Skip to content
Rechnungskit

Issue the refund after a subscription withdrawal

Updated

The task "Withdrawal: refund due" (Widerruf: Erstattung fällig) reminds you to pay a customer back after their withdrawal. Rechnungskit cannot do that for you. In the app the task appears as "Review task". It carries the name "Withdrawal: refund due" in the task reminder by email.

Withdrawal: refund due
Subscription and document are already corrected, you pay the money back
  1. Trigger"Confirm withdrawal" in the customer portalwithin 14 days of signing up
  2. RechnungskitSubscription ended, cancellations createdconfirmation to the customer in your name
  3. You refundAt the payment provider, full amountoriginal payment method, within 14 days
  4. Then"Mark as done"never closes on its own
Rechnungskit moves no money. The deadline for the repayment starts when the withdrawal reaches you.

What happened

Within 14 days of signing up for a subscription, a customer clicked "Withdraw from contract" and then "Confirm withdrawal" in the customer portal. Rechnungskit then:

  • ended the subscription immediately,
  • created a cancellation correction (Storno) for every paid billing cycle, and
  • sent the customer the email "Withdrawal confirmed" in your name. It says that the amount paid will come back through the same payment method within 14 days at the latest.

The task names the amount and the email address: "Consumer withdrawal: repay … € to … (§ 357 BGB, original payment method, within 14 days)."

If nothing has been paid yet, for example during a trial, no task appears. The confirmation email still goes out, with the same text.

Why Rechnungskit stops here

Rechnungskit moves no money. The actual repayment runs through your payment provider. Rechnungskit does not book a credit balance for a withdrawal: the customer gets their money back, not a voucher.

The law requires:

  • Deadline: the repayment must be made within 14 days at the latest (section 357 (1) BGB). For you, the deadline starts when the withdrawal declaration reaches you (section 355 (3) BGB).
  • Payment method: you use the same payment method the customer used, unless you expressly agreed otherwise and this costs the customer nothing (section 357 (3) BGB).

Withdrawal through the button in the customer portal is governed by section 356a BGB, see Cancellation and withdrawal in the customer portal. The task makes sure the refund is not forgotten once the subscription and the document have already been corrected. This is not legal advice. If in doubt, ask a lawyer.

How to resolve it

  1. Open the task under Invoices in the "To review" tab and note the amount and the customer.
  2. Open Subscriptions to see the ended subscription and its billing cycles. On the dashboard, "Open" on the task takes you straight there.
  3. Refund the full amount in your payment provider's dashboard to the original payment method, within 14 days of the withdrawal.
  4. Check that the refund has reached the customer.
  5. Mark the task as done in the "To review" tab with "Mark as done".

When the task closes on its own

Never. Rechnungskit does not link the task to the refund at the payment provider. You close it yourself after the repayment.

Related settings

  • Subscriptions: plans, subscribers and their status
  • Settings → Email delivery: sender of the confirmation emails to your customers

Where to find it in the app

Rechnungskit is not a tax advisory or law firm. This article explains general principles and does not replace advice from a tax advisor (Steuerberater, § 5 StBerG) or a lawyer (§ 3 RDG). Rechnungskit is built for businesses based in Germany and prepares documents, tax rates and bookings automatically. How your specific case is treated remains your decision, ideally together with your tax advisor or a lawyer.

de en