> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.athelas.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Refund a Payment

> Refund a patient payment to credits, the original card, or as an external cash/check refund.

#### How to Refund a Payment

1. Open the patient's profile. Find the payment on the **Charges** or **Transaction History** tab and click **View Details**.
2. On the transaction details, find the transaction and click **Refund Payment**.
3. Specify whether it's a full or partial refund, the refund method, the amount (if partial), and the reason.
4. Click **Refund**.

##### Refund Methods

* **Add Credit to Patient's Account** — the payment becomes credits, applied to future balances.
* **Refund to Credit Card (via Stripe)** — for payments originally made on an Athelas card reader.
* **Record External Refund (Cash/CC)** — record a cash or credit-card refund taken outside the Athelas card reader.
* **Record External Check Refund** — record that you refunded the patient by check.

A new row appears in the transaction table for the refund. If you refunded to credits, the credit appears on the patient's **Credits** tab.

<Warning>
  **Leftover PR:** Refunding a payment does **not** remove the patient responsibility tied to it. For example, a \$75 self-pay payment creates \$75 of PR; refunding the \$75 payment leaves the \$75 PR as a balance due. To remove both, [cancel the PR](/insights_front_desk/patient_responsibility/how_to_cancel_pr) on the Charges tab as well.
</Warning>

### FAQ

<Accordion title="How do I refund a card payment taken on the Athelas card reader?">
  Choose **Refund to Credit Card (via Stripe)** — this refunds the original card for payments made on the Athelas card reader.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="I refunded a self-pay payment but the patient still shows a balance. Why?">
  Refunding doesn't remove the associated PR. Go to the **Charges** tab and [cancel the PR](/insights_front_desk/patient_responsibility/how_to_cancel_pr) to clear the balance.
</Accordion>