> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mrdn.finance/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Refunds

> Permanent receipt generation for transaction refunds

## Overview

The refund service generates permanent, cryptographically-verifiable receipts when transactions are refunded. Merchants pay for receipt storage using x402.

## Refund Process

When a merchant refunds a transaction:

1. Refund executed on-chain
2. Receipt generated with transaction details
3. Merchant pays for permanent IPFS storage
4. Receipt hash logged to Meridian database
5. Receipt retrievable by transaction ID or IPFS hash

## Receipt Contents

* Original transaction hash
* Refund transaction hash
* Amount refunded
* Currency and network
* Merchant wallet address
* Customer wallet address
* Timestamp
* Block explorer link

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/meridian-11ea0994/2brRoqqaERcL3h3-/images/receipt-screenshot.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=2brRoqqaERcL3h3-&q=85&s=a3d8a2f86d9b6cf607e921512691d00a" alt="Refund receipt details" style={{ width: "100%", borderRadius: "0.5rem" }} width="2398" height="812" data-path="images/receipt-screenshot.jpg" />

### Example Receipt

```json theme={"system"}
{
  "transactionId": "pmt_abc123xyz",
  "originalTxHash": "0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef",
  "refundTxHash": "0xfedcba0987654321fedcba0987654321fedcba0987654321fedcba0987654321",
  "amount": "10.50",
  "currency": "USDC",
  "network": "base",
  "refundedTo": "0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc454e4438f44e",
  "refundedBy": "0x8626f6940E2eb28930eFb4CeF49B2d1F2C9C1199",
  "refundedAt": "2026-01-22T10:30:00.000Z",
  "explorerUrl": "https://basescan.org/tx/0xfedcba0987654321fedcba0987654321fedcba0987654321fedcba0987654321",
  "type": "meridian_refund_receipt",
  "version": "1.0"
}
```

## Merchant-Paid Storage

Receipts use x402 protocol via [Pinata](https://docs.pinata.cloud/api-reference/endpoint/x402/pin) on Base mainnet. Merchants pay \~\$0.001 to permanently store refund proof.

**Why merchant-paid:** Ensures receipts remain accessible indefinitely without platform dependency. Customers receive permanent proof of refund.

**Pricing:** `$0.10/GB/month × 12 months = $1.20/GB total`

**Network:** Base (x402 protocol requirement)

## Networks

Refunds can be processed on all Meridian-supported networks:

**Mainnet:** Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, Unichain, Ink, BNB Smart Chain (BSC), Monad

**Testnet:** Base Sepolia, Optimism Sepolia

Merchants need USDC on Base to pay for receipt storage via Pinata x402, regardless of which network the original transaction occurred on.