How to Record Stripe Refunds in QuickBooks with N8n

Editor > + > Stripe Trigger > Webhook

Set up Stripe webhook trigger

Configure N8n to listen for Stripe refund events. You'll create a webhook that fires whenever charge.dispute.created or invoice.payment_failed events occur.

1. 1Click the + button in N8n editor
2. 2Search for 'Stripe Trigger' and select it
3. 3Choose 'Webhook' as the trigger type
4. 4Select 'charge.refunded' from the event dropdown

Stripe Node > Credential > Create New

Connect your Stripe account

Add your Stripe API credentials so N8n can receive webhook data. You'll need your secret key from the Stripe dashboard.

1. 1Click 'Create New' next to Credential for Stripe
2. 2Paste your Stripe secret key (starts with sk_live_ or sk_test_)
3. 3Click 'Save' to store the credential
4. 4Test the connection using the 'Test' button

Stripe Dashboard > Developers > Webhooks > Add endpoint

Configure webhook in Stripe dashboard

Register N8n's webhook URL in your Stripe account so refund events get sent to your workflow. This creates the connection from Stripe to N8n.

1. 1Copy the webhook URL from your N8n Stripe trigger node
2. 2Go to Stripe Dashboard > Developers > Webhooks
3. 3Click 'Add endpoint' and paste the N8n webhook URL
4. 4Select 'charge.refunded' from the events list
5. 5Click 'Add endpoint' to save

Editor > + > Set Node > Add Value

Add data extraction node

Extract the refund details from Stripe's webhook payload. You'll pull out customer info, refund amount, and original charge details needed for QuickBooks.

1. 1Add a 'Set' node after the Stripe trigger
2. 2Click 'Add Value' and set name to 'refund_amount'
3. 3Set the value to {{ $json.data.object.amount_refunded }}
4. 4Add another value called 'customer_email' with {{ $json.data.object.billing_details.email }}

Editor > + > QuickBooks > Credit Memo > Create New Credential

Connect QuickBooks Online account

Set up OAuth connection to your QuickBooks company file. This allows N8n to create credit memos in your accounting system.

1. 1Add a 'QuickBooks' node and select 'Credit Memo' operation
2. 2Click 'Create New' credential for QuickBooks
3. 3Click 'Connect my account' and authorize with QuickBooks
4. 4Select your company from the dropdown

QuickBooks Node > Get All > Customer > Filters

Map customer data to QuickBooks

Configure the customer lookup so N8n can find the right QuickBooks customer for this refund. This prevents creating duplicate customers.

1. 1In the QuickBooks node, set operation to 'Get All' and resource to 'Customer'
2. 2Add a filter where PrimaryEmailAddr equals {{ $node['Set'].json['customer_email'] }}
3. 3Set the limit to 1 since emails should be unique
4. 4Test this step to verify customer lookup works

Editor > + > QuickBooks > Credit Memo > Create

Create credit memo in QuickBooks

Build the actual credit memo record with line items, amounts, and references. This creates the accounting entry that balances against the original sale.

1. 1Add another QuickBooks node and select 'Credit Memo' resource
2. 2Set operation to 'Create'
3. 3Map CustomerRef to {{ $node['QuickBooks'].json['Id'] }}
4. 4Set TotalAmt to {{ $node['Set'].json['refund_amount'] / 100 }}

QuickBooks Node > Credit Memo > Line Items

Add line item details

Configure the credit memo line items with product details and amounts. This provides the detailed breakdown of what's being refunded.

1. 1In the same QuickBooks node, expand 'Line' section
2. 2Set Amount to {{ $node['Set'].json['refund_amount'] / 100 }}
3. 3Add Description: 'Stripe refund for charge {{ $node['Stripe Trigger'].json['data']['object']['id'] }}'
4. 4Select your refund item from the dropdown

QuickBooks Node > Settings > Continue On Fail

Configure error handling

Set up retry logic and error notifications so failed refunds don't get lost. This ensures your books stay accurate even when QuickBooks is temporarily down.

1. 1Click on the QuickBooks node settings (gear icon)
2. 2Set 'On Error' to 'Continue'
3. 3Add an IF node after QuickBooks to check for errors
4. 4Connect error path to email/Slack notification

N8n > Executions > Latest Run

Test with real refund

Process a test refund through Stripe to verify the complete workflow. This confirms both the webhook delivery and QuickBooks integration work correctly.

1. 1Go to Stripe Dashboard and find a test charge
2. 2Click 'Refund' and process a partial refund
3. 3Check N8n execution log within 30 seconds
4. 4Verify credit memo appears in QuickBooks

Drop this into an n8n Code node.

// Convert Stripe cents to dollars and round to 2 decimals
const dollarAmount = Math.round($json.amount_refunded) / 100;
return { amount: dollarAmount.toFixed(2) };

// Convert Stripe cents to dollars and round to 2 decimals
const dollarAmount = Math.round($json.amount_refunded) / 100;
return { amount: dollarAmount.toFixed(2) };