# How to Refund a Customer in QuickBooks Desktop > Refund a customer in QuickBooks Desktop by check, cash or card from a credit memo, void an unsettled card payment, and link a refund to an overpayment. - URL: https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/refund-customer/ - Section: QuickBooks Desktop Guides, Receivables - Applies to: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise, Premier, Pro, Accountant - Steps checked against: Intuit's QuickBooks Desktop help articles, updated August 2026 - Updated: 2026-10-20 **Short answer:** To refund a customer in QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Premier, Enterprise or Accountant, go to Customers > Create Credit Memos/Refunds, enter what you're refunding, save, and choose Give a refund. In Issue a Refund, pick Check or Cash and the account the money comes from, or the card type for a QuickBooks Payments card refund. If a card payment hasn't settled yet, Intuit says voiding it is usually better. ## Before you start - Confirm the customer wants money back, not a credit to use on a later invoice. - Decide what you're refunding. Intuit says you can refund the whole amount, part of it, or specific products and services. - For a card payment taken through QuickBooks Payments, sign in to QuickBooks Payments from QuickBooks Desktop first. - Card refunds through QuickBooks Payments must use the same merchant account as the sale. They go back to the same card, within 6 months, for no more than the amount charged. If the customer would rather keep a credit, see how to [create a credit memo and apply it to an invoice](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/create-apply-credit-memos/). ## Step 1: Void instead, if the card payment hasn't settled For a payment taken through QuickBooks Payments that hasn't settled, Intuit says voiding is usually better. A refund costs more in fees and takes days to reach the customer. If the payment has already settled, QuickBooks tells you when you try to void it. 1. Go to Customers > Customer Center and open the Transactions tab. 2. Select Sales Receipts or Received Payments, then find and open the transaction. 3. From the Edit menu, choose the void command, such as Void Sales Receipt. 4. Select Save & Close. Voiding doesn't charge the card. The customer's bank may still hold the funds, and the customer may need to ask the bank to release them. For when to void and when to delete, see [void vs delete transactions](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/void-vs-delete-transactions/). ## Step 2: Create the credit memo for the refund 1. Go to Customers > Create Credit Memos/Refunds. 2. Choose the customer in Customer:Job. 3. Enter the products or services you're refunding. You can refund the whole sale, part of the amount, or specific items. 4. Select Save & Close. The Available Credit window opens. 5. Choose Give a refund, then OK. The Issue a Refund window opens. ## Step 3: Refund by check or cash 1. In Issue a Refund, set Issue this refund via to Check or Cash. 2. Choose the account the refund is paid from. 3. For a check, QuickBooks fills in the refund check for you. Select OK. ## Step 4: Refund to the customer's card This needs QuickBooks Payments, and you need to be signed in to it from QuickBooks Desktop. 1. In Issue a Refund, set Issue this refund via to the customer's card type. 2. Enter the card details, or select Swipe card and swipe it. 3. Check Process credit card refund. 4. Select OK. QuickBooks settles card refunds with each day's batch at 3:00 PM PT. Intuit says the industry standard is 7 to 10 business days before the customer sees the money, depending on their bank. ## Step 5: Link a refund check to an overpayment If you're paying back money the customer overpaid, Intuit's article adds a step that ties the refund check to the overpayment. 1. Go to Customers > Receive Payments and choose the customer in Received From. 2. Select Discounts and Credits. 3. Under Available Credits, select the refund check you created, then Done. 4. If QuickBooks asks you to confirm the transfer, select Yes. 5. Select Save & Close. ## Refunding a deposit or prepayment - Enterprise Customer Prepayment not yet deposited: Intuit says you can delete the prepayment along with the sales transactions it's applied to. - Enterprise Customer Prepayment already deposited: create a credit memo and apply it to another invoice, or write the customer a check. - Upfront deposit recorded with a deposit item: create a credit memo with that item, choose Give a refund, and pick the bank account the deposit went into. Both routes are covered in how to [take a customer prepayment or deposit on a sales order](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/customer-prepayments-sales-orders/). ## How to void a refund A card refund or credit memo that hasn't settled can be voided. 1. Go to Customers > Customer Center and open the customer. 2. Open the Credit Card Refund or Credit Memo. 3. Select View Refund receipt. 4. Select Void Refund, then OK. ## Edge cases - Card refunds through QuickBooks Payments go to the original card only, and only within 6 months of the sale. - A small overpayment not worth refunding: Intuit's write-off method puts a charge-off item on an invoice for the amount, then applies the credit to it. Intuit says to check with your accountant first. - A customer who paid less than the invoice isn't owed a refund. That's a short payment, which is handled in Receive Payments. For underpayments and deductions, see how to [handle short payments and deductions](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/short-payments-deductions/). ## Where QuickBooks Desktop leaves the work to you - Someone has to check each refund request against the original sale and decide between a refund, a credit or a replacement. - Returned goods have to be checked before you decide what to refund. - Whether you can void or have to refund depends on settlement, so timing matters. - Refund checks still have to be printed and sent. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do I refund a customer by check in QuickBooks Desktop? Create a credit memo at Customers > Create Credit Memos/Refunds, choose Give a refund, and set Issue this refund via to Check. Pick the account the money comes from and select OK. ### Should I void or refund a card payment? If it hasn't settled, Intuit says voiding is usually better, because refunds cost more in fees and take longer. Once it settles, refund it or give a credit. ### How long does a card refund take? QuickBooks settles refunds with the 3:00 PM PT batch each day. Intuit says customers usually see the money in 7 to 10 business days, depending on their bank. ### Can I refund to a different card? Not through QuickBooks Payments. Intuit says the refund must go to the card used for the original sale. ### Do I need a credit memo to refund a customer? In Intuit's steps, yes. The refund starts at Customers > Create Credit Memos/Refunds, and you choose Give a refund when you save it. ### How do I void a refund I gave by mistake? If it hasn't settled, open the Credit Card Refund or Credit Memo from the Customer Center, select View Refund receipt, then Void Refund. ## Sources - [Intuit: Give your customer a credit or refund in QuickBooks Desktop for Windows](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/customer-refunds-credits/give-customer-credit-refund-quickbooks-desktop/L9vZiXsKB_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Void or refund customer payments in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/payments-account/void-refund-customer-payments-quickbooks-desktop/L8tjAWYcB_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Receive customer prepayments in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/sales-orders/receive-customer-prepayments-sales-orders-desktop/L2zjyXQAl_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Manage upfront deposits or retainers in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/invoicing/manage-upfront-deposits-retainers/L7dNnFGBi_US_en_US) - [Intuit: Write off customer and vendor balances](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/vendor-management/write-customer-vendor-balances/L738xKfuq_US_en_US)