2.3.6. Manage Refunds

TalerBarr supports refund tracking and refund initiation across both systems. Refunds are tied to already paid Taler orders and are exposed through the TalerBarr order records.

As in the previous tutorials, the screenshots and examples here are meant to show how refund handling works specifically with the TalerBarr module. For the exact behaviour of the underlying systems, it is better to consult the original documentation, such as the Dolibarr customer invoices documentation and the Taler order tutorial, which also describes refund-related order states on the Taler side.

2.3.6.1. Refund paths overview

Based on the module design and the phase 3 project report, three main refund paths are supported:

1. The refund can be triggered directly from Taler SPAA.

2. The refund can be triggered from a Dolibarr invoice by creating a credit note.

3. The refund can be triggered from the TalerBarr order card using the Refund button.

In particular, the Taler SPAA refund flow is relevant when the sync dirrection is to Dolibarr, while the Dolibarr credit-note and TalerBarr order-card paths are options that work when sync is to Taler.

2.3.6.2. Refund triggered from Taler SPAA

This is the most direct Taler-side refund flow. The starting point is a paid order that is already visible in TalerBarr.

We begin with a paid order, as shown below.

Paid order before starting the refund from Taler SPAA.

The refund is then created using the refund button in Taler SPAA.

Creating the refund in Taler SPAA.

After that, you can return to Dolibarr and see on the TalerBarr order card that the refund is now in progress.

TalerBarr order card showing the refund in progress.

The customer can then collect the refund with a Taler wallet.

Refund collected with a Taler wallet.

Once the refund has been collected, the updated state is also visible on the Dolibarr side in the TalerBarr order card.

TalerBarr order card after the Taler-side refund was completed.

2.3.6.3. Refund triggered from a Dolibarr invoice via credit note

This path starts from the Dolibarr invoice linked to a paid order.

We again begin with a paid order that is ready to be refunded.

Paid order before creating the Dolibarr credit note.

From the linked invoice, select Create credit note. On the next screen, set the payment method to Taler, enter the invoice date, and save the document. The payment method matters here: without it, the refund would not be created on the Taler side.

Creating a Dolibarr credit note with Taler as the payment method.

After saving, Dolibarr creates the provisional document. Then select the items to be refunded and validate the credit note.

Provisional Dolibarr credit note before validation.

After validation, TalerBarr checks that the refund conditions are still valid and creates the refund on the Taler side. A note is then added to the credit note, and the TalerBarr order card also shows that the refund is in progress.

Validated credit note with refund information.

From there, the customer can collect the refund with a wallet, and the final status is updated in the same way as in the Taler-SPAA flow.

2.3.6.4. Refund triggered from the TalerBarr order card

This is the shortest module-local refund flow. It allows the merchant to start the refund directly from the TalerBarr order card without leaving the module.

As usual, we start with an already paid order.

Paid order on the TalerBarr order card before refund.

Press the Refund button. The refund form appears with a pre-filled amount. The amount can still be changed, and a refund reason must be entered. Then press Create Taler refund.

Refund form on the TalerBarr order card.

On the next screen, the confirmation is shown and the refund is marked as in progress. The merchant can use the status link directly or open the linked credit note and find the refund link in its notes.

Refund created from the TalerBarr order card.

The refund status page also shows the QR code that the wallet can use to collect the refund. This QR-code based collection step is also relevant for the other two refund flows.

Refund status page with QR code.

After the wallet collects the refund, the status is updated first on the Taler side and then on the Dolibarr side as well.

Completed refund shown on the TalerBarr order card.

2.3.6.5. Next step

After refunds are validated, continue with Manage Wire Transfers to review the final settlement step.