---
title: "Refunds — sending money back to a student - NexPay"
description: "How to refund a student in NexPay — full or partial, linked to the original payment or an external reference. When a visa is rejected, a student withdraws, or a payment needs returning."
lastModified: "2026-06-15"
lang: "en"
url: https://nexpay.com.au/training/payments/refunds-and-cancellations
---
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# Refunds — sending money back to a student - NexPay

> Return funds to a student when a visa is rejected, a student withdraws, or a payment needs reversing — in full or in part.

## At a glance

- **Intended for:** Agents & school admins
- **Reading time:** 5 minutes
- **Last updated:** 12th June 2026

**TL;DR:** A refund sends money back to a student from your own funds. In the payment wizard choose My company pays → Refund a student, link it to the original NexPay payment (or record an external reference if the original didn't go through NexPay), enter the amount — full or partial — and submit. Refunds are created one student at a time, and each is tracked like any other payment. A refund returns money; a reissue replaces a payment.

{/* Body content for refunds */}

## When you need to send money back

Plans change. A student's visa is refused, they withdraw before the course starts, they switch to a cheaper accommodation, or a payment was simply made for too much. In each case you need to return money to the student — cleanly, with a record your finance team and auditors will accept.

In NexPay that's a **refund**: money sent back to an individual student from your own funds. It's one of the scenarios in the same payment wizard you already use, so there's nothing new to learn beyond which path to pick.

> **For agents and schools:** A refund comes out of *your* funds back to the student — it's not a reversal of someone else's payment. That's why it lives under the "My company pays" path: your organisation is the one sending the money back.

## How to issue a refund

Refunds run through the payment wizard, the same way you create any payment:

1. Start a new payment and, at the **Who pays?** step, choose **My company pays**.
2. Pick the **Refund a student** scenario.
3. Choose how to anchor it:
   - **Link to the original NexPay payment** — if the tuition, deposit, or rent was paid through NexPay, link it so the original details carry context.
   - **Record an external reference** — if the original payment didn't go through NexPay, note a reference so there's still a clear record of what the refund relates to.
4. Enter the **amount** to return (full or partial — see below) and the student's details.
5. Confirm the details shown and **submit**. The refund then moves through the normal stages and you can track it like any other payment.

> **Quick tip:** Linking to the original payment is the tidiest option when the money came through NexPay — it ties the refund to the record everyone can already see, rather than starting a fresh, unconnected entry.

## Full or partial refunds

Because you set the amount, refunds aren't all-or-nothing:

- **Full refund** — enter the full original amount. Common for a visa rejection before the course starts, where everything paid is returned.
- **Partial refund** — enter a smaller amount. Useful when a student withdraws part-way through, when you keep a non-refundable admin fee, or when only part of a holding deposit is being returned.

Whatever you enter is what's shown for confirmation before you submit, so you can check it's right first.

## Refund versus reissue

These two get mixed up, so the clean distinction:

- **Refund** *returns money* to the student. Choose **My company pays → Refund a student**.
- **Reissue** *replaces* a payment that needs re-doing — same purpose, fresh attempt. You start it from the original payment's actions, not the scenario list.

If your goal is "send this money back," refund. If it's "try this payment again," [reissue](/training/payments/reissue-cancel-and-replace.md).

## Refunding more than one student

Each refund is created on its own so it carries its own amount, reason, and record — which is exactly what you want for an audit trail. There's no single bulk-refund upload; for a larger batch, such as a cancelled intake, your NexPay specialist can advise the most efficient way to work through them.

## Your next step

- **Not sure which scenario fits?** See [choosing the right payment scenario](/training/payments/choosing-a-payment-scenario.md).
- **New to the wizard?** Start with [creating a payment](/training/payments/creating-a-payment.md).
- **Replacing a payment, not returning money?** Read [reissue, cancel and replace](/training/payments/reissue-cancel-and-replace.md).
- **Need proof the refund was sent?** See [receipts and remittance advice](/training/payments/receipts-and-remittance.md).
- **Tracking where a refund is?** Read [payment status explained](/training/payments/payment-status-explained.md).

## Checkpoint

After reading this, you should be able to:

- Issue a refund through **My company pays → Refund a student**
- Decide whether to link the original NexPay payment or record an external reference
- Enter a full or partial refund amount and confirm before submitting
- Tell a refund (return money) apart from a reissue (replace a payment)
- Know how to approach a large batch of refunds with your specialist

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I issue a refund?

In the payment wizard, choose the "My company pays" path and pick the "Refund a student" scenario. You send money back to the student from your own funds. You can link the refund to the original NexPay payment, or record an external reference if the original wasn't made through NexPay. Enter the amount, confirm the details, and submit — it then tracks like any other payment.

### Can I refund part of a payment?

Yes. You set the refund amount, so a partial refund is simply a smaller amount than the original — useful for a partial-semester withdrawal or returning a holding deposit while keeping an admin fee. For a full refund, enter the full amount.

### A student's visa was rejected — how do I refund them?

Use the same "Refund a student" scenario. If the tuition or deposit was paid through NexPay, link the refund to that original payment so the context carries over; if it wasn't, record an external reference. Your account manager can walk through the specific provider or school refund policy if you need them to.

### What if the original payment wasn't made through NexPay?

You can still issue the refund — choose "Refund a student" and record an external reference instead of linking a NexPay payment. That keeps a clear record of what the refund relates to, even though the original money didn't flow through NexPay.

### What's the difference between a refund and a reissue?

A refund returns money to the student. A reissue replaces a payment that needs re-doing (for example one that expired) with a fresh copy. Use refund to send money back; use reissue to try a payment again. See the reissue guide for that flow.

### Can I refund many students at once?

Refunds are created one student at a time so each has its own record, amount, and reason. If you have a large batch to process — say a cancelled intake — talk to your NexPay specialist about the best way to handle it.

## More on NexPay

**Platform**

- [For students & parents](/for-students-and-parents.md)
- [For ed. agents](/for-education-agents.md)
- [For universities](/for-universities.md)
- [For schools](/for-schools.md)
- [For accommodation](/for-accommodation.md)
- [AI automation](/payments-ai-automation.md)
- [Pricing](/pricing.md)

**Help & resources**

- [Training](/training.md)
- [Contact](/contact-us.md)
- [Developers](/api.md)
- [Zapier integration](/zapier.md)
- [Claude & ChatGPT](/mcp.md) — Claude & ChatGPT integration

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## NexPay

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