# How to process a full or partial refund in the Auction Manager

This guide shows you how to issue a **full or partial refund** yourself from a bidder's invoice, without contacting Handbid Support. It's for organizations that have been enabled for manager-processed refunds.

:::note
This feature is not on for every account. Manager-processed refunds must be enabled for your organization, and your organization must be processing payments through its **own connected Stripe account** — organizations processing on Handbid's account cannot issue their own refunds. Contact your Customer Success Manager to find out whether you're eligible.
:::

## Prerequisites

- Manager-processed refunds enabled for your organization.
- Your organization connected to its own Stripe account.
- The **refund permission** granted to your user on the Staff tab (see below).

## Who can issue refunds

Refund access is granted per staff member, and **only the organization owner can grant it**. If you're the owner:

1. Go to your **Organization Settings**.
2. Open the **Staff** tab.
3. Find the staff member and check the refund permission checkbox for that user.
4. Save.

If you're not the owner, ask your organization owner to enable it for you. The checkbox is not editable by anyone else, including other admins.

## How to issue a refund

### 1. Open the invoice

In the Auction Manager, go to the auction's **Invoices** (or **Receipts**) and open the bidder's invoice.

### 2. Open the actions menu

Select the **three-dot menu** on the invoice.

### 3. Choose the refund type

- **Refund** — returns the full amount.
- **Partial refund** — returns an amount you specify.

### 4. Enter the details and confirm

For a partial refund, enter the amount to return. Review it, then confirm.

The refund is processed through your organization's Stripe account, so the money comes back out of your own balance — not Handbid's.

## Verify it worked

The invoice's **Amount** column shows that the transaction was refunded, along with **who processed it** — the name of the logged-in manager who issued the refund. That's your audit trail; it stays on the record.

You can also confirm the refund in your Stripe dashboard.

## Common issues

- **You don't see Refund or Partial refund in the three-dot menu** — either the feature isn't enabled for your organization, or the refund permission hasn't been granted to your user on the Staff tab.
- **The refund permission checkbox is greyed out** — only the organization owner can change it.
- **Your organization isn't eligible** — organizations that process payments on Handbid's merchant account can't issue their own refunds. Contact your CSM about connecting your own Stripe account.

:::caution
Refunds are processed immediately and can't be reversed from the Auction Manager. Confirm the bidder, the invoice, and the amount before you confirm a partial refund.
:::

## Related articles

- [The Handbid payment system and receiving funds](/the-handbid-payment-system-and-receiving-funds/)
- [Connect your Handbid account to Stripe](/connect-your-handbid-account-to-stripe/)
- [How to close an auction and pay invoices](/how-to-close-an-auction-and-pay-invoices/)
- [Review receipts before bidders see them](/review-receipts-before-bidders-see-them/)
- [Predefined team roles and team roles basics](/predefined-team-roles-and-team-roles-basics/)