Process a Credit Card Refund in POSitouch

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Description: Learn how to process a full or partial credit card refund in POSitouch using Transaction Manager, on the same day as the original transaction or on a prior day.

Important: You need Transaction Manager access to process refunds. If you do not have Transaction Manager access, contact your account administrator or Shift4 Support to have refund permissions enabled before proceeding.

Same-Day vs. Prior-Day Refunds in POSitouch

The refund process is the same whether the original transaction happened today or on a prior day. However, there is one important timing rule:

Same-day transactions: The original transaction is still in today's open batch. The refund will be included in tonight's settlement.
Prior-day transactions: The original transaction has already batched and settled. The refund will appear as a separate credit in the next settlement.

Note: Refunds do not cancel or reverse the original charge on your POSitouch sales reports. The refund is processed as a separate negative transaction through the Shift4 gateway. Both the original charge and the refund will appear in your reports.

Refund a Transaction Using Transaction Manager in POSitouch

This is the recommended method for all refunds.

Information Needed Before Refunding a Transaction

Have the following ready before starting:

Last four digits of the credit card that was charged
Date of the original transaction
Amount to be refunded
Check number or server name (helpful, but not required)

Submit a Refund in Transaction Manager

Open Transaction Manager. You can access Transaction Manager through your back office or by logging in at the Shift4 portal.
Use the search filters to locate the original transaction. Search by card last four digits, date, or amount.
Select the transaction from the results list to open it.
Select Clone (or Edit) on the transaction.
In the Primary Amount field, enter the refund amount as a negative number. For example, to refund $25.68, enter -25.68.
If the refund is for the full transaction amount, including tip, set the Tip field to $0.00. The negative primary amount covers the full refund.
If the refund is for the charge only (not the tip), enter only the charge amount as a negative and leave the Tip field at $0.00.
Select Submit. The refund will process immediately.
A refund confirmation screen will appear. Print or email the refund voucher for your records.

Warning: A submitted refund cannot be reversed. Always confirm the transaction details — card last four digits, date, and amount — before selecting Submit. If you issue a refund for the wrong amount, contact Shift4 Support.

Process a Partial Refund in POSitouch (Overcharge or Tip Correction)

Use this method when a customer was overcharged, or a tip was entered incorrectly, and you need to refund only part of the total transaction amount.

Locate the original transaction in Transaction Manager using the card last four digits and date.
Select Clone on the transaction.
In the Primary Amount field, enter only the difference as a negative number. For example, if the customer was charged $20 but should have been charged $14.95, enter -5.05.
Set the Tip field to $0.00.
Confirm the Total shown reflects the correct negative amount, then select Submit.

Refund a Tax-Only Overcharge

If you are refunding a tax-exempt transaction where tax was incorrectly charged, enter only the tax amount as the negative primary amount and set the Tip field to $0.00. For example, to refund $27.97 in tax, enter -27.97 in the Primary Amount field.

Refund Multiple Transactions in POSitouch

If you need to refund several transactions — for example, online orders from a day when the restaurant was unexpectedly closed — process each transaction as a separate refund using the steps in Refund a Transaction above. For each transaction, you will need:

The last four digits of the card
The transaction date
The exact amount to refund

Note: There is no bulk refund function in Transaction Manager. Each transaction must be cloned and submitted individually. For a large number of refunds, contact Shift4 Support — we can assist or process them on your behalf.

Print or Email a Refund Receipt in POSitouch

After a refund is submitted, a refund voucher is generated. You can provide this to the customer as confirmation.

To print the refund voucher, select Print on the refund confirmation screen. The receipt will print to your receipt printer.
To email the refund voucher, select Email (if available) and enter the customer's email address.
If you need a copy of a refund voucher after closing Transaction Manager, locate the refund transaction in Transaction Manager (it will show as a negative amount) and reprint or resend it from there.

What You Cannot Refund From POSitouch

The following scenarios require Shift4 Support assistance and cannot be completed independently in Transaction Manager:

Transactions older than ninety days (standard gateway limit)
Transactions processed through a third-party gateway or a different processor
Refunds when the original card is no longer active — these may need to be issued as a check or cash
Transactions where the merchant does not have Transaction Manager refund permissions enabled

Getting Further Help

If you cannot locate the transaction in Transaction Manager, the Submit button is grayed out, or the refund does not appear to be processing, contact Shift4 POSitouch Support. Have your Merchant ID, the card's last four digits, transaction date, and refund amount ready.