Help with domain transfer

Hi

I'm a bit confused about the domain transfer process. The process asks you to pay a fee but I am not sure what happens to the fee if the transfer fails? Do we lose the money we paid and have to try again? I can't find a clear answer on this so any help would be very appreciated.

Thanks Declan

You are transferring a domain from where to where? 

I am trying to transfer my domain into Squarespace from the domain provider I purchased it from (hostingireland)