> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/revenue/invoices/refunds-what-the-app-can-and-cant-do.md).

# Refunds: what the app can and can't do

It's worth being upfront about a current limit: there is no in-app action to issue a refund. The invoice page has no "Refund" button - not in the top action menu and not on the payment card.

What the app does show is a record of refunds that happened elsewhere: the invoice Timeline at the bottom of the page includes refund events (you'll see an entry such as "Refund initiated"), so a refund that was processed is visible to you in the invoice's history.

In practice this means refunds are handled outside of Essential - for example directly through your payment processor - and then surface back on the invoice's timeline as a record.

If you need to return money to a customer, plan to do it through your processor and treat the Essential timeline as the place to confirm and track that it occurred, rather than the place to start it.

If a refund changes what the customer ultimately owes or paid, keep that in mind when reading the invoice's payment summary, which reflects payments collected through Essential.

> **Where to find it:** Open the invoice and scroll to the Timeline at the bottom of the page - refunds appear there as events. There is no refund button in the invoice action bar or on the payment card.

## Related guides

* [Add a line item to an invoice](/revenue/invoices/add-a-line-item-to-an-invoice.md)
* [Apply a discount to an invoice](/revenue/invoices/apply-a-discount-to-an-invoice.md)
* [Attach files or reports to an invoice](/revenue/invoices/attach-files-or-reports-to-an-invoice.md)
* [Can I reverse a payment I recorded?](/revenue/invoices/can-i-reverse-a-payment-i-recorded.md)
* [Charge a customer's saved card for an invoice](/revenue/invoices/charge-a-customers-saved-card-for-an-invoice.md)


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