---
title: Refund payments
description: Return all or part of a payment to the person who paid it.
---

A refund returns money for an earlier collection. MoMo pays refunds from your **disbursement account**, not the collection account the payment went into, so the disbursement account must be [connected](/docs/providers/mtn-momo) and funded.

## Refund a payment

Use the collection's own reference in the path, and give the refund a new reference of its own:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.razpay.razonetix.com/v1/payments/order-1001/refund \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $RAZPAY_REFUND_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "external_reference": "order-1001-refund-1",
    "amount": 10.00,
    "description": "Partial refund, item out of stock"
  }'
```

Leave out `amount` to refund everything that's left. The money goes back to the number that paid; you don't send it.

The refund is a new transaction (`type: refund`) that comes back `pending`, with `refund_of` set to the original's reference. You get `refund.successful` or `refund.failed`.

## The rules

- The key needs the [`refund` permission](/docs/concepts/authentication#permissions).
- Only `successful` collections can be refunded.
- Refunds can never add up to more than the original. Pending refunds count against the total, so two refunds sent at once can't both slip through. A failed refund returns nothing and frees its amount again.
- Paid [invoices](/docs/guides/invoices) can't be refunded through RazPay; arrange those with MTN directly.

## See what's been refunded

[`GET /payments/{reference}`](/docs/api/get-transaction) on the original payment includes its refunds and a summary:

```json
"refund_summary": {
  "refunded": 10,
  "pending": 0,
  "refundable": 20
}
```

## From the dashboard

Admins can refund from **Transactions**: open a successful payment and choose **Refund**. The form shows what's already been returned and what's left.