How to issue a refund
On Ko-fi, payments are made directly from supporters to you, which also means you’re in control of refunds. Let’s take a look at the different ways to refund a supporter based on how they supported you.
Refunding via My Supporters
The easiest way to initiate a refund is through My Supporters.
- Go to My Supporters and locate the supporter you wish to refund by searching their name or email.
- Click on the supporter's name and find the payment you want to refund.
- Click the "three dots" and select Refund. A pop-up will appear, allowing you to give a reason for the refund (optional).
- Once you’ve refunded the payment, the funds will be removed from your PayPal/Stripe balance and returned to the supporter. The supporter will receive an email notifying them of the refund.
If they paid by PayPal, refunds are usually immediate and the supporter should see the funds returned to their PayPal balance.
For Stripe, it can take up to 5-10 business days for supporters to see their refund returned to their bank account.
Note
Check out the section here to find out what happens to exclusive content or previous purchases after a refund.
Refunding via Payments & Orders
You can also issue a refund directly from your Payments & Orders page.
- Navigate to Payments & Orders and find the payment you want to refund. You can filter by payment type in the top left corner
- Click the "three dots" next to the payment and choose Refund. Enter a refund reason if needed and complete the refund.
- Once you’ve refunded the payment, the funds will be removed from your PayPal/Stripe balance and returned to the supporter. The supporter will receive an email notifying them of the refund.
If they paid by PayPal, refunds are usually immediate and the supporter should see the funds returned to their PayPal balance.
For Stripe, it can take up to 5-10 business days for supporters to see their refund returned to their bank account.
Canceling a subscription
To cancel a supporter's subscription, head over to the "Members" tab of your Memberships page.
- Search for the member using their email or name, then click on their profile.
- Click the "three dots" and select Cancel Membership.
Supporters can cancel their subscriptions anytime using this guide. If a supporter can’t find their subscription, they can reach out to us here, and we'll get it sorted for them.
When you cancel a Stripe subscription, access to content is revoked immediately. Canceling through PayPal revokes access to content at the end of the subscription period.
Refund failed
If a refund fails, first ensure your associated PayPal/Stripe account has enough funds to cover the refund. Remember, refunds can only be initiated within 180 days of the payment date.
If you continue having trouble refunding through Ko-fi, try initiating the refund directly through PayPal/Stripe.
Still having trouble issuing a refund? Reach out to us here and we’ll be happy to help.
Supporter access after refunds
Here’s a breakdown of what supporter-only content and previous purchases will be accessible after you refund a supporter:
- For one-time donations, supporters lose immediate access to your content upon refund.
- For recurring monthly or membership tier payments, access remains until the subscription period ends.
- For digital shop orders, supporters won’t be able to download the item again.
FAQ
When you issue a refund through Ko-fi, you can only refund the full amount. To issue a partial refund, you’ll need to refund directly through the payment provider PayPal/Stripe.
Both PayPal and Stripe allow refunds for up to 180 days after the payment is completed.
You can refer to Stripe's Refunding Rules and PayPal's Refunding Statement under "Commercial Transaction Refunds” for more information on this.
What usually happens is PayPal/Stripe keeps the transaction fee from the original payment.
PayPal refunds are typically instant, while Stripe advises 5-10 business days.
Since Ko-fi facilitates direct payments between you and your supporters, you must initiate refunds.
If a refund was issued on the same day as the transaction, it might have been canceled instead, meaning the charge will disappear rather than be returned to them.
For supporters who were refunded through PayPal, you can forward them PayPal’s help article here.
If you can’t find the transaction you need to refund, first check that the email/name of the supporter is correct in My Supporters or by checking with the supporter directly.
If the supporter didn’t create a Ko-fi account or leave a name when they supported you, then it might be easier to find the payment directly in your Stripe or PayPal account.
If you don’t see the payment on Ko-fi or in your payment account, it’s possible the payment did not go through. Failed payments are typically returned to supporters within 2-3 business days. If you still need help, feel free to raise a support ticket and we’ll be happy to lend a hand.
Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to us here. We're here to help! 💌