If you ever need to record a refund for a particular payment in Gather, you can do that from the Payment page! When you have an overpaid contract, you can record a refund in a few different ways.
Navigate to The Case's Payment Page
From your Dashboard, search for the specific case. Once the case is visible on the slider, click the total percentage collected (found to the right of the total contract value) to navigate directly to the case's 'Payments' page.
Record a Refund on The Payer Card
On the Payments page, you'll see the various payments that have been made by each payer. The refund process will vary, depending on the payment method you're refunding.
For ACH or Card Payments
If the payer used either a card or ACH to pay through Gather, you can record and process a refund directly to the payer using that payment method. This will change the amount showing on the Payer card to the new, fully adjusted amount. The transaction will automatically update in Gather or be removed altogether, and the customer's card or account will be refunded within a few business days (depending on their bank).
Here's how to process a refund for a card or ACH payment from a payer card:
On the Payments page, select the 'Offer Refund' option.
In the popup, enter the amount you're refunding.
Update the reason for the refund and memo.
Process the refund.
For Cash or Check Payments (or 'Other' Payments)
If the payer paid via check, cash, or a different payment method, you'll need to deliver the payment refund to the payer manually. However, for accounting purposes, you'll still want to record that the refund took place in Gather. To simply notate the refund for the case, here's what you'll want to do:
Coordinate with the family to return the overpaid amount.
Manually complete the refund.
Select 'Adjust Payment' on the specific payer card.
Add specific notes to the memo, such as 'Refund amount of $100 delivered to the payer on 3/8, adjusting the total paid amount for the case from $800 to $700'.
Select 'Update Payment'.
Important Note: even if the payer is refunded in full, do not select 'Delete Payment' when going through this process. You'll still want to select 'Adjust Payment' so the interaction and memo are still recorded for future reference on the case.
If you want to add even more detailed information, you can create a Case Note using the + icon in the bottom right corner to keep your team in the loop!
Record a Refund Using 'Record a Charge'
On the payment section for a particular case, you can also record a refund using the 'Record a Charge'. This option allows your team to list the refund as an item on the Statement of Goods and Services. This option doesn't vary by payment method.
Here's how you'd utilize the 'Record a Charge' option:
From the 'Payment' page, click on 'Record a Charge'.
Select 'Add a One-Time Product'.
Specify the product name (we recommend something like 'Refund: Check #').
Select 'Cash Advance' for the category.
Specify the product price.
Click on 'Add Product to Statement'.
From here, you need to designate if the charge needs to be added directly to the Statement, or outside of the original statement:
Add Item to Statement: this will zero out the balance, unfreeze the Statement (if it's currently frozen), and show the refund in the Cash Advance category of the Statement.
Add Item Outside of Statement: this will still zero out the balance, but won't unfreeze the Statement, and the refund will be listed under the Payments section.
Need more help? Chat with our team anytime, or give us a call at (208) 908-0488.