Even the best-run spa occasionally needs to reverse a charge. A client may be unhappy with a service, a staff member may charge the wrong amount, or an appointment may be cancelled after an invoice was created. SpaSphere gives you two tools to handle these situations: refunds for payments that have already been collected, and voids for invoices that have not yet been paid. Understanding when to use each one keeps your financial records clean and your clients confident in your professionalism.

Why This Matters for Your Spa

Mishandled refunds are one of the fastest ways to lose client trust. A client who waits days for a refund that was promised "right away" is unlikely to return, and the negative review they leave can cost you far more than the refund itself. On the operational side, inconsistent refund practices create accounting headaches -- unreconciled charges, duplicate refunds, and missing audit trails make end-of-month bookkeeping a nightmare. SpaSphere's structured refund and void system ensures every reversal is tracked with a complete audit trail, the correct amount is returned to the correct payment method, and your financial reports stay accurate without manual adjustments.

Key Capabilities

Issue full refunds that return the entire payment amount
Issue partial refunds for a specific dollar amount
Choose where the refund goes: original payment method, gift card, or external (cash/check)
Void unpaid invoices to prevent payment collection
Recreate voided invoices to resume payment on the same appointment
View a complete audit trail for every refund and void

Processing a Refund

You can refund any successful payment from the payment confirmation page. Refunds are processed per payment record, so if a client paid with multiple methods (split payment), you refund each payment individually.

Open the payment confirmation page

After a payment is collected, SpaSphere navigates you to the payment confirmation page. You can also reach this page by clicking Charge or Checkout on a paid appointment in the calendar -- it detects the paid status and displays the confirmation.

Payment confirmation page showing order details, items purchased, payment breakdown, and action buttons including Refund and Void — The payment confirmation page shows the full order summary and provides Refund and Void actions.

Click the Refund button

At the bottom of the confirmation page, you will see a Refund button for each successful payment. If the client paid with a single method, there is one Refund button. If they used a split payment (for example, gift card plus credit card), you will see a separate Refund button for each payment method, labeled with the method name (e.g., "Refund Credit Card", "Refund Gift Card").

Click the Refund button for the payment you want to reverse.

Choose full or partial refund

The Refund dialog opens showing the original payment amount and method. Select Full Refund to return the entire amount, or Partial Refund to specify a custom amount. For partial refunds, enter the dollar amount you want to return. The maximum refundable amount is shown below the input field.

Refund dialog showing full and partial refund options, refund destination selector, and optional reason field — Choose between full and partial refunds, select where the refund goes, and add an optional reason for your records.

Select the refund destination

Under Refund To, choose where the refund should go:

Original payment method -- Returns the funds to the same card, gift card, or payment method used for the original transaction. This is the default and most common choice.
Gift Card -- Creates a new gift card on the client's profile with the refund amount as the balance. This is useful when you want to retain the revenue in your business while giving the client store credit.
External (Cash/Check) -- Records the refund as an external transaction for cases where you hand the client cash or write a check. SpaSphere logs the refund in the audit trail but does not process an electronic reversal.

Add a reason and submit

Optionally enter a reason for the refund (e.g., "Client unsatisfied with facial results" or "Incorrect service charged"). This reason is stored in the audit trail for your records. Click the Refund button to process the refund.

A confirmation toast appears showing the refund amount. The payment confirmation page refreshes to reflect the updated totals.

Gift card refunds keep revenue in your business

When you refund to a gift card instead of the original payment method, you retain the revenue while giving the client a credit they can use on future visits. This is a common practice in the spa industry for service complaints where the client is willing to return -- it preserves the relationship and keeps the cash in your business. The gift card appears automatically on the client's profile and can be redeemed at their next checkout.

Voiding an Unpaid Invoice

Voiding is for invoices that have not received any payment. This is different from a refund -- there is no money to return. You void an invoice to cancel it entirely, preventing any future payment from being collected on it.

Open the invoice

Navigate to the appointment or payment confirmation page for the invoice you want to void. The Void Invoice button is available only when no successful payments exist on the invoice.

Click Void Invoice

Click the Void Invoice button. A confirmation dialog appears with two important messages:

Payment will be blocked -- Voiding the invoice immediately prevents any payment collection. This is useful for cancelled appointments or incorrect charges.
Recovery option -- If you void by mistake, you can create a new invoice for the same appointment when attempting to charge again.

Void invoice confirmation dialog showing warning about payment being blocked and recovery information — The void confirmation explains the consequences and how to recover if you void by mistake.

Confirm the void

Click Void Invoice to confirm. The invoice status changes to Voided and no further payments can be applied to it. SpaSphere navigates you back to the Payments page.

You cannot void an invoice that has received payment

The Void option is only available for invoices with no successful payments. If a client has already paid (fully or partially), you must use a refund instead. This separation exists to protect your financial integrity -- voiding a paid invoice would create a mismatch between your Stripe records and your SpaSphere records. If you need to cancel a partially paid invoice, refund the existing payments first, then void the invoice.

Recreating a Voided Invoice

If you void an invoice by mistake or need to collect payment on the same appointment after a void, SpaSphere lets you recreate the invoice. The new invoice copies the same client, appointment, and line items from the original.

Attempt to charge the appointment

Click Charge or Checkout on the appointment in the calendar. SpaSphere detects that the linked invoice was voided and displays a modal explaining the situation.

Click Create New Invoice

The modal explains that the original invoice has been voided and cannot accept payments. Click Create New Invoice to generate a fresh invoice with the same services and items. The new invoice is created as a draft, allowing you to make any changes before proceeding to checkout.

Voided invoice modal offering to create a new invoice with the same services and items — SpaSphere detects voided invoices and offers to recreate them so you can resume payment collection.

Proceed with checkout

The new invoice loads in the checkout flow with all the original line items. You can add or remove items, apply discounts, and proceed to collect payment as usual. The new invoice has its own invoice number and audit trail, separate from the voided original.

Refund vs. Void: When to Use Each

Scenario	Action	Why
Client paid but wants money back	Refund	Payment exists and needs to be reversed
Wrong service charged, client already paid	Refund (partial or full)	Correct the amount via partial refund or full refund and re-charge
Appointment cancelled before payment	Void	No payment to reverse, just cancel the invoice
Invoice created by mistake	Void	Prevent accidental payment on an incorrect invoice
Voided invoice needs to be charged	Recreate	Create a new invoice from the voided one
Split payment, only one method needs reversal	Refund (specific payment)	Refund only the relevant payment record

Understanding the Audit Trail

Every refund and void is recorded in the invoice's audit trail, which tracks the action, the user who performed it, the timestamp, and any changes to the invoice state. This audit trail is available for every invoice and provides a complete history of financial operations. Your accountant can use this trail to reconcile transactions at the end of each month without chasing down individual staff members for explanations.

How to Refund Payments and Void Invoices in SpaSphere