Processing Refunds and Voids
Refund or void credit card and ACH payments from a user profile’s Sales tab, and remove scheduled or future payments when needed.
Overview
Process refunds and voids for credit card and ACH payments from the Sales tab in an individual user’s profile. You can also remove scheduled or future payments from the same place.
Refunds are available only after a payment settles. Before settlement, you may see a Void or Remove option instead of Refund, depending on whether the payment has already run or is still scheduled.
When refunds are available
Refunds become available once the original charge has fully settled to your merchant account.
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For credit card payments, this is typically the next day.
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For ACH payments, settlement typically takes 3-5 business days. Until an ACH payment settles, Campium does not offer refund. Use void to cancel the debit instead.
Before settlement, the payment is still pending and you will see a Void option instead of Refund. Voiding cancels the payment before it completes.
If you open refund on an ACH payment that has not settled yet, Campium shows: This ACH payment has not settled yet. Void it to cancel the debit. You can refund only after it settles. Use Void this payment (or Close), then issue a refund after settlement. The same message appears on profile payments and on Canteen → Deposits.
If the transaction has not settled yet, you see a Void option that cancels the pending payment. Depending on your daily batching cutoff, you may see a message indicating you can no longer void the transaction. When that message appears, wait for the payment to settle, then issue a refund instead of a void.
Once the payment settles, the Void option is no longer available and a Refund option appears for that transaction.
Imported payments
Payments brought in from another system (for example a CampMinder or markdown import) do not show Refund or Void on the profile. Those rows have no processor transaction behind them, so Campium cannot reverse them the usual way.
If someone still tries to refund or void an imported payment, Campium shows: This payment was imported from another system, so it can't be refunded or voided here. Record a credit instead.
How to issue a refund
Use the Sales tab in a user’s profile to refund completed credit card or ACH payments.
Open the user's Sales tab
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Go to the relevant user’s profile.
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Click the Sales tab to view their charges and payments.
Select the completed payment
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In the payment list, find the completed credit card or ACH payment you want to refund.
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Hover over the payment row until a Refund link appears.
Enter refund details
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Click the Refund link.
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Enter the amount you want to refund. You can issue a full or partial refund.
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Enter a reason for the refund.
Confirm the refund
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Review the refund amount and reason, then confirm the refund.
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The refund appears on the family’s invoice along with the reason you entered, so they can clearly see why the adjustment was made.
As of December 2, 2025, the Also Refund Surcharge checkbox is available when refunding credit card payments that included a surcharge. See the sections below for full details on how this works.
Canceling scheduled or future payments
Cancel scheduled or future payments from the same Sales tab in the user’s profile.
Open the user's Sales tab
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Go to the user’s profile.
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Click the Sales tab.
Remove the future payment
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Find the scheduled or future payment you want to cancel.
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Follow the same steps you use to access refunds and voids. Instead of a Refund or Void link, you see a Remove option.
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Click Remove to cancel the scheduled or future payment.
The payment will no longer process on the scheduled date once you remove it.
Refunds and credit card surcharges
When you refund a credit card payment that included a surcharge, the Amount field represents the camp balance portion only, not the full amount charged to the card. By default, Also Refund Surcharge is checked so the fee is returned proportionally with the refund. Uncheck it only when you intentionally want to keep the surcharge (not available on Finix; see below). A Void works differently: it cancels the full original card charge before settlement and always reverses both the payment amount and the surcharge.
How a credit card payment is stored
Campium stores each credit card payment as two separate parts so the camp balance and card processing fee stay distinct in payments, refunds, and reporting.
| Part | What it is | Example ($100 camp fee + 2.5% surcharge) |
|---|---|---|
| Applied amount (camp balance) | What reduces the family's balance | $100.00 |
| Surcharge | Card processing fee added on top | $2.50 |
| Total charged to card | Applied amount + surcharge | $102.50 |
On the profile Payments tab, you see the applied amount on the main payment line and Surcharge as a separate line underneath when a fee was charged. ACH and debit card payments usually do not include a surcharge, so the Also Refund Surcharge checkbox does not appear for those payments.
Refund vs void
Use a void for same-day or not-yet-settled card payments when you need to cancel the entire transaction. Use a refund after settlement or any time you need to return only part of the camp amount.
| Action | When to use it | What it does | Surcharge behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Void | Same day or before settlement | Cancels the entire original transaction | Always reverses the full surcharge automatically; no checkbox |
| Refund | After settlement or when returning only part of the payment | Sends money back after the original transaction has settled | Also Refund Surcharge is checked by default; on Finix it is required and locked |
The Amount you type is always the camp balance portion. Whether the surcharge is also returned depends on Also Refund Surcharge (checked by default, and required on Finix).
Also Refund Surcharge: what it does
The Also Refund Surcharge checkbox appears only when you are issuing a refund, not a void, and only if the original payment included a surcharge. If the payment had no surcharge, there is no fee to return and the checkbox does not appear. ACH and debit card payments usually do not include a surcharge.
When the checkbox is checked (the default), Campium calculates an additional surcharge refund from the original surcharge on that payment, then credits the card for the entered Amount plus the surcharge refund. When you uncheck it (processors other than Finix), Campium refunds only the amount you enter and your organization keeps the surcharge.
Under the checkbox, a live helper line updates as you change the Amount. Examples:
- Returns $1.25 of the $2.50 surcharge.
- Returns the full $2.50 surcharge.
- Keeps the full $2.50 surcharge.
- Enter an amount to see how much of the $2.50 surcharge comes back.
Finix
On Finix, card-network rules require the surcharge to be refunded with the payment. The checkbox shows as Also Refund Surcharge (required), stays checked, and cannot be turned off. A note on the refund form explains that the surcharge is included automatically.
Other processors
On Payabli, USIO, and similar processors, the checkbox starts checked with a note that the surcharge is refunded proportionally by default. Uncheck it only if the surcharge should be kept.
The calculation is:
surcharge refund = original surcharge × (Amount ÷ original camp portion)
Campium rounds the surcharge refund to the nearest cent. The fee comes from what was charged on the original payment, not from re-applying today's Credit Card Surcharge percentage. Changing the percentage in settings after the family paid does not change how much surcharge is returned on that payment.
Examples (original payment had a 2.5% surcharge)
Assume a family paid $100.00 toward camp and $2.50 in surcharge, for a total card charge of $102.50. On Finix, only the Checked rows apply (the checkbox cannot be turned off).
Full refund of the camp portion
| Amount entered | Also Refund Surcharge | Total returned to card | Camp balance credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100.00 | Checked (default) | $102.50 | $100.00 |
| $100.00 | Unchecked (non-Finix only) | $100.00 | $100.00 |
Partial refund (50%)
| Amount entered | Also Refund Surcharge | Total returned to card | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50.00 | Checked (default) | $51.25 | $50.00 + half of the original $2.50 surcharge |
| $50.00 | Unchecked (non-Finix only) | $50.00 | Half of the camp amount only |
Another partial example
If the original camp portion was $200.00 and the surcharge was $5.00, the total card charge was $205.00. Refunding $80.00 with the checkbox checked (the default) returns $82.00, because $5.00 × ($80.00 ÷ $200.00) is $2.00. On a non-Finix processor, unchecking the box returns $80.00 only.
What families see
- The Reason you enter appears on the family invoice.
- Refund rows show the applied amount and, when applicable, a separate Surcharge line.
- Parent portal terms may state that processing fees are non-refundable. Your staff choice with Also Refund Surcharge (or Finix's required inclusion) controls whether the fee is returned on that refund.
Reporting and QuickBooks
Revenue Summary reporting includes Refunds - Credit Card Surcharge (Refunds & Voids) so you can track surcharge income that was reversed. When QuickBooks sync is enabled, refund rows are treated as the principal refund amount for camp charges plus a separate surcharge or convenience fee reversal when the surcharge was refunded.
Canteen payments
Canteen refunds use a separate workflow in Canteen → Deposits. The canteen refund form does not include Also Refund Surcharge, so a partial refund returns only the amount you enter and does not add any surcharge refund. A void still reverses the full amount and the full surcharge automatically.
Common staff questions
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| Refund amount seems too high | Also Refund Surcharge is checked by default. Uncheck it on non-Finix processors if you meant to keep the fee. |
| Refund amount seems too low | Confirm you entered the full camp portion you intended. On Finix the surcharge is always included when the original payment had one. |
| Refunded fee doesn't match original fee | Surcharge refunds prorate the original fee on that payment. Confirm the original surcharge line on the payment, and that you entered the camp Amount you intended. |
| Can't refund | The payment may be outside the processor's refund window or may not be settled yet. If it is still pending, try a void. Otherwise contact support. |
| ACH refund warning (USIO) | Follow the instructions in the warning modal. Large ACH refunds may be issued as a separate credit. |
Related settings
- Credit Card Surcharge in Site Settings: the percentage used when charging cards. Surcharge refunds use the fee recorded on the original payment, not a fresh percentage from settings.
- Debit, prepaid, and HSA/FSA cards and ACH/e-check are never surcharged, so those payments do not show the checkbox.
- Payment Methods for which methods families can use at checkout and which ones you record by hand.