--- title: Refund errors and top-ups sidebarTitle: Refund errors & top-ups description: >- Why a refund won't go through, what each message means, and how to top up your Stripe balance so a refund can complete. audience: luminary feature: refunds type: troubleshooting availability: live last_verified: '2026-10-13' keywords: - refund failed - refund error - insufficient balance - top up stripe - cannot refund - refund greyed out - settlement pending url: >- https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/business/refunds/refund-errors-and-top-ups --- # Refund errors and top-ups > Why a refund won't go through, what each message means, and how to top up your Stripe balance so a refund can complete. Most refunds go through in one click. When one doesn't, Soul tells you why. Find the message below. ## Messages and fixes | You see | Why | What to do | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Refund greyed out, _"Refund unavailable while settlement is pending"_ | Stripe hasn't finished settling the payment, so the fee and net amount aren't final. | Try again in a few days, once the payment's Net amount no longer says _"Pending Settlement"_. | | _"A refund request is pending for this transaction"_ | The member has already asked for a refund. | Click the request in the dialog and approve or reject it there. See [Answer a refund request](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/business/refunds/answer-a-refund-request). | | _"Refunds are off for this product."_ | Your refund policy doesn't allow refunds for this offering. | Turn on refunds in your global refund policy, or open the product refund policy from the link and create an override. See [Set your refund policy](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/settings/refund-policy). | | _"Refunds above the net amount ($X) require internal approval or creator-funded full refunds to be enabled."_ | You entered more than you received after Stripe's fee, and your policy doesn't allow full refunds. | Lower the amount to the net amount, or turn on Practitioner-funded full refunds. | | _"Refund amount exceeds the amount allowed by policy ($X)."_ | The amount is above your direct refund limit. | Lower it to the limit shown. | | _"Refund amount exceeds the remaining refundable balance"_ | Part of this payment was already refunded. | Check the payment's Details for the earlier refund, and refund only what's left. | | _"Enter a valid refund amount"_ | The amount is empty or zero. | Enter an amount above $0. | | Insufficient Stripe account balance | The money has already gone to your Stripe account and your balance there can't cover the refund. | Top up and retry. See below. | | _"Cannot refund a disputed charge"_ | The member has opened a dispute (chargeback) with their bank. | Respond to the dispute in your Stripe dashboard instead. | | No Refund button at all | The whole payment has already been refunded, or it was free. | Nothing to refund. Check the status: Refunded, or an amount of _Free_. | ## Top up and retry a refund A refund on a payment that's already reached your Stripe account is paid from your Stripe balance. If you've recently been paid out to your bank, that balance can be lower than the refund. **Step 1: See the shortfall** When you click Continue (or Approve & refund on a request) and your balance is too low, the dialog changes to *Insufficient Stripe account balance*, showing Your Stripe balance and the Amount needed to top up. **Step 2: Top up** Click Top up and retry refund. Enter your card and click Pay and retry refund. The card form shows the exact amount you'll be charged. **Step 3: Let it retry** Once the top-up goes through, Soul retries the refund for you. If the top-up is still processing, you'll see *"Top-up is processing. Retry the refund once the balance has settled."* Come back and click Refund (or Approve) again later. **Note:** A refund request stays open if a top-up is needed. It isn't marked failed, so you can approve it again after topping up. ## Avoid refund problems - Write a clear [refund policy](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/settings/refund-policy) so members know what to expect before they buy. - Refund early. Refunding while money is still a pending payout simply lowers that payout, with no top-up needed. - Decide on full refunds once. If you want to always cover Stripe's fee for members, turn on Practitioner-funded full refunds instead of fighting the net-amount limit each time. ## Still stuck? Email [support@bringsoul.life](mailto:support@bringsoul.life) with the Transaction ID from the top of the payment page. ## Related - [Refund a member](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/business/refunds): How refunds, fees and payouts fit together. - [How payouts work](https://help.bringsoul.life/luminaries/business/payouts/how-payouts-work): Settlement and pending payouts, explained.