> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.hyperswitch.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.hyperswitch.io/integrations/prism/python/payment-service/refund.md).

# Refund

## Overview

The `refund` method returns funds to a customer's payment method after a successful payment. Use this for returns, cancellations after fulfillment, or goodwill adjustments.

**Business Use Case:** A customer returns an item they purchased. The original payment was already captured. You process a refund to return their money.

## Purpose

**Why use refund?**

| Scenario                 | Benefit                                   |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Product returns**      | Refund customers for returned merchandise |
| **Service cancellation** | Refund for unrendered services            |
| **Goodwill gestures**    | Partial refunds for service issues        |
| **Duplicate charges**    | Correct accidental charges                |

**Key outcomes:**

* Funds returned to customer
* Refund record created
* Transaction reaches REFUNDED or PARTIALLY\_REFUNDED status

## Request Fields

| Field                      | Type   | Required | Description                                     |
| -------------------------- | ------ | -------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `merchant_refund_id`       | string | Yes      | Your unique refund reference                    |
| `connector_transaction_id` | string | Yes      | The connector's transaction ID from the payment |
| `amount`                   | Money  | No\*     | Amount to refund (\*ommit for full refund)      |
| `reason`                   | string | No       | Reason for refund                               |
| `metadata`                 | dict   | No       | Additional data (max 20 keys)                   |

## Response Fields

| Field                 | Type         | Description                                |
| --------------------- | ------------ | ------------------------------------------ |
| `merchant_refund_id`  | string       | Your refund reference (echoed back)        |
| `connector_refund_id` | string       | Connector's refund ID (e.g., re\_xxx)      |
| `status`              | RefundStatus | Current status: PENDING, SUCCEEDED, FAILED |
| `amount`              | Money        | Refund amount                              |
| `error`               | ErrorInfo    | Error details if status is FAILED          |
| `status_code`         | int          | HTTP-style status code (200, 422, etc.)    |

## Example

### SDK Setup

```python
from hyperswitch_prism import PaymentClient

payment_client = PaymentClient(
    connector='stripe',
    api_key='YOUR_API_KEY',
    environment='SANDBOX'
)
```

### Full Refund Request

```python
request = {
    "merchant_refund_id": "refund_001",
    "connector_transaction_id": "pi_3Oxxx...",
    "reason": "Customer returned item"
}

response = await payment_client.refund(request)
```

### Partial Refund Request

```python
request = {
    "merchant_refund_id": "refund_partial_001",
    "connector_transaction_id": "pi_3Oxxx...",
    "amount": {
        "minor_amount": 500,  # $5.00 of $10.00
        "currency": "USD"
    },
    "reason": "Discount applied"
}

response = await payment_client.refund(request)
```

### Response

```python
{
    "merchant_refund_id": "refund_001",
    "connector_refund_id": "re_3Oxxx...",
    "status": "PENDING",
    "amount": {
        "minor_amount": 1000,
        "currency": "USD"
    },
    "status_code": 200
}
```

## Refund Timeline

```mermaid
timeline
    title Refund Processing Timeline
    Payment Captured : Transaction complete
    Refund Initiated : Status: PENDING
    5-10 Business Days : Status: SUCCEEDED
    Customer Account : Funds available
```

**Typical processing times:**

* **Credit cards:** 5-10 business days
* **Debit cards:** 5-10 business days
* **Digital wallets:** Instant to 24 hours

## Error Handling

| Error Code | Meaning               | Action                                             |
| ---------- | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| `402`      | Refund failed         | Payment not captured, already fully refunded, etc. |
| `404`      | Transaction not found | Verify connector\_transaction\_id                  |
| `422`      | Invalid amount        | Partial refund exceeds available balance           |

## Best Practices

* Always use unique `merchant_refund_id` for idempotency
* Store `connector_refund_id` for tracking
* Poll or handle webhooks for final status
* Partial refunds require explicit amount field

## Next Steps

* [get\_refund](/integrations/prism/python/refund-service/get.md) - Check refund status
* [capture](/integrations/prism/python/payment-service/capture.md) - Ensure payment is captured before refunding
* [Event Service](/integrations/prism/python/event-service.md) - Handle refund webhooks


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