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Ambiguous

is a refund request after approval valid?

It depends — a refund demanded after formal sign-off is usually unsupported, since approval marks the deliverable as accepted. But it can carry weight if the work was defective, materially different from what was agreed, or approved under a clear misunderstanding.

Why this answer

Approval is the hinge the whole question turns on. When a client signs off on a deliverable, they are confirming it meets the agreed brief and accepting it as complete, which is precisely the moment your obligation is discharged and the fee is earned. A refund request after that point is asking to unwind a transaction both sides closed, and absent a specific reason it has little to stand on. But 'little' is not 'none,' and the validity of the request depends entirely on why it's being made. There's a real difference between a client who changed their mind, a client whose own market or boss reacted badly after launch, and a client who discovered the delivered work is genuinely broken or materially unlike what was specified. The first two are buyer's remorse, which approval was designed to foreclose. The third points to a defect that approval doesn't cure, because you can't accept your way out of a deliverable that never met the brief in the first place.

When the answer flips

The request gains validity — flipping toward a partial or full refund being fair — when the work is objectively defective: it doesn't function, doesn't match the agreed specification, or fails in a way the client couldn't reasonably have caught at sign-off. It also strengthens when approval was given under a demonstrable misunderstanding you contributed to, or when your contract includes a satisfaction-guarantee or post-delivery remedy clause that you must honor. It weakens — staying firmly with you — when the work matches the brief and the client's reasons are external: their stakeholders disliked it, the market shifted, their budget changed, or they simply found a direction they prefer now. The hardest middle case is a defect the client could have spotted at approval but didn't; there, a repair is usually fairer than a refund, since the fix restores what was promised.

What to do next

Lead with curiosity rather than defense: ask exactly why the refund is being requested, because the reason determines everything. If the complaint points to a real defect or a mismatch with the brief, the right remedy is usually a fix, not a refund — offer to repair the work, which honors the spirit of the agreement and costs you less than handing money back. If the reason is a change of mind or an external reaction, refer to the sign-off and explain, without heat, that the deliverable was accepted as agreed. Where you want to preserve a relationship, a partial gesture — a discount on future work, a small concession — can settle things without conceding the principle. Document whatever you agree, and tighten your sign-off and refund language for next time so the boundary is explicit before money moves.

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Frequently asked questions

Does a signed approval legally end my obligation?+

It strongly supports that position, though the exact weight depends on your contract and jurisdiction. A clear, documented sign-off shows the client accepted the deliverable as meeting the brief, which is the event your fee was earned against. It doesn't erase liability for genuine defects or for work that never matched what was specified, but it does close the door on plain change-of-mind refunds. The cleaner your approval record, the stronger your footing.

What if the client approved without really reviewing the work?+

A rushed or careless approval is still an approval for most purposes, but it's worth distinguishing a defect they couldn't reasonably catch from one they simply didn't look for. If the problem was visible at sign-off, the fair remedy leans toward a fix rather than a refund. Going forward, a short review window with explicit confirmation — rather than silence-as-consent — protects both sides from exactly this situation.

Should I ever offer a refund even when I don't owe one?+

Sometimes, as a business decision rather than an admission. If the relationship or your reputation is worth more than the disputed amount, a partial refund or a credit toward future work can be the cheapest way to close a bad situation cleanly. The key is to frame it as goodwill, not obligation, so it doesn't read as conceding that the work was deficient. Decide based on what the outcome is worth, not on guilt.

The client says the work 'isn't what they imagined.' Is that valid?+

Usually not, if the work matches the agreed brief. 'Not what I imagined' is a gap between the client's mental picture and the specification you both signed, and the specification is what governs. The honest response is to compare the delivery against the brief: if it matches, it's accepted work, and any new direction is new work. If it genuinely doesn't match, that's a different and stronger complaint that deserves a fix.

How is a defect different from buyer's remorse here?+

A defect means the deliverable fails to be what was promised — it's broken, missing agreed features, or materially off-spec. Buyer's remorse means the deliverable is fine but the client wishes they'd chosen differently. Approval forecloses remorse, because that's exactly what sign-off is for; it doesn't cure a defect, because you can't accept your way into a working result that was never delivered. The remedy tracks the cause: fix the defect, decline the remorse.

How do I prevent post-approval refund fights in future?+

Make approval explicit and write the remedy into the contract. Use a clear sign-off step — a dated confirmation that the deliverable meets the brief — rather than treating silence as acceptance. Then state what happens after: that approved work is final, what counts as a defect, and any narrow window for reporting one. A short, specific clause turns a vague 'can I have my money back' into a question the contract already answers.

Related reading

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