1. The general rule
1.1 A donation to The Saath Foundation ("Saath Foundation") is a voluntary gift, used for charitable purposes soon after it is received. Donations are non-refundable.
1.2 The only exceptions are those in section 2. They exist because in those cases the money was never meant as a gift.
1.3 A change of mind, a change in your tax position, a child leaving the program, or a need being overfunded is not a reason for a refund. When a need gets more than it needs, the extra goes first to the same child's other open needs, then to the next child on Hold a Hand (the child who has been waiting longest for support), and, if no child is waiting, to Saath Foundation's general fund in the same book. When a child leaves with money unspent, it goes on to the next child, or the general fund, the same way. Every move is shown in your Rupee Trail (Donor Terms, sections 4 and 5).
2. The exceptions
| Case | Example | When to tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate or mistaken payment | The same gift was charged twice; you meant ₹500 and paid ₹5,000; a monthly debit was taken after you cancelled | Please tell us within 30 days so we can fix it quickly and before our tax filings. If you tell us later, we still return a proven duplicate or mistaken payment, but we may need to correct Form 113 and the refund can take longer |
| Payment failed, but your account was debited | You were charged, but the gift did not go through | No time limit. Your bank or Razorpay normally reverses it automatically within the RBI timelines (usually 1–5 working days). If it has not come back, tell us and we will chase it or return it ourselves |
| Chargeback or payment dispute | Your bank, card network or UPI (NPCI) decides a chargeback or dispute against Saath Foundation (for example, for a payment you did not authorise) | Set by your bank, card network or UPI. Please also tell us |
If a payment was made without your permission, tell your bank or UPI app at once. They handle it as a chargeback or dispute.
Separately, if Saath Foundation cannot lawfully accept a gift (for example, foreign-source money that came through the domestic route), we return it ourselves. See 9.5.
3. How to report a mistaken payment
3.1 Use Contributions → Report a problem with this gift in your account, or email help@thesaathfoundation.com with: your name, the receipt number (for example SAATH/2026-27/000123), the date and amount, the payment reference, and what went wrong.
3.2 We acknowledge within 2 working days.
4. How we decide
4.1 Finance approves every refund, not the system alone. Finance records a reason, chosen from a fixed list (duplicate, wrong amount, failed payment, charged after cancelling, chargeback, other) with a written note.
4.2 Every refund is approved by a second Finance person, who must not be the person who asked for it or entered it. Refunds above ₹25,000 also need a third person's approval, so three different people are involved.
4.3 We decide within 7 working days of receiving everything we need, and tell you the decision and the reason.
5. How the money goes back
5.1 To the original method only. Refunds are made to the card, UPI ID, bank account or wallet you paid from, as the RBI requires of payment aggregators, unless you specifically agree in writing to another method. We never refund in cash.
5.2 We start the refund within 3 working days of approval. Razorpay and your bank then usually take 5–10 working days. We refund the mistaken amount in full, to the paisa, without deducting fees, except as section 9 says for foreign transfers.
6. What happens in our records
6.1 The ledger is never edited. The original donation entry stays exactly as it was. We add a reversal entry of equal and opposite amount (in paise) that references the original entry, the reason, the approver and the date. A partial refund (for example, the extra on a mistyped amount) adds a reversal for the refunded amount only.
6.2 Receipt. The original receipt number is never reused or deleted. We mark it cancelled (or partly cancelled) and issue a cancellation note that references it. The cancelled receipt is no longer valid for a tax deduction. For a partial refund, we issue a revised receipt for the amount kept.
6.3 Form 113 and Form 114. A refunded donation is left out of the Form 113 statement Saath Foundation files with the Income Tax Department. If the statement has already been filed, or Form 114 already issued, we file a correction statement and tell you. Please do not claim a deduction for a refunded amount.
6.4 Rupee Trail. If the money had already been allocated to a payment Saath Foundation made, the reversal is shown in your Rupee Trail. The spending stays in Saath Foundation's books, and the refund is met from the general fund, so that no child's funded need is reopened because of the refund.
6.5 Chargebacks and disputes. When a chargeback or payment dispute is decided against Saath Foundation, the same reversal and receipt-cancellation steps apply.
7. Monthly giving: cancelling a mandate
7.1 You can pause, change or cancel monthly giving at any time, in one tap, in Account → Monthly giving. No reason is needed, and we will not ask you to call anyone.
7.2 Timing. A cancellation made at least 24 hours before the next debit date normally stops that debit. A later cancellation may not reach your bank in time. If a debit is taken after you cancelled, however close to the debit date, tell us and we will return it as a mistaken payment. The account shows the next debit date at all times.
7.3 Pre-debit notice. Your bank or UPI app sends the pre-debit notice the RBI requires, at least 24 hours before each debit. We also remind you about 3 days before, with the amount, the date and a link to cancel.
7.4 UPI Autopay. You can also revoke the mandate from your UPI app. Cards: you can cancel through your bank. We treat either as a cancellation once Razorpay tells us.
7.5 Failed debits. If a debit fails, we may retry up to 2 times within 7 days, and tell you each time. After that, the plan is put on hold (a grace period of 30 days, with reminders) and we ask you to update it.
7.6 Limits. Each monthly debit (including any repeating contribution to Saath Foundation's costs) can be up to ₹15,000, the RBI limit for automatic debits without approving each one. To give more, give the rest as a one-time gift.
7.7 If we cancel. Saath Foundation may cancel a mandate, for example if the linked child leaves (see Donor Terms 5.2(e)) or your account is suspended. We will tell you.
7.8 Cancelling stops future debits only. Debits already made are not refunded. The exception is a debit taken after you cancelled, which is a mistaken payment under section 2.
8. Pending wire transfers (from abroad)
If you started a gift by wire transfer but did not send the money, nothing is owed and nothing is refunded. The reservation simply expires after 14 days.
9. Refunds of foreign contribution (FCRA route)
9.1 Foreign contribution is received only in Saath Foundation's FCRA account at State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch. A refund of foreign contribution (a duplicate or mistaken payment under section 2) is made only from that FCRA account (or the FCRA utilisation account that holds the money), never from a domestic account and never in cash.
9.2 The refund goes by bank transfer to the same account the money came from, in the name of the same donor. We do not send it to a third party.
9.3 We refund the rupee amount Saath Foundation's bank actually credited, converted back by the bank. Because exchange rates and bank charges vary, the amount you receive in your currency may differ from what you sent. Saath Foundation does not cover exchange differences or intermediary-bank charges.
9.4 Every FCRA refund is approved by Finance and a second approver, recorded as a reversal entry in the separate FCRA ledger, reflected in the FCRA acknowledgement records, and reported in Saath Foundation's FCRA annual return as required.
9.5 If a foreign-source gift reaches Saath Foundation's domestic account by mistake, we do not use it. We return it to the sender through the banking channel, or deal with it as the Ministry of Home Affairs directs, and record why.
10. Contact and complaints
Refund questions: help@thesaathfoundation.com. If you are unhappy with a decision, use the Grievance Redressal Policy (/en/policies/grievance).