the guest only paid EUR 600.
- The guest is entitled to more than they paid, so: full refund of the EUR 600 deposit.
- No additional amount is owed by the guest (the remaining EUR 400 of the "refundable" amount is simply not collected).
Impact on the booking financial summary
After recording a refund, the booking's financial summary on the Payments tab reflects the change:
| Before refund | After EUR 300 refund | |
|---|---|---|
| Total due | EUR 1,000 | EUR 1,000 (unchanged unless you also modified charges) |
| Total paid | EUR 1,000 | EUR 700 |
| Balance remaining | EUR 0 | EUR 300 |
If the booking is cancelled, the balance remaining is informational -- it shows the theoretical amount still owed per the original charges. For cancelled bookings, this balance is not expected to be collected.
TIP
If you cancel a booking and issue a full refund, consider also zeroing out or removing the charges on the Charges tab. This brings the balance remaining to EUR 0 and keeps the financial summary clean.
Viewing refund history
Refunds appear in the booking's payment history alongside regular payments. They are clearly distinguished:
- Amount is shown as a negative value (e.g., -EUR 300.00).
- Type is marked as "Refund".
- Date, method, and notes are recorded the same way as regular payments.
This gives you a complete audit trail of all money in and money out for every booking.