Refunds are a natural part of running a fitness business. Whether a member was billed incorrectly, changed their mind, or requested a cancellation, knowing how to issue refunds quickly and accurately keeps your business running smoothly. This guide walks you through processing refunds within Zen Planner, including full and partial refunds, common issues, and best practices. 

How to process refunds within Zen Planner

To issue and complete processing refunds within Zen Planner, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Zen Planner account.
2. Navigate to the member profile where the payment was made.
3. Select Financial from the left-hand menu.
4. Click View Payments on the right-hand side.
5. Choose the payment you’d like to refund.
6. Click Refund Payment.
7. Select a Refund Reason. If one doesn’t exist, click Add a Reason.
8. Add notes for internal tracking.
9. (Optional) Check Mark bill for deletion if you’d like to remove the associated bill.
10. Click Submit Refund to complete the process.

Processing partial refunds

Note: EFT payments cannot be partially refunded.

To process a partial refund:

• Follow the same steps above.
• At the top of the refund page, select Partial Refund.

After submitting, update the bill to reflect the correct amount:

1. Go to the member profile.
2. Select the Financial tab on the left-hand side of the screen.
3. Click on View All Bills on the right-hand side of the screen.
4. Select and open the bill you need to update.
5. Correct or adjust the Unit Price to reflect the actual payment amount.
6. Click Save Changes.

Common refund issues and solutions

Pending payments

Refunds can only be issued after the payment has cleared and been deposited into your merchant account.
If the payment is still Pending, wait until it’s processed before refunding.

Payment types in Zen Planner

Understanding payment types makes tracking easier:

• Automated: Submitted through Zen Planner’s nightly billing process.
• Online: Entered manually by a staff member.
• Self-Pay: Submitted directly by members via the Member Portal.
• Offline: Logged for payments collected outside Zen Planner (e.g., cash or check).

Adjusting bills after a refund

Need to update bill due dates or amounts after a refund? Here’s how to do it hassle-free:

1. Log into Zen Planner.
2. Go to the member profile.
3. Select Financial > View All Bills.
4. Click the bill you’d like to edit.
5. Update the due date or payment amount.
6. Click Save Changes.

Processing timelines

• Credit card refunds: Typically deposited within 5–7 business days.
• EFT refunds (full refunds only): Typically deposited within 7–10 business days.
• Pro Tip: Whenever possible, consider reallocating a payment toward a future bill instead of refunding. This helps reduce processing fees.

Ready to streamline your operations with Zen Planner?

Refunds don’t need to be stressful. With its built-in tools, processing refunds within Zen Planner—both full and partial—can be quick, accurate, and member-friendly.

Explore Zen Planner’s powerful billing and member management tools to ensure smooth financial operations, provide excellent service to your members, and keep your fitness business running strong.

Business Coaching Program

Are you tired of struggling to grow your business? Do you feel like you’re losing customers faster than you can attract new ones?

Zen Planner’s Business Coaching Program is designed to help new businesses (or those new to Zen Planner) achieve their growth goals, reduce customer churn, and increase revenue. As partners, we’ll work closely together to identify areas of improvement, develop a customized plan of action, and provide ongoing support to ensure you stay on track.

But that’s not all – We’ll also build a customized operations manual that includes playbooks and best practices for running a successful fitness facility. From marketing strategies to member retention techniques, our manual has everything you need to streamline your operations and take your fitness business to the next level.

Book your FREE consultation by emailing us here.