Refunds are an essential part of managing payments. Whether a family changes their mind about services, overpays, or simply needs their money returned, Gather’s refund tools make it easy and transparent to process refunds directly from the case.
🧾 Overview: When and Why to Issue Refunds
Gather supports full and partial refunds across different payment types, including cards, ACH, checks, and cash. The system keeps each transaction connected to the specific payer and logs every action for clarity and accountability.
You'll typically issue a refund when:
A service was canceled or adjusted
A balance was reallocated between payers
A family member paid too much
A family member changes their mind on part of the statement
🧍♂️ Understanding the Payer Card
Each payer gets a dedicated card with a detailed history of their payments and refunds. You’ll see:
Card Sections:
Payment Method: e.g., “Enter Card,” “Check Payment”
Breakdown:
Subtotal – base amount for services
Convenience Fee – applied for online card payments
Total Paid – the full amount including fees
Payment Metadata:
Date paid
Created by (employee who logged the payment)
Refund History (if any):
Refunded total, split by subtotal and fee
Refund method (e.g., card ending in ****4242)
Date of refund
Refunded by (employee name)
The top-right corner of the card always reflects the remaining balance associated with that payer.
🔁 How to Issue a Refund
Step 1: Open the Payer Card
Click the name of the payer from the payment screen to expand their details.
Step 2: Click “Offer Refund”
This opens the Refund Transaction popup, where you’ll configure the refund details.
Step 3: Choose a Refund Method
You’ll see different options depending on the original payment type:
Card/ACH Transfer: Refund back to original method (if applicable)
Cash
Check
Other Method
🔒 Note: Online methods (Card or ACH) are only eligible if the original payment came through Gather’s payment tools. Offline methods are more flexible but require manual tracking.
Step 4: Enter Refund Amount
You can refund the full amount or just a portion of the original payment. Gather automatically breaks down the:
Refunded Subtotal
Refunded Convenience Fee
Refunded Total
You can also:
Uncheck the fee if you only want to refund the subtotal
Manually adjust the subtotal if only part of the services are being refunded
Step 5: Add a Reason and Memo (Optional)
The Reason for Refund helps internal teams understand the context. The Memo is optional and not visible to the payer.
Step 6: Confirm and Submit
Once everything looks correct, click ISSUE $X.XX REFUND.
💼 Refund Scenarios
Here are common refund situations and how to handle them in Gather:
🔹 Full Refund
Open the payer card.
Click Offer Refund.
Choose either the original method or record an offline method.
Enter the net payment amount as indicated on the refund pop-up. This is the subtotal + tax, minus the convenience fee.
Now decide whether or not you want to refund the convenience fee.
Add a refund reason, then click
ISSUE REFUND.
The portion of the convenience fee that is collected by Gather is not refunded to the funeral home when a refund is processed, as it is required for Gather to process the transaction. For this reason, we recommend that funeral homes do not refund the fee to the family.
If you choose to refund the fee, please note that the portion of the convenience fee collected by Gather will be deducted from the funeral home’s payout.
🔹 Partial Refund
Open the payer card.
Click Offer Refund.
Choose either the original method or record an offline method.
Enter the amount you would like to refund.
Now decide whether or not you want to refund any of the convenience fee.
As a reminder: the portion of the convenience fee that is collected by Gather is not refunded to the funeral home when a refund is processed, as it is required for Gather to process the transaction. For this reason, we recommend that funeral homes do not refund the fee to the family.
If you choose to refund any of the fee, please note that the portion of this refunded fee that would be collected by Gather will be deducted from the funeral home’s payout.
Add a refund reason, then click
ISSUE REFUND.
🔹 Refund Across Multiple Payers
Refunds must be processed separately for each payer.
Open each individual payer card.
Click Offer Refund for that payer.
Enter the amount that specific payer originally paid, and determine whether the convenience fee should be refunded.
Process each refund independently using the appropriate method.
Add a refund reason for each, then click
ISSUE REFUND.
🔹 Distribute Insurance Refunds for Overage Payments
You can also use Gather to record payouts for insurance distributions which were more than necessary for the statement value.
Create a payer card for the Insurance Company.
Record the insurance payment for appropriate amount.
Add the family member that you want to distribute the overage to. Then select refund instead of collect.
4. In the refund dialog enter the overage amount you are distributing to the family and select the refund method.
5. Record the refund.
6. Your overage distribution will be recorded, and your outstanding value on the case will now equal out to $0.
See this example of a $7,000 payout for a statement that was only $5,000. Then see how we refunded the overage of $2,000 to the family, bringing the case outstanding to $0.
🔁 Balance Your Case Outstanding After a Refund
When you issue a refund, the case's outstanding balance will increase because the system assumes that the family still owes the refunded amount unless you adjust the statement.
To return the case outstanding back to zero, you’ll need to update the statement after the refund is processed. You can do this by applying a discount to the refunded line item(s) or by removing the item entirely.
This gives you the flexibility to handle different refund situations:
Refund one payer, then charge a second payer for the same item
→ Useful when payment responsibilities shift between family members.Fully refund an item and remove it from the statement
→ Best if the service or product is no longer being provided.Refund a payer but keep the item on the statement and discount it to $0
→ Ideal when the funeral home is covering the cost instead of the family.
By adjusting the statement in one of these ways, you’ll ensure your financial records stay accurate and your case’s Outstanding Balance reflects the true amount still owed (if any).
🧠 Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Can I refund someone using a different method?
Yes, but only offline methods (Check, Cash, Other) allow you to refund someone using a method that differs from their original. Card and ACH refunds require the original payment route.
❓ Can I refund just part of the payment?
Yes. You can enter a custom subtotal and optionally uncheck the convenience fee.
❓ What if the card is no longer active?
If a card refund fails (due to a closed account or expired card), the refund will not process. In this case, you can switch to Check or Other Method and re-issue manually.
❓ Will the receipt reflect the refund?
Yes. The View Receipt button will show an updated receipt, including:
Original payment
Refund
Remaining balance
❓ Can I see the history of refunds?
Absolutely. Each payer’s card includes a full refund history — who issued it, how much, when, and by what method.
🧩 Tips and Best Practices
💬 Always document the reason for the refund. It helps your team stay aligned and protects your business if questions come up later.
🔐 Use offline methods for flexible refunds (especially if the original payment wasn’t online).
📄 Print updated receipts if the family requests documentation post-refund.
🧭 Need Help?
If you're ever unsure which refund method to choose, or whether your situation is supported, our support team is here for you. Reach out via in-app chat or email.