Payment in a booking and refunds to a client

You mark the payment in the booking itself: “Cash”, “Card” or “Terminal”. A paid booking becomes income in “Finance” on its own, and one cancelled after payment becomes a refund; Bookly only keeps the records — you give the money back to the client yourself.

Anyone who can change the booking can mark its payment. “Finance” is open to the owner and staff with “Full access”.

How to do it

Mark a payment

1. Open the booking in the calendar.
2. At the top of the card, click the payment — it starts as “Unpaid”.
3. Pick “Cash”, “Card” or “Terminal”.

The payment goes straight into “Finance” → “Operations” as income: the booking’s amount with its add-ons, dated the day of the visit. In “Finance”, “Terminal” counts as “Card”.

Refund part of the money

1. Open “Finance” → “Operations” and find the income from this booking.
2. Open it and click “Refund”.
3. Enter the amount — no more than “Left to refund” shows — and click “Refund”.

A refund in Bookly is a record in your books. You give the money back to the client yourself, in cash or by transfer. To cancel a refund, open it and click “Void”.

What happens to the money

• A paid booking that isn’t cancelled is income.
• A completed but unpaid booking is a debt with the status “Overdue”.
• A booking cancelled after payment marks its income “Refunded”: in the books the money went back to the client.
• An unpaid future booking, or one cancelled without payment, doesn’t show in “Finance”.

A payment is dated the day of the visit, and a cancellation removes it from that month. On the Team plan a paid booking also adds to the specialist’s pay (see Staff pay and rates).

If something goes wrong

“… of this booking’s payment has already been refunded in Finance: the booking cannot cost less than that or become unpaid.”

After a partial refund, the booking’s price can’t drop below the refunded amount, and the booking can’t become “Unpaid”. To change that, void the refund in “Finance” first.

Refund errors

• “The refund is more than is left of this income: up to …” — lower the amount.
• “A refund is made from the income it returns: open that income and choose “Refund”.” — refunds aren’t added as separate operations; open the booking’s income.
• “This income has refunds: void them first.” — income with refunds can’t be changed until the refunds are voided.
• “This operation cannot be refunded.” — only income can be refunded.

“Not paid — … is still due.”

The visit is completed but no payment was marked, so “Finance” counts it as a debt. When the client pays, mark the method in the booking and the debt is gone.

A terminal payment isn’t in “Finance”

It is there: “Finance” counts “Terminal” as “Card”.

Related articles

• Booking statuses and payment statuses
• Operations and journal: income, expenses, voiding
• Client payments: how Bookly records them
• Client deposits: recording them in Finance
• Rescheduling or archiving a booking