Paid a supplier twice: how to get your money back
Check that both payments left your account, ask your bank to trace them, and get the supplier to confirm the excess received. Request repayment in writing, with the currency, verified account and agreed charges, explicitly excluding future-order credit. Match the incoming money before closing the case. Cambridge China Bridge can help coordinate supplier follow-up.
Confirm a duplicate payment, not a duplicate screen entry
Compare your bank statement, payment confirmations, invoice and purchase order. Record each transfer's date, amount, currency, beneficiary and transaction reference. Check whether an entry is pending, reversed or merely repeated in your accounting software. Pause any queued repeat payment against the same invoice while you investigate.
Identify the contractual seller and the actual recipient before requesting repayment. A factory, trading company and sourcing seller may have different roles. Our supplier payment guide covers payment routes; this guide deals with recovering an accidental duplicate.
Trace the money through the bank and supplier
Contact your bank promptly. Ask whether the duplicate can still be stopped or recalled; if it has left, request a trace and the available transfer reference. Ask about charges and what evidence the bank needs. Treat a recall request as pending until the bank confirms its outcome.
Send the supplier the relevant payment confirmations through an established contact. Ask its finance team to match each transfer to its bank records and confirm the received amounts, currencies, deductions and invoice allocation in writing. If the beneficiary is unfamiliar or bank details were changed unexpectedly, use our supplier transfer fraud guide and alert your bank.
Give explicit written repayment instructions
Use wording such as: ‘The attached transfers relate to the same invoice. Please confirm the excess received and return the agreed amount in the agreed currency to our verified business account. This is repayment of a duplicate payment, not a deposit or credit for a future order. Please confirm the repayment date and transfer reference.’ Insert the actual invoice, transfer details, amount, currency and account instructions.
Prefer repayment to the original paying business account where practicable. Verify account instructions through a known contact. Agree who bears sending, intermediary and receiving charges, and how any conversion will be handled. Ask for a written explanation if the supplier proposes another payer or account. Coordinate with your bank so a recall and supplier repayment do not recover the same money twice.
Keep repayment separate from future-order credit
If you want cash back, ask the supplier to remove any proposed future-order allocation from its statement. If you choose credit instead, approve that choice separately in writing, identifying the currency, available balance and order against which it may be used. A promise to refund, an account credit and money received are different events.
For UK VAT purposes, HMRC says an overpayment retained and used to pay or part pay a future supply becomes consideration for a supply. Ask your accountant how an agreed credit affects your transaction. For matching supplier documents and balances, see our credit notes and refunds guide.
Reconcile the receipt before closing the case
Keep the valid invoice matched to its intended payment and track the duplicate separately as an amount awaiting recovery. Match the incoming repayment to that record, using the bank receipt and supplier confirmation. Record charges and exchange differences separately with your accountant. Do not add a supplier credit note as another recoverable balance if it documents the same excess.
Close the case only when your bank receipt, accounting record and supplier statement agree, including any approved shortfall. If repayment stalls, send a written follow-up with the unresolved amount, agreed date and supporting records, then decide whether to involve an adviser. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help coordinate supplier communication; bank tracing and accounting sign-off remain with your bank and finance team.
Frequently asked questions
Can my bank reverse a duplicate supplier payment?
Ask promptly whether it can stop or recall the transfer. If the money has left, request a trace. Do not assume a recall request means the money has been recovered.
What should I write when asking a supplier for a refund?
Identify the invoice and transfers, state the excess and currency, give verified repayment instructions and request a date and reference. Say explicitly that you want repayment rather than future-order credit.
Should I accept credit against my next order?
Only if you choose it deliberately. Confirm the currency, available balance and intended order in writing. Keep it separate from a cash repayment request and ask your accountant about the treatment.
How do I reconcile a duplicate payment refund?
Match the valid invoice to its intended payment and the refund to the duplicate-payment record. Check charges, exchange differences and the supplier statement. Avoid counting a credit note and the same overpayment separately.