Chargeback Overview

Resolve disputes quickly with full visibility of chargebacks and receipts directly within SchoolCash.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What Is a Chargeback?

A chargeback is a disputed credit card transaction initiated by the cardholder through their credit card issuer. When a chargeback occurs, the financial liability is shifted from the cardholder back to the merchant. In this case, the district is responsible for the transaction.

Chargebacks Overview

The Chargebacks feature helps districts using the new payment processor efficiently manage disputes for SchoolCash Online payments. When notified about a chargeback, the district can either accept it or dispute it by submitting supporting documentation. Funds are automatically debited from school bank accounts, streamlining the process.

Who Can Access the Chargebacks Feature?

Access is granted by default to District 100 roles and other roles with access to the District Management tab in SchoolCash Catalog.

Note

Only districts using the new payment processor have access to the chargebacks feature. Chargebacks received after switching to the new processor are displayed, while chargebacks from previous processors are not.

Chargeback Notification

District-level users receive a notification on the To-Do List in the Accounting home page when a chargeback occurs. All chargebacks for applicable schools appear in a single notification.


District-level users also receive an email notification when a chargeback occurs. The email is sent to the address registered in User Management.

Coming Soon: For email notifications regarding updates to chargebacks, we are working to automate these emails to be sent directly from MerLink. Completion is expected by mid-September 2025.

Chargeback Process

The chargeback amount is debited from the merchant flow-through account as soon as the chargeback request is issued. The district has 10 calendar days to respond with supporting documents. If no response is provided, the dispute expires, and the district loses the opportunity to take action.

Flow of Funds

  • When a chargeback is initiated, the payment processor debits the merchant flow-through account.
  • The amount is automatically reversed from the school bank account and re-deposited in the merchant flow-through account.

When a District Wins the Chargeback Dispute

  • Funds are credited to the merchant flow-through account and are not moved back to the school bank account.

When a District Loses the Chargeback Dispute

  • No further action is required.

How to Access Chargeback Details

  1. Go to the Main Menu and select Chargebacks under the District tab in SchoolCash Catalog.


  1. The Chargebacks page displays disputes with details such as dispute date, amount, and case number.


Viewing Chargebacks 


The Chargebacks page provides visibility about received chargebacks/disputes and additional information to identify the transaction under dispute. 


In Progress Chargebacks/Disputes 

  • The In Progress page displays chargebacks/disputes that haven’t been resolved yet. 
    • Date: The date the dispute was added to SchoolCash by the payment processor. Listed in date order with newest dispute at the top.
    • ARN: Acquirer Reference Number. This is a unique identifier for each transaction and is used to reference and track chargeback status and details. The ARN is included in the email notification that is sent to the district.
    • Amount: Amount being disputed. This will be needed when submitting documents regarding the dispute.
    • Latest Case #: The latest Case Number submitted to the ARN. This is a unique number and will be needed when submitting documents regarding the dispute.
      • Note: Case Numbers change throughout the chargeback lifecycle. To view all Case Numbers, select the arrow (>) in the corresponding row for the chargeback/dispute.
    • Case Date: The date the case number was most recently updated.
    • School: What school the chargeback/dispute has been applied to. Multiple schools can be listed on this page.
    • Status:  
      • New: Represents all newly received chargeback/dispute cases that have not yet been reviewed or processed. 
      • Disputed: Indicates that the chargeback/dispute is currently under analysis, with supporting documents potentially submitted as part of the dispute process. 
      • Updated:Includes chargeback cases with recent changes, such as requests for additional information, document submissions, or status updates. 
        • Note: In this case the Support team receives a notification from MerLink (third-party) and will forward it to the district to review. Action is required by the district. 
        • Coming Soon: We are working to automate these emails to be sent directly from MerLink. Completion is expected by mid-September 2025. 


Closed Chargebacks/Disputes 

  • The Closed page displays chargebacks/disputes that have been closed.  
  • Closed disputes have either been: 
    • Won 
    • Lost 
    • Closed because the latest case has had no updates for more than 30 days. 
  • To check the details of a Closed dispute, select the select the arrow (>) in the corresponding row for the dispute. 
    • If SchoolCash hasn’t received the Resolution Date for the latest Case Number, it will be listed as “N/A”. 

Note: The Closed page does not specify whether a chargeback/dispute has been Won or Lost. This will be addressed in a future update. 


Viewing Chargeback/Dispute Details 

  • When a chargeback/dispute is selected, a new page will display with all the details regarding that dispute, including ARN #, Date, School, Payment Information, Items and Chargeback Details. 

 

  • The Chargeback Details section will display the Case History, including the list of Case Numbers and their Resolution Date.  
    • If the latest Case Number doesn’t have a Resolution Date and is still active, it will be listed as “In Progress”. 
    • The Reason field will display the latest Case reason. This will be provided by the payment processor. 
  • Tip: It is recommended for the district to contact the cardholder directly to find out why the chargeback was issued and to help them recognize the transaction. 
  • The following three blue action buttons are displayed: 
    • Print Receipt: Opens the original SchoolCash Online receipt in a new tab for printing/saving. 
    • Download Dispute Details: A Word document will be downloaded containing the original transaction details of the dispute. This document allows the user to add additional notes to the dispute before submitting to the credit card company.   
    • Submit Documents: This will direct the user to the site where they can upload the relevant documents, including the SchoolCash Online receipt and the Dispute Details.  


Reports

Chargebacks appear in the Payments Column, with the disputed amount displayed in the Owing Column. Reports in SchoolCash Catalog include:

  • Item Order Report
  • Item Attachment Report
  • Custom Forms Report
  • Forms Report
  • Permission Form Report

Further Reading

  1. Managing Chargebacks for Transactions
  2. Managing Chargebacks Using SchoolCash POS