What is a partial refund?

A refund of part of what the customer paid. Common reasons are one item returned from a larger order, shipping that the policy does not refund, or a goodwill amount for a small problem.

Why is my refund less than I paid?

Usually the original shipping, a return shipping fee taken from the refund, or items from the order that were not sent back. The refund email should say which.

Can Aide issue a partial refund?

Aide refunds an unshipped item it removes, and offers refunds to verified shoppers, never more than the order has left to refund. By default a teammate approves each one before it reaches Shopify.

Should a partial refund email include the reason?

Always. An amount with no explanation looks like an error and turns into a second conversation.

Partial refund email template

Show the math on a partial refund.

Say what was refunded, what was not, and the reason, so the smaller number never looks like a mistake.Updated November 3, 2026 · By Ziyad Basheer

Use this template free See the template

Short answer

A partial refund returns part of an order's value, such as one item from several, the items without the shipping, or a goodwill amount. Tell the customer the amount, what it covers and what it does not, with the reason from your policy.

The templates

Fills in from Shopify, with a fallbackYours to fill in

EmailPartial refund issued

Subject: A partial refund on order.name

Hi customer.first_name, We have refunded amount on order.name to your original payment method. What it covers: the item or reason. What it does not: shipping / the items you kept / the return fee, because reason from our policy. The rest of the order stays as it is. Expect the money within 5 to 10 business days, depending on your bank.

ChatWhy the amount differs

The item was amount and the other amount was the original shipping / a return fee. Our return policy refunds the items but not shipping, which is why the refund is amount. If something still looks off, I can pass it to our team.

Internal noteBefore you reply

Refund amount questioned on order.name. Order total: order.total. Refunded so far: amount. Compare the gap with the return policy. If we owe more, refund the remainder on the order and reply with the new total.

When to use

The customer got back less than the order total and asks why. Not when the full refund simply has not arrived yet.Aide picks a procedure from its When to use. Paste this into your procedure, then edit it for your store.

Only if

They question the amountYour refund amount topic matches “Why was I only refunded part?”

Order and refundOrder exists is true: the order total and the refund sit side by side.

Or send it yourselfSend the email by hand when your team issues a partial refund.

Example conversation

Customer

I returned my jacket from #1088 but only got $80 back. I paid $92.

Aide

Thanks for asking. The jacket was $80.00 and the other $12.00 was the original shipping. Our return policy refunds the items but not the shipping cost, which is why the refund is $80.00. If something else looks off, I can pass it to our team.

Customer

Ah, that makes sense.

✓Order total and refund compared · Order #1088

Frequently asked questions

: A refund of part of what the customer paid. Common reasons are one item returned from a larger order, shipping that the policy does not refund, or a goodwill amount for a small problem.
: Usually the original shipping, a return shipping fee taken from the refund, or items from the order that were not sent back. The refund email should say which.
: Aide refunds an unshipped item it removes, and offers refunds to verified shoppers, never more than the order has left to refund. By default a teammate approves each one before it reaches Shopify.
: Always. An amount with no explanation looks like an error and turns into a second conversation.

Refund confirmationThe refund is approved and issued.Email · Chat · Internal note Refund not received yetThe refund was issued but has not reached the account.Email · Chat · Internal note Return policyAnswer what your return policy is.Chat Price adjustment requestThe price dropped after they bought.Chat · Email · Internal note

Send this with the order filled in

Aide fills in the Shopify order and tracking, then drafts or sends the reply, as you choose.

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