Handle a chargeback

The task "Chargeback received" reports that your payment provider has pulled a payment back: a SEPA return debit (Rücklastschrift), a card chargeback or a buyer dispute. The task reminder by email, which is in German, lists it as "Rücklastschrift".

What happened

The payment provider has reported a chargeback. Depending on the stage, the task shows a different text:

For an open dispute your account gets a one-time email. It goes to the contact email from the settings, or, if there is none, to the account owner. Mollie does not report open disputes, only the outcome, so with Mollie there is no such email.

Why Rechnungskit stops here

A chargeback reverses the payment, not the sale. The goods or service were delivered, the invoice stays valid and the customer still owes the amount. That is why Rechnungskit deliberately does not create a cancellation invoice (Storno) but marks the invoice as "Charged back".

Rechnungskit does not automatically match a later repayment by customer or amount, because that is not reliable proof. The payment then shows under Payments as "Needs review".

How to resolve it

1. Open the affected invoice under Invoices. The payment history shows the original payment and the chargeback.
2. For an open dispute, respond directly at the payment provider within the deadline, for example with proof of shipment or service.
3. If the case is lost, you pursue the receivable outside Rechnungskit. Dunning and debiting again are not part of the product.
4. If the receivable turns out to be permanently uncollectible, clarify with your tax advisor whether a bad-debt correction is needed. Rechnungskit does not create a cancellation for this.
5. For a possible repayment, check against an external reference whether it really belongs to the charged-back invoice. If it does, match it under Payments.
6. Once the case is settled for you, mark the task as done under Invoices in the "To review" tab with "Mark as done". Rechnungskit records in the activity log who closed it and when. The invoice stays marked as charged back.

In the DATEV export Rechnungskit books the chargeback against the debtor, on the clearing account (Geldtransit) of the payment provider concerned. The receivable is therefore open again in the books too (see DATEV export and your tax advisor).

When the task closes on its own

If you win the dispute, you keep the money and Rechnungskit closes the task automatically. In all other cases it stays open until you close it with "Mark as done": for a lost case because the receivable is open, and for a possible repayment even after you have matched the payment.

The task counts towards the menu badge under Invoices, because that is where you close it in the "To review" tab.

Related settings

• Settings: contact email, which receives the notification about open disputes
• Settings → DATEV settings: account mapping for payments and chargebacks