How to Record Refunds from Stripe to QuickBooks with Pipedream

Dashboard > New Workflow

Create new workflow in Pipedream

Log into pipedream.com and click the blue 'New Workflow' button in your dashboard. You'll see a blank workflow canvas with a trigger placeholder at the top. This is where you'll configure the Stripe webhook that fires when refunds happen.

1. 1Click 'New Workflow' from the dashboard
2. 2Name your workflow 'Stripe Refunds to QuickBooks'
3. 3Click the trigger step to configure it

Trigger > Select a Source > Stripe

Add Stripe webhook trigger

Click 'Select a Source' in the trigger step and search for 'Stripe'. Choose 'New Refund' from the available Stripe triggers. Pipedream will generate a unique webhook URL that you'll need to register with Stripe in the next step.

1. 1Click 'Select a Source' in the trigger step
2. 2Search for 'Stripe' in the app directory
3. 3Select 'New Refund' from the trigger options
4. 4Copy the generated webhook URL

Trigger Configuration > Connect Account

Connect your Stripe account

Click 'Connect Account' in the Stripe trigger configuration. Pipedream will open Stripe's OAuth flow where you'll authorize access to your Stripe data. Make sure you're logged into the correct Stripe account before clicking authorize.

1. 1Click 'Connect Account' in the trigger step
2. 2Sign into your Stripe account in the popup
3. 3Click 'Allow access' to authorize Pipedream
4. 4Confirm the connection shows as 'Connected'

Stripe Dashboard > Developers > Webhooks

Register webhook in Stripe dashboard

Open your Stripe dashboard in a new tab and navigate to Developers > Webhooks. Click 'Add endpoint' and paste the webhook URL from Pipedream. Select 'charge.dispute.refunded' and 'refund.created' events to capture all refund scenarios.

1. 1Go to stripe.com/dashboard and log in
2. 2Navigate to Developers > Webhooks
3. 3Click 'Add endpoint' and paste the Pipedream URL
4. 4Select 'charge.dispute.refunded' and 'refund.created' events
5. 5Click 'Add endpoint' to save

Workflow Canvas > + Add Step > QuickBooks

Add QuickBooks action step

Back in Pipedream, click the + button below your trigger to add a new step. Search for 'QuickBooks' and select 'Create Credit Memo' as your action. This will create the accounting entry for the refund in your QuickBooks company file.

1. 1Click the + button below the Stripe trigger
2. 2Search for 'QuickBooks' in the actions list
3. 3Select 'Create Credit Memo' from the options
4. 4Click to configure the action

QuickBooks Step > Connect Account

Connect QuickBooks account

Click 'Connect Account' in the QuickBooks step. You'll go through Intuit's OAuth process to authorize Pipedream access to your QuickBooks Online company. Make sure you select the correct company if you have multiple QuickBooks files.

1. 1Click 'Connect Account' in the QuickBooks step
2. 2Sign into your Intuit account in the popup
3. 3Select the correct QuickBooks company
4. 4Click 'Authorize' to grant access

QuickBooks Step > Credit Memo Configuration > CustomerRef

Map customer information

In the credit memo configuration, you need to map the Stripe customer to a QuickBooks customer. Click the CustomerRef field and select 'steps.trigger.event.data.object.customer' from the dynamic data menu. Add a fallback value like 'Cash Customer' for anonymous purchases.

1. 1Click the CustomerRef field in the credit memo form
2. 2Select 'steps.trigger.event.data.object.customer' from the dropdown
3. 3Set a fallback value of 'Cash Customer' for null customers
4. 4Verify the mapping shows the Stripe customer ID

QuickBooks Step > Line Items > Add Line Item

Configure credit memo line items

Scroll down to the Line Items section and click 'Add Line Item'. Map the Amount field to 'steps.trigger.event.data.object.amount' and set the Description to include the original charge ID. This creates the actual refund line in your books.

1. 1Click 'Add Line Item' in the credit memo configuration
2. 2Set Amount to {{steps.trigger.event.data.object.amount}}
3. 3Set Description to 'Stripe refund for {{steps.trigger.event.data.object.charge}}'
4. 4Select an appropriate income account for the line item

Workflow Canvas > + Add Step > Code

Add currency conversion code step

Click + to add a code step between Stripe and QuickBooks. This step will convert Stripe's cent-based amounts to dollar amounts that QuickBooks expects. Paste the currency conversion code that divides the amount by 100 and formats it properly.

1. 1Click + between the Stripe trigger and QuickBooks step
2. 2Select 'Code' from the step options
3. 3Choose 'Node.js' as your runtime
4. 4Paste the amount conversion code in the editor

Add this code step between Stripe and QuickBooks to handle currency conversion and create better tracking. Paste it in a Node.js code step to convert cents to dollars and add proper error handling.

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const refund = steps.trigger.event.data.object;

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const refund = steps.trigger.event.data.object;
    
    // Convert cents to dollars with proper rounding
    const dollarAmount = Math.round(refund.amount) / 100;
    
    // Handle missing customer data
    const customerRef = refund.customer || 'Cash Customer';
    
    // Format date for QuickBooks
    const refundDate = new Date(refund.created * 1000).toISOString().split('T')[0];
    
    // Create description with charge reference
    const description = `Stripe refund ${refund.id} for charge ${refund.charge}`;
    
    // Error handling for edge cases
    if (dollarAmount <= 0) {
      throw new Error(`Invalid refund amount: ${dollarAmount}`);
    }
    
    return {
      amount: dollarAmount,
      customer: customerRef,
      date: refundDate,
      description: description,
      refund_id: refund.id,
      original_charge: refund.charge
    };
  },
});

Stripe Dashboard > Payments > Refund

Test the complete workflow

Process a test refund in your Stripe dashboard to trigger the workflow end-to-end. Go to Payments > find a charge > click 'Refund' and process a small amount. Check both the Pipedream execution log and your QuickBooks company file to verify the credit memo was created correctly.

1. 1Go to Stripe dashboard > Payments
2. 2Find a recent charge and click on it
3. 3Click 'Refund' and process a $1.00 test refund
4. 4Check Pipedream workflow execution in the dashboard
5. 5Verify credit memo appears in QuickBooks > Sales > Credit Memos