A refund is money coming back to your organization for a previous expense (a returned purchase, a vendor credit, a reimbursed deposit). A reversal is the opposite — money going back out to undo a prior credit. In both cases, the transaction lands with the opposite sign of what it economically represents, so you usually want to code it back to the original account, not to a fresh revenue or expense line.
This article walks through how to do that, including how to use the Show All toggle when the default ledger-account list doesn't show the account you need.
How the ledger-account dropdown is filtered by default
When you open the coding view, the Ledger account dropdown is pre-filtered to the accounts most relevant to the transaction's direction:
A debited transaction (money going out) shows Expense accounts.
A credited transaction (money coming in) shows Revenue accounts.
When ImpactGraph already detects a refund
If the transaction has been auto-flagged as a refund (for example, a card return or a vendor credit recognized by your bank feed), the dropdown automatically shows both Revenue and Expense accounts — you usually don't need Show All at all. Just pick the original expense account the refund offsets.
When you still need Show All
Use the Show All toggle when:
A credit landed in your account that is functionally a refund but wasn't auto-flagged (e.g., a manual ACH return, a wire reversal). The default list will only show Revenue accounts — flip Show All on to surface Expense accounts.
A debit is a reversal of revenue (e.g., a returned donation, a chargeback). The default list will only show Expense accounts — flip Show All on to surface Revenue accounts.
You're an admin coding a refund directly to a balance-sheet account (Liability or Asset).
Using the Show All toggle
Where to find it
Open the transaction's coding view.
Click the Ledger account chip to open the dropdown.
At the top (or side) of the dropdown you'll see a Show All toggle.
What it does
Off (default): the list is filtered by the transaction's direction (Revenue or Expense, or both for refunds).
On: the list shows both Revenue and Expense accounts, regardless of direction. Admins also see Liability and Asset accounts.
Tip: Don't scroll the long list. Once Show All is on, type a keyword (e.g., "Office Supplies", "Rent", "Grant Income") and we'll filter the chart of accounts down to matches.
Common scenarios
Refund of a previous expense
A vendor sends $250 back for a returned office chair that was originally coded to Office Supplies.
Open the credited transaction.
Click the Ledger account chip — if the dropdown only shows Revenue accounts, turn on Show All.
Search for and select Office Supplies (the same account the original purchase used).
Pick the same Funding source the original expense was charged to, so the refund offsets the right budget.
Add a memo referencing the original transaction (e.g., "Refund for chair returned — see txn 12/3/2025").
Click Save.
Partial refund across split lines
If the original expense was split across funding sources or programs, the refund usually needs to be split the same way.
Use the Split section to break the refund into the same proportions as the original.
Each split line can have its own ledger account, funding source, and tags — turn on Show All on any line where the right account is hidden by the default filter.
The total of all splits must equal the refund amount before Save is enabled.
Best Practices!
Match the original. Refunds and reversals are most useful when they undo the original entry exactly — same ledger account, same funding source, same program/location tags.
Reference the original transaction in the memo. A short note like "Refund for txn 11/15/2025 — vendor return" makes audit trails painless.
Attach supporting documentation. Use the Receipt drop zone to attach the credit memo, return confirmation, or chargeback notice — see the Beginners Guide for how receipts work.
Don't create new accounts for refunds. Code back to the original revenue or expense account — that's how the offset shows up correctly on reports.
Note: When a refund is genuinely new revenue (e.g., a settlement payment, an unexpected rebate that isn't tied to a prior expense), code it to the appropriate Revenue account — no need to use Show All.
FAQ
Q: I don't see a "Show All" toggle on my transaction.
A: The toggle hides if the ledger account is auto-populated from the funding source, or if the row is read-only (e.g., closed funding source, external transaction). If you expect to be able to edit the coding and the toggle is missing, check whether the funding source is closed or the transaction has been locked.
Q: Can I code a refund to a balance-sheet account (e.g., Accounts Receivable)?
A: Only admins (users with the general-ledger permission) see Liability and Asset accounts in the dropdown. If you need to do this and the accounts aren't visible, ask your fiscal sponsor admin to either code the refund or grant the permission.
Q: Why is my refund showing up as Income on the P&L?
A: The refund was probably coded to a Revenue account instead of back to the original Expense account. Re-open the transaction, turn on Show All, and re-code it to the original Expense account. The P&L will then show the refund as a reduction in expense rather than as new income.
Q: Do I need to do anything special for split refunds?
A: Same rules as split expenses — the splits must total the refund amount and each line needs a ledger account and funding source. If any individual line needs Show All to find the right account, that toggle applies per row.