Refunds Chart
Available in Charts v3 only. This chart isn't listed when Charts v3 isn't enabled.
The Refunds chart shows refunds processed during a period, plus downward subscription payment adjustments recorded during that period. Use it alongside the Revenue and Refund Rate charts to understand their absolute impact on your business.
Measures
The Refunds chart provides the dollar impact of refunds and downward payment adjustments, alongside the count of store refund events:
- Refunded Revenue: Revenue from refunds processed and downward subscription payment adjustments recorded in the period. Depending on the selected revenue type, this is shown as gross revenue, revenue net of taxes, or proceeds (see Revenue type below).
- Refunded Transactions: The number of store refund events processed in the period. Downward payment adjustments without a refund event do not increase this count.
Revenue type
The Refunds chart allows you to select and visualize three different definitions of refunded revenue:
- Refunded Revenue: The total gross revenue refunded in a given period.
- Refunded Revenue (net of taxes): Refunded revenue (as defined above), minus our estimate of revenue deducted from the stores for taxes (e.g. VAT, DST, etc).
- Refunded Proceeds: Refunded revenue (as defined above), minus our estimate of revenue deducted from the stores for taxes and commission.
To learn more about how RevenueCat estimates taxes and commissions deducted from the stores, click here.
Available settings
- Filters: Yes
- Segments: Yes
- Revenue Type: Yes
How to use Refunds in your business
The Refunds chart is best used to understand the absolute impact of refunds, complementing the other refund-related charts:
- Use the Refund Rate chart to see what proportion of your transactions get refunded, and the Refunds chart to see the absolute revenue and transactions you lose to refunds.
- Compare Refunds against the Revenue chart. Refunded Revenue equals everything the Revenue chart subtracts in that period: processed refunds and downward subscription payment adjustments recorded then.
- If you see an unexpected spike, segment by dimensions like Country, Platform, or Offer to isolate where the refunds are coming from.
Calculation
For each period, we measure:
- Refunded Revenue: Refunds processed and downward subscription payment adjustments recorded during that period.
- Refunded Transactions: Store refund events processed during that period.
Refunds are attributed to the period in which the refund was processed, not the original purchase period. Downward subscription payment adjustments are attributed to the date the adjustment is recorded, usually when the subscription period ends. This matches when the Revenue chart subtracts those amounts. (The Refund Rate chart instead attributes refunds back to the original purchase period.)
Formulas
- [Refunded Revenue] - [Taxes] = Refunded Revenue (net of taxes)
- [Refunded Revenue] - ([Store Commission / Fees] + [Taxes]) = Refunded Proceeds
FAQs
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can the Refunds for a given period change over time? | Not materially. Refunds appear on the date they are processed, and downward payment adjustments appear on the date they are recorded, so neither retroactively changes the original purchase period. Use the Refund Rate chart for the purchase-cohort view. |
| How is the Refunds chart different from the Refund Rate chart? | The Refund Rate chart shows the proportion of purchase transactions refunded and attributes refunds to the original purchase period. The Refunds chart shows the absolute dollar impact of refunds and downward payment adjustments when they are recorded, plus the count of store refund events. |
| How is the Refunds chart different from the Revenue chart? | The Revenue chart subtracts refunds and downward payment adjustments recorded in a period. The Refunds chart isolates those subtracted amounts so you can measure them directly. |
| How does RevenueCat estimate taxes and commissions for refunds? | Refunded Revenue (net of taxes) and Refunded Proceeds use the same tax and commission estimates as the Revenue chart. To learn more about how those estimates are calculated, click here. |
| How can I display refunds in currencies other than USD? | By default the RevenueCat Dashboard is set to use USD as the display currency, but this can be modified through Account Settings to view your data in other supported currencies. To learn more, click here. |