Disclaimer: ActBlue user roles and permissions dictate what users can do on our platform. If the tools or features mentioned in this article are unavailable to you, please speak to your Dashboard Admin(s) about updating your permissions.
In this article:
- Can I issue a refund?
- How do I issue a refund?
- When will the donor receive their refund?
- Can a donor request a refund at any time?
- Where can I view a list of all of my refunds?
- How do I report a refund? How are refunds debited?
- Why do I see a deficit disbursement or negative balance on my account?
Can I issue a refund?
Yes! As long as your ActBlue Dashboard has sufficient pending funds available, users with the correct permission level can issue refunds for donations made within 45 days regardless of disbursal status.
Conduit and merchant account users can view their Dashboard's pending funds on the Reporting tab of the Dashboard. If a merchant account has insufficient pending funds available, refunds will be debited directly from the campaign or organization's linked bank account.
Please note that some refund exceptions may apply. If you encounter any issues while attempting to refund a donation from your Dashboard, please contact us for additional support.
How do I issue a refund?
To issue a refund from your ActBlue Dashboard, you'll first need to pull up your donor's receipt. To do this, start by navigating to the Contribution Search tab under the Tools heading:
From the Contribution Search page, simply fill in the applicable information for your donation (ex. donor's name) and then click Search.
Once you’ve located the donation, click the order number (formatted as AB########) to view the contribution's receipt. From here, choose the appropriate reason for the refund and then click Process Refund:
The receipt should now display as an orange color, indicating it has been refunded.
If you're unable to issue this refund, you will receive an error message prompting you to contact us for additional support.
When will the donor receive their refund?
In general, a donor should expect to receive their refund within 2-5 business days. If a donor does not receive their refund within this time frame, please contact us for additional support.
Can a donor request a refund at any time?
ActBlue Express donors can request a refund for any contribution made through their ActBlue Express account within 45 days. As long as the refund is requested for a valid reason, there are sufficient funds available in your account for the refund to go through without giving you a negative balance, and there are no other issues (ex. PayPal limitations), the refund will process automatically in our system. When a donor requests a refund for a recurring contribution, all future recurrences will automatically be canceled.
Learn more about how ActBlue Express donors can request refunds here.
Where can I view a list of all of my refunds from my Dashboard?
Your Refunds tab lists all refunds made to your account in one easy and convenient location. To view it, simply click the Refunds tab under the Tools heading on your Dashboard:
How do I report a refund? How are refunds debited?
Conduit Accounts
Generally, there are two types of refunds for conduit accounts, and this can affect whether or not you need to report a refunded contribution.
Pre-disbursement refunds are refunds issued before the funds reach your campaign or organization. As a result, you may not need to report them.
Pre-disbursement refunds will have an N/A in the Disbursed column on the Refunds tab:
Post-disbursement refunds are issued after the contribution reaches your campaign or organization. As a result, you may need to report these. Click on the date under the Disbursed column to see information about the disbursement check.
If a donor requests a refund after disbursal, we’ll deduct their refund from your next pending check. Refunds issued via this method will post a date under the Recovered column.
Merchant Accounts
If your organization uses a Stripe merchant account, refunds processed via ActBlue will be sent to your bank account alongside donations received on the same day.
Please note, when refunds are processed, ActBlue will return our processing fees, but Stripe will not.
Refunds will automatically be sent back to the donor’s original method of payment within 2-5 business days. The exact timing of the refund depends on the donor’s bank. We recommend that donors contact their bank directly for more information.
If your campaign or organization's bank account has been closed, you can provide updated bank account information in the Financial Settings page of your account. If you need additional help with this process, please contact us for more information.
For more information on downloading Stripe merchant account reports, including fees and payout data, check out this guide!