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Bill Refunds

1. What this feature is

Refunds are used to record the cash flow when a bill is refunded, and to automatically offset its impact in statistics.

Koala does this by creating an additional “refund record” with a negative amount based on the original bill:

  • If the original bill is an expense, the refund record is also an expense, but with a negative amount to offset the original expense.
  • If the original bill is an income, the refund record is also an income, but with a negative amount to offset the original income.

Refund records are automatically tagged with Refund for easier filtering and review.

2. When to use it

  • Shopping refunds / returns
  • Partial refunds
  • Income reversals (for example, a transfer being revoked or a payment being returned)

3. How to use it

  1. Open the bill list and find the bill you want to refund
  2. Swipe left on the bill and select Refund
  3. On the refund page, set:
    • Amount: defaults to the original amount; you can change it for a partial refund
    • Date: defaults to today; change it to the actual refund date if needed
    • Tags: inherits the original bill’s tags and automatically adds the Refund tag
    • Note: optional, for additional context
  4. Tap Confirm/Done to save

After saving, a new refund record appears in the list to offset the corresponding amount impact.

4. Rules and notes

  • Enter the amount that was actually refunded; you don’t need to type a minus sign.
  • Both expense refunds and income refunds are recorded as negative amounts, so they automatically offset totals.
  • Multiple refunds are supported: if the same bill is refunded in multiple parts, you can repeat the process and create one refund record per refund.
  • If you delete a refund record, its offset effect will also be removed (statistics return to the pre-refund state).

5. FAQ

Q1: How do I record a partial refund?

Change the amount on the refund page to the refunded amount. You can also refund multiple times and enter each refunded amount separately.

Q2: Does a refund change the original bill?

The original bill amount is not modified. A refund is implemented by adding a separate refund record. This preserves the original spending record while keeping statistics explainable and traceable.

Q3: How can I quickly find all refunds?

Refund records are automatically tagged with Refund, so you can filter/search by that tag.