This guide outlines the steps to revert ACH charges you processed in ALIS, through either a refund or a void. A refund returns payment, while a void cancels an entire transaction on the same day it was made.
For more information about processing ACH payments in ALIS, refer to these guides:
About Processing Refunds
Processing a refund is a two-part workflow: unapply the payment and create the credit, then process the refund. Review the requirements below before you start.
A payment is eligible for a refund only when it is:
- Unapplied to invoices. If the payment is still applied, unapply it first (see Step 1).
- Less than 120 days old.
- Settled with the payment processor. ALIS Pay payments can be refunded only after they settle, which usually takes 3 to 4 business days from the payment date. If you try to refund an unsettled payment, ALIS blocks it and shows a pending-settlement message. Once it clears, then try again.
Full vs. partial refunds depend on your integration. iStream supports full or partial refunds. Legacy Fiserv customers (ACH or Credit Cards) can process full refunds only. For questions about your integration, contact your company administrator, Account Manager, or our ALIS Customer Success Team.
Correct the invoice first. To keep billing balanced, unapply the payment and create the credit (Step 1) before processing the refund (Step 2).
If you are currently integrated with iStream for ACH, you have the option to process full or partial refunds. For our legacy customers using Fiserv for ACH or Credit Cards, you are only able to process full refunds. For questions about your payment gateway integration, contact your Account Manager.
How to Process a Refund
Step 1: Unapply the payment and create the credit
- In the Invoices blue bar of the resident's Billing section, locate the invoice you need to refund.
- Click Options > Edit on that invoice to open the invoice editor.
- In the Payments section, click - Unapply to unapply the payment. (You can create the credit first and unapply any overpayments in the same step, but we recommend unapplying first to avoid confusion when recording the refund.)
- Click the letters CR on the charge amount(s) to create a credit.
- Consider carefully which charge amounts to reduce.
- If the resident is moving out before their lease ends, their care services are often reduced from the full month to only the days they stay that month.
- In the Apply Credit pane on the right, enter the credit details and click Save.
- Issued On defaults to today's date and usually needs no change.
- Under Amount Calculation, select Prorated to base the credit on the total charged each month.
- Add an optional Description and Internal Note if needed.
Step 2: Process the Refund
The steps to process a refund depend on which ALIS Pay integration your community uses.
For iStream Users
- Back in the Billing section, expand the Refunds blue bar and click +Process a Refund.
- In the Process a Refund pane on the right, enter the refund details and click Submit.
- Issued On defaults to today's date and usually needs no change.
- Find the unapplied gateway payment and check the checkbox to its left. For a partial refund, adjust the amount to match the credit you issued.
- Add a description in the required Internal Notes field.
Result: The refund appears in the Refunds section. Once iStream returns settlement, its status updates to either Refund Processed or Refund Declined, and ALIS generates the matching clearing transactions so your GL stays balanced. You can print or email the receipt and view the transaction on your GL Txns page. After submission, only the Internal Notes field is editable (via Options > Edit).
For CardPointe Users
Step 1: Refund the transaction in Cardpointe
- Login to your CardPointe Portal at account.cardpointe.com.
- Locate the transaction and click Refund.
Step 2: Contact ALIS to Delete Record
After the refund completes in CardPointe, the matching payment record must be deleted in ALIS to keep the resident's ledger accurate. Only ALIS team members can delete a transaction.
Action Required: Please contact the ALIS Pay Team at alispay@go-alis.com, and we will remove the transaction from the resident's profile for you.
About Processing Voids
You can void gateway payments only until 8pm CT / 9pm EST on the day they were processed. Void as early as possible in case our team's help is needed during the void. Voiding cannot be undone and unapplies the payment from any associated invoices.
How you void depends on your integration. CardPointe communities process the void in the CardPointe portal first, then mark the payment as voided in ALIS. For questions about your integration, contact your Account Manager.
How to Process a Void
For iStream Users
- In the Payments blue bar of the resident's Billing section, locate the gateway payment to void.
- Click Options > Edit next to the payment.
- In the pop-up, review the void details and write a description in the required Internal Note field.
- After reviewing, click the x Void Payment button.
Result: ALIS communicates with the payment processor to reverse the transaction. The payment appears in the Payments section marked Void, with its date and internal note. You can print or email the void receipt and view the transaction on your GL Txns page. After submission, only the Description and Internal Note are editable (via Options > Edit).
For CardPointe Users
Step 1: Void transaction in Cardpointe
- Login to your CardPointe Portal at account.cardpointe.com.
- Locate the transaction and click Void.
Step 2: Contact ALIS to Delete Record
After the funds are voided in CardPointe, the matching payment record must be deleted in ALIS to keep the resident's ledger accurate. Only ALIS team members can delete a transaction.
Action Required: Please contact the ALIS Pay Team at alispay@go-alis.com, and we will remove the transaction from the resident's profile for you.
Reports
Your Billing reports include a dedicated Refunds report. Review it monthly to see refunds issued during the period and catch any errors.
GL Settings
If you integrate with your accounting team's GL software, make sure the correct account is linked to refunds issued from ALIS. Set this in the Private tab > Payables section of your Billing Settings.
For assistance with updating your Billing settings, contact your Account Manager.