Payment and Invoices
ChessRoster processes tournament entry fees securely through PayPal. This page explains how payment works, what your fee breakdown means, how to pay additional invoices, and how refunds are handled.
Online Payment
Entry fees are collected at the end of the registration form via PayPal. You do not need a PayPal account — you can pay with any major credit or debit card.
Complete the registration form
Fill in your player information, select a section, and proceed to the Payment step.
Review your fee breakdown
The Payment step shows an itemized summary of your entry fee. Depending on your situation, this may include:
- Base entry fee — the standard fee for your section
- Membership Discount — reduced fee for organization members
- Titled Discount — discount for titled players (FM, IM, GM, etc.)
- Discount code — reduction from a promo or coupon code
- Play-up fee — additional charge if registering above your rating range
- Total fee due — the amount you will be charged
Pay with PayPal
Click the PayPal button. You are redirected to PayPal to complete payment with your PayPal account or a credit or debit card.
Return to ChessRoster
After payment, PayPal redirects you back to a confirmation page. Your seat is reserved and a confirmation email is sent to you.
If you close the browser or lose internet during payment, your registration is not confirmed until payment completes. Return to the tournament’s registration page and start again — your draft information is saved locally in your browser.
If payment is captured but a technical error occurs during confirmation, ChessRoster automatically issues a full refund. You will receive an email notification. Wait a few minutes and try registering again.
Checking Payment Status
Your payment status is visible in My Registrations . A registration showing Registered with a green indicator has a confirmed, paid status.
Only completed registrations appear in My Registrations. If you do not see a registration there, the payment did not go through.
Additional Invoices
After initial registration, an organizer may issue an additional invoice — for example, to collect a membership fee, a late entry surcharge, or a corrected amount.
When an invoice is issued, you will receive an email with a payment link.
Open the invoice link
Click the link in your email. You must be signed in to your ChessRoster account.
Review the invoice details
The page shows the amount due, description, and due date, along with the tournament name and section for context.
Pay with PayPal
Click Pay with PayPal and complete payment as usual.
Confirmation
After payment you are redirected to a confirmation page. The invoice status updates to Paid.
Invoice statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Payment is due — action required |
| Paid | Payment was received; no action needed |
| Cancelled | The organizer cancelled this invoice; no payment required |
Refunds and Withdrawals
Refund eligibility depends on the tournament’s refund policy. The policy is displayed during registration on the Payment step and in your confirmation email.
Possible refund policies:
| Policy | What it means |
|---|---|
| Full refund | You receive a complete refund including any platform fees (organizer absorbs those costs) |
| Standard refund | You receive a refund minus applicable processing and platform fees |
| No refund | No automatic refund is available; contact the organizer directly for exceptions |
To request a withdrawal, use the Withdraw option in My Registrations. Withdrawing through ChessRoster is required to trigger any applicable refund — contacting the organizer directly does not automatically process a refund.
Once a tournament has started and you have played a game, you are generally not entitled to a refund under standard USCF rules, even for medical or other emergencies. The organizer may grant exceptions at their discretion.
If There Is a Dispute
ChessRoster will assist with payment disputes between players and organizers, but is not a party to transactions. Tournament organizers are the merchant of record.
- First, contact the organizer directly.
- If unresolved, contact ChessRoster support.
- If still unresolved, you may file a dispute with PayPal Buyer Protection .
For full details, see the Payment and Refund Policy.
Related Topics
- Registering for a Tournament — how to complete the registration form
- My Registrations — view paid registrations and withdraw
- Payment and Refund Policy — full legal policy details