> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.now-os.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Refunding a sale

> Refund all or part of a finalized sale on the NowOS register: items or a free amount, the mandatory reason, the automatic drawer pay-out and the refund ticket.

Once the check is paid, the sale is final: it can no longer be edited or deleted — that's a legal requirement. To correct a sale (entry mistake, returned item, goodwill gesture), you issue a refund: a separate document with its own number that leaves the original sale untouched.

Refunds work the same way in restaurant mode and retail mode.

## What you need to refund

* **Be on the main register.** On a secondary device, the **Refund** row shows **Main register only**.
* **Have internet.** A refund is the only register operation that requires an internet connection: without one, the row shows **Unavailable offline**. Try again once the connection is back.
* **Be signed in as a manager.** The **Refund** row is visible to the whole team but locked for non-managers: it then carries the **Manager PIN** badge. To use it, a manager signs in from the lock screen with their PIN.

## Opening the refund screen

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the paid order">
    Open the [orders list](/en/pos/orders-list) and tap the order in question.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Actions tab">
    At the bottom of the panel, tap the red **Refund** row. If the order had several checks, one row shows per receipt (**Refund #12**, **Refund #13**…) — pick the sale to refund.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The Refund screen opens">
    On the left, the sale's items with the summary (**Total paid**, **Already refunded**, **To refund**). On the right, the refund options.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Refunding items

This is the default mode (**Refund items**): you point at the items the customer is returning.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select the items">
    Tap each line to refund — it gets checked with its full remaining quantity. Adjust the quantity with the **−** and **+** buttons (the counter shows, for example, **2/3**). **Select all** selects everything at once.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the amount">
    The right panel shows the computed amount under **Refund**, with the **Max refundable** cap right below.
  </Step>
</Steps>

An already-refunded item appears struck through with the label **Refunded**; a partially refunded item carries a badge such as **1 of 3 refunded**. You can refund a sale in several rounds, until nothing is left.

## Refunding a free amount

For a goodwill gesture or a refund that doesn't map to specific items, tap **Refund amount** at the top of the right panel. Enter the amount on the keypad, or tap a quick chip (**All** for everything remaining, or a common amount). Items are not marked as refunded — only the money is returned.

<Note>
  Whatever the mode, the total refunded on a sale can never exceed what the customer paid. The **Max refundable** cap accounts for every refund already issued; an amount above it turns red and cannot be submitted. If the sale carried a discount, the cap is the **net-of-discount** amount: an 800 sale brought down to 720 by a discount refunds up to 720, not 800.
</Note>

## Choosing how the money goes back

Under **REFUND TO**, choose **Cash** or **Card**. The original payment method is pre-selected, but you can change it — for example, refund a card payment in cash.

<Note>
  NowOS is not connected to your card terminal: for a **Card** refund, process the refund on your terminal as usual, then confirm in the register. NowOS records the amount.
</Note>

## Return items to stock

If the sale contains products whose [stock is tracked](/en/pos/stock) (retail mode), the refund screen shows the **Return items to stock** option, **on by default**. Leave it on when the customer brings the goods back — each tracked item is then credited back to stock. Turn it off when the goods are damaged, lost, or kept. The option doesn't appear for a **free-amount** refund, which never restocks.

## Giving the reason — mandatory

Under **REASON · REQUIRED**, tap a reason: **Wrong item**, **Quality**, **Returned** or **Other**. If you pick **Other**, a text field appears and must be filled in. The reason shows on the refund ticket and feeds your reports — it's what lets you track why money leaves the drawer.

## Submitting

Tap the red **Refund** button followed by the amount. The register sends the refund, which is checked and numbered before being confirmed. If the refund is rejected (a **Refund rejected** message with the explanation), fix the selection — the most common case is an amount above **Max refundable**.

<Warning>
  A confirmed refund is final: it can neither be edited nor deleted, exactly like a sale. If you make a mistake, talk to your accountant — don't try to "compensate" with another untracked refund.
</Warning>

## After the refund

The confirmation screen shows **Refund #N issued**, with the amount, the refund method and the reason. Depending on the case, it also confirms:

* **Cash drawer pay-out recorded** — for a cash refund, the register automatically records the matching pay-out (labelled **Refund #N**) on the current business day. Your evening blind count stays correct without writing anything down. If no business day is open, the register asks you to record the pay-out manually.
* **Refund ticket sent to printer** — the refund ticket prints automatically for the customer. **Print again** prints another one. If the message **No receipt printer configured** shows, see [Receipts and printing](/en/pos/receipts-printing).

Tap **Done** to return to the register.

## Where refunds show afterwards

On the register (main register):

* the paid order shows a **REFUNDS** block under its totals, with each refund and the remaining **Net** — the original items and totals never change;
* in the [orders list](/en/pos/orders-list), the order keeps its **Paid** status with a ↩ marker;
* for a cash refund, the pay-out appears in the day's cash movements, visible at [close of day](/en/pos/close-of-day).

In the backoffice:

* each sale shows its refund history;
* **Reports → Refunds** sums up refunds over the period, with gross and net revenue and the breakdown by reason and method — see [Reports](/en/backoffice/reports).

<Note>
  The backoffice can also issue refunds — see [Orders, sales, and refunds](/en/backoffice/orders). Careful: a cash refund issued from the backoffice does **not** record the drawer pay-out automatically — remember to record it on the register so the evening count stays correct.
</Note>