In this guide · 8 sections
- 01PayNow refunds at a glance: gateway vs direct transfer
- 02How to refund a PayNow payment on Stripe
- 03How to refund a PayNow payment on HitPay
- 04Refunding a direct PayNow transfer to your bank account
- 05Fees, partial refunds and your refund policy
- 06Record keeping and GST credit notes
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Through a gateway, open the payment and click Refund: Stripe allows PayNow refunds up to 90 days, HitPay up to 30 days, and neither returns its fee. For a direct PayNow transfer, send a new transfer back to the same account it came from, then record it and issue a credit note if needed.
PayNow refunds at a glance: gateway vs direct transfer
How you refund depends on how the customer paid. Check the order or bank record first.
| How they paid | How to refund | Time limit | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| PayNow via Stripe (Checkout, Payment Links, plugins) | Refund button in Stripe Dashboard or API | Up to 90 days after payment | No refund fee; original fee not returned |
| PayNow QR via HitPay | Refund in HitPay dashboard, POS app or API | Up to 30 days | Fees not refunded |
| PayNow straight to your bank (UEN or mobile) | New PayNow or FAST transfer from your bank app | None set by a provider | Your bank's usual charges, usually none |
| PayNow via another gateway or marketplace | That provider's refund process | Check its docs | Check its docs |
If you're choosing a gateway, refund handling is one of the practical differences; our HitPay vs Stripe comparison covers the rest.
How to refund a PayNow payment on Stripe
Stripe's PayNow documentation says you can refund PayNow payments up to 90 days after the original payment. Refunds are asynchronous, which means Stripe confirms the result later rather than instantly.
Find the payment
In the Stripe Dashboard, open Transactions and search by amount, email or order reference.
Click Refund
Choose a full or partial refund and add a reason. Partial refunds are supported.
Watch the refund status
Stripe updates the refund to succeeded or failed and sends refund.updated or refund.failed webhook events if your site listens for them.
Handle a failed refund
If a refund fails, Stripe says the amount returns to your Stripe balance and you need to refund the customer another way, such as a bank transfer.
Update the order
Mark the order refunded in your shop or booking system so stock, access or invoices match.
Stripe's PayNow docs note there are no additional fees for processing refunds, but the original transaction fees are non-refundable. At Stripe's 1.3% PayNow rate (as of October 2026), refunding a S$200 order costs you the S$2.60 fee. Stripe also says PayNow has no dispute process that can lead to a chargeback, because customers authenticate each payment in their banking app, so refunds are the only way money goes back.
How to refund a PayNow payment on HitPay
HitPay's refunds and chargebacks page lists PayNow QR refunds as instant, deducted from your HitPay balance, with a maximum refund period of 30 days. It also says fees are not refunded.
- Web dashboard: open the charge under Payments, choose Refund, and enter the full or partial amount.
- POS app: find the transaction and refund it from the app if you took the payment in person.
- API or plugin: custom sites and some plugins can refund through HitPay's refund API.
HitPay lists the usual reasons a refund fails: not enough funds in your HitPay balance, the refund period has passed, or the charge isn't confirmed yet (each method has its own confirmation time before funds move from Pending to Available). Past 30 days, you'll need to refund by bank transfer instead.
Refunding a direct PayNow transfer to your bank account
When a customer scans your UEN QR code or pays your mobile number from their banking app, the money lands in your bank account like any other transfer. There's no link back to an order and no refund button, so you send a new transfer.
Find the incoming credit on your bank statement
Note the date, amount, the payer's name as shown by the bank and any reference they typed.
Confirm it matches the order
Check the amount and reference against the order or invoice. Ask the customer for their payment screenshot only as a pointer, not as proof.
Send the refund to the same account
Pay back by PayNow to the mobile number or by FAST to the account the money came from, and check the name your bank app displays before confirming.
Add a clear reference
Use 'Refund INV-1234' so the customer and your bookkeeper can match it.
Tell the customer and keep proof
Send the bank's confirmation and save it with the order.
Fees, partial refunds and your refund policy
Because gateways keep their fee, decide whether you absorb it or deduct it, and say so in your refund policy before customers buy. Many small businesses absorb it for mistakes on their side and deduct it, or charge a stated admin fee, for change-of-mind cancellations. Our refund policy guide for online stores covers what Singapore consumer law expects.
- Customer payment by PayNow via StripeS$200.00
- Stripe PayNow fee (1.3%)Kept by Stripe after refundS$2.60
- Full refund to customerS$200.00
Cost to you of the refunded orderS$2.60
Stripe Singapore PayNow pricing, as of October 2026. HitPay PayNow fees differ by order size.
Record keeping and GST credit notes
Refunds need a paper trail as much as sales do. Record the refund against the original order or invoice, with the date, amount, method and reason. If you use Xero or QuickBooks with a Stripe or HitPay connection, check the refund syncs; manual bank refunds need to be matched by hand.
If you are GST-registered, IRAS's invoicing page says a credit note is issued when goods or services were not supplied, when charges are partly or fully waived, or to correct a mistake. The credit note reduces the output tax you report.
After every refund
Do it yourself or get help?
Refunding through a dashboard or your banking app is a two-minute job once you know where to look. Get help when your website doesn't update orders after a refund, when refunds aren't syncing to your accounting software, or when most customers pay by direct PayNow and matching takes hours each week.
Our Online Payment Setup (S$290) sets up Stripe or HitPay in your name with PayNow on your website and payment links, so payments and refunds are tied to orders instead of bank statements. See our guide to accepting PayNow on your website for the options.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. If the customer paid through a gateway such as Stripe or HitPay, refund it from the gateway's dashboard within its time limit: 90 days on Stripe and 30 days on HitPay. If they paid directly into your bank account, there is no refund button, so you send a new PayNow or FAST transfer back to the account the money came from.
HitPay lists PayNow QR refunds as instant. Stripe processes PayNow refunds asynchronously and notifies you when each refund succeeds or fails, so allow some time for confirmation. A manual refund from your own bank app by PayNow usually arrives within seconds, like any other PayNow transfer.
No. Stripe says there are no additional fees for refunds, but the original transaction fee is non-refundable. On Stripe's 1.3% PayNow rate as of October 2026, refunding a S$200 order costs you S$2.60. HitPay also says fees are not refunded. State in your refund policy whether you absorb or deduct this.
Not in the way card payments allow. Stripe's PayNow documentation says there is no dispute process that can result in a chargeback, because customers authenticate each payment in their banking app. Customers who want money back have to ask you for a refund, which is why a clear refund policy matters.
Treat it as a likely scam until proven otherwise. Check your own bank account for the actual credit, not a screenshot. Only refund money that has arrived, and only to the account it came from. Refusing to send money to a different account is reasonable; a genuine customer can receive it back where it came from.