Payment Disputes and Chargebacks

How disputed Stripe payments appear in PracticeRunner, when to use Stripe to respond, and what to do after a client disputes a card or bank transfer payment.

Payment disputes should be handled in Stripe. PracticeRunner records the billing effect so invoice balances and payment history stay accurate, but Stripe is the source of truth for dispute status, response deadlines, evidence requirements, fees, and final outcomes.

When Stripe sends PracticeRunner a dispute event, the client payment history shows a Stripe event such as Card dispute or Bank transfer dispute. The disputed amount is recorded as a negative payment on the original invoice. This usually moves the invoice back to unpaid or partially paid until the dispute is resolved.

What to do first

Open the dispute in the Stripe Dashboard.
Review the dispute reason, response deadline, amount, and any documents from the bank or card issuer.
Decide whether to accept the dispute or respond with evidence.
Keep a record of any client communication about the disputed payment.
Return to PracticeRunner after the Stripe status changes to confirm the invoice balance and payment history look right.

PracticeRunner does not submit dispute evidence to Stripe. Use Stripe for that step so the response follows the current card-network or bank-transfer requirements.

Card disputes

Card disputes usually have a limited response window. Stripe guides the practice through the response process in the Dashboard, including the reason for the dispute and the types of evidence that may be relevant.

Useful evidence may include:

the invoice or receipt
appointment dates or service documentation appropriate for billing records
the client agreement, payment authorization, or cancellation policy
messages showing the client recognized the charge or discussed the balance
refund or credit history, if any

Submit evidence only when it is complete. Stripe notes that dispute responses are final once submitted, so avoid sending a partial response while you are still gathering records.

If the dispute is won, Stripe returns the disputed amount according to Stripe's process and PracticeRunner records the resulting payment event when the webhook arrives. If the dispute is lost, the negative dispute payment remains part of the invoice history.

Bank transfer disputes

Bank transfers work differently from cards. A client can dispute a bank debit through their bank, and many bank transfer disputes are final through the bank network. In those cases, the practice generally needs to resolve the matter directly with the client rather than challenge the dispute through Stripe.

If a bank transfer is disputed, treat the saved bank account as no longer reliable for future collection until the client has re-authorized payment. Ask the client to save a new payment method or provide a new authorization before attempting another automatic bank transfer.

In rare cases, Stripe may show a bank transfer inquiry that asks for proof of authorization. Respond to that request in Stripe and upload the requested authorization evidence there.

How disputes appear in PracticeRunner

PracticeRunner records dispute events as Stripe-managed payment history rows:

Card dispute or Bank transfer dispute shows the disputed payment method.
The amount appears as a negative payment, such as -$120.00.
The row is treated as a Stripe event, so it cannot be edited or deleted like a manually recorded payment.
The invoice paid amount is recalculated from the payment history.
If Stripe later reports that the dispute was reversed or won, PracticeRunner records a positive dispute reversal payment.

This keeps the invoice ledger readable without replacing Stripe's dispute workflow.

Communicating with the client

Use ordinary billing language and keep the message factual. For example:

We received notice that your recent payment was disputed through your bank or card issuer. The invoice now shows a balance again while the dispute is handled. Please contact us if this was unintentional or if you have questions about the charge.

Avoid re-running the same payment immediately, especially for bank transfers. Confirm the client understands the charge and has authorized any new payment method first.