Cradled supports refunds on paid invoices. The mechanism depends on how the client paid.
Where to refund
Open the invoice and click Refund. A modal appears where you choose the refund amount and reason.
Refund methods
Stripe refund — available if the client paid with a card through Stripe. Cradled issues the refund through Stripe, which returns the money to the original card within 5–10 business days. Stripe's processing fee is not returned; this is a Stripe policy.
Manual refund — choose this if the client paid by e-transfer, cash, cheque, or any non-Stripe method. Cradled records the refund for your bookkeeping; you're responsible for actually sending the money back to the client.
Partial vs. full refund
- Full refund — refunds the entire paid amount. Invoice status moves to Refunded.
- Partial refund — refund any amount less than the total. Invoice stays Paid with a refunded-amount summary.
You can issue multiple partial refunds over time as long as the cumulative total doesn't exceed what was paid.
Refund reason
Cradled prompts you for a reason on every refund. Examples: client dissatisfaction, service not rendered, duplicate charge, write-off. These are internal notes — the client doesn't see them. They show up in your invoice audit trail and in the Reports → Revenue section to help you understand refund patterns.
Refund impact on reports
- This month's revenue on your Invoices page shows both gross paid and net (after refunds).
- Refunds appear as a separate line in your monthly revenue breakdown.
- Practice reports show refund counts alongside paid counts.
Refunds on payment plans
Each installment is its own invoice. Refunding installment 2 of 3 only refunds that installment. If you need to refund the whole plan, refund each installment individually.