Issuing a refund in HoneyBook is fee-free. There are 2 ways to give a refund:
Before you start
Only account owners, file owners, admins, and super admins can issue refunds
Refunds must be completed on desktop — they cannot be processed through the mobile app
All refunds are processed via bank transfer (by debiting your bank account). You'll need to link a bank account if it's your first time issuing a refund — a credit card cannot be used.
Refunds are issued back to the client's original payment method within 7–14 business days, excluding weekends and bank holidays
When you process a refund, you're charged only for the amount originally transferred to your bank account (the payment minus transaction fees). Transaction fees are added back to the refunded amount, so your client receives a full refund
HoneyBook uses Plaid to securely verify bank information
A refund marked as In Progress falls within the required 7–14 business day processing window, even if the debited amount has already left your account
Issue refund from a project
Find and open the file that holds the payment you want to refund
Look for the Invoice section in the file's Action Summary
Find the payment you want to refund, then select the three dot icon > Refund a custom amount
If the payment was made outside of HoneyBook and manually marked as paid, select Mark as refunded instead to keep your records accurate
Enter the amount to be refunded
If you don't refund the full amount now, you can return later to refund the rest
Select Refund Now
First time issuing a refund? Select Connect Bank Account and follow the instructions. You can use the same account you receive payments to, but it won't appear automatically
To use a different account, select Use a Different Bank Account
Your client should receive the full refund within 7–14 business days. If needed, you can edit the services or payment schedule in the file after the refund has been initiated.
Issue a refund from the Payments page
From the navigation menu, select Finance > Payments
Select the payment you want to refund
Under the payment's Total, select Issue refund
Enter the amount to be refunded
If you don't refund the full amount now, you can return later to refund the rest
Select Refund Now
First time issuing a refund? Select Connect Bank Account and follow the instructions. You can use the same account you receive payments to, but it won't appear automatically
To use a different account, select Use a Different Bank Account
Your client should receive the full refund within 7–14 business days. If needed, you can edit the services or payment schedule in the file after the refund has been initiated.
When refunds can't be issued
You won't be able to issue a refund through HoneyBook in the following cases:
The payment was made outside of HoneyBook — you can manually mark these as refunded, but they won't process through the platform
The file has expired
The file is still in draft mode — either send the updated file before refunding, or delete the draft using the trash can icon in the draft menu
The payment is still processing — funds are still clearing the client's bank. Depending on the bank, the client may be able to call and cancel the payment. Otherwise, wait for the status to change from Processing to Paid before initiating a refund
A bank transfer payment is older than 170 days — bank transfers have a 170-day refund window. Credit card payments can be refunded at any time
Troubleshooting refund errors
Insufficient funds
HoneyBook checks your available funds using Plaid. If you don't have enough in the selected account:
Select Connect to different account to try another sub-account
Or select Try Later and initiate the refund when funds are available
Grayed out accounts
Some sub-accounts may appear grayed out during the refund process. This means HoneyBook can't process refunds from that account type due to bank transfer limitations.
Other refund scenarios
Client used the wrong card and wants to repay
Issue a refund
Edit the file to add a new payment
Resend the file so the client can submit the new payment
Refund issued, but client no longer has access to original payment method
If the client is still with the same bank, the refund should be redirected to their new account. If they've left that bank entirely, a check will be mailed to them. If your client hasn't received their refund within 30 business days, contact [email protected].
Refund needed before payment has been received
If a payment hasn't yet been deposited to your account, you can still issue a refund — you won't be charged since the funds haven't settled. Note that bank transfer payments must have a status of Paid before a refund can be initiated. Payments still in Processing status are not yet eligible.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!