# Refund Allocation

This article explains how to correctly allocate refunds when delivering orders in multiple shipments.

## The Challenge

When customers return goods from a partially delivered order, the refund should be allocated to the invoice corresponding to the returned shipment. However, this isn't always the case, leading to customer confusion.

## The Solution

Kustom can correctly allocate refunds based on the order lines in the capture and refund requests. To ensure accurate allocation:

1. **Identify the Capture:** Determine the specific capture corresponding to the returned goods. Example: If a customer returns a pair of sneakers from a two-part delivery (Capture A for T-shirt/jeans, and Capture B for sneakers), you need to focus on Capture B.
2. **Consistent Order Lines:** Ensure the order lines in your refund request have the same `reference` attributes as the order lines in the corresponding capture request. This is critical for correct allocation.
3. **Request a Refund:** Use the Order management API to send a refund request, including order lines matching the specific capture.


## Conditions

Correct refund allocation depends on these conditions:

- No previous failed refund allocations for the order.
- The total amount of refunded order lines matches the refund amount.
- The refunded amount must be less than or equal to the `captured_amount` in the specific capture being refunded.



```json
{
  "captured_amount": 10000,
  "description": "Capture A, shipping part of the order",
  "order_lines": [
    {
      "reference": "A12345",
      "name": "T-shirt",
      "type": "physical",
      "quantity": 1,
      "total_amount": 3000,
      "unit_price": 3000
    },
    {
      "reference": "A98765",
      "name": "Jeans",
      "type": "physical",
      "quantity": 1,
      "total_amount": 7000,
      "unit_price": 7000
    }
  ]
}
```


```json
{
  "refunded_amount": 10000,
  "description": "Returning the sneakers",
  "order_lines": [
    {
      "reference": "B24680",
      "name": "Sneakers",
      "type": "physical",
      "quantity": 1,
      "total_amount": 10000,
      "unit_price": 10000
    }
  ]
}
```

For more details on API calls, refer to the related documentation on [refunding an order](/contents/order-management/manage-orders-with-the-api/refund-and-extend-orders).