Manual Sales credit notes
The sales credit note (credit memo) reduces or cancels all or part of a customer invoice: merchandise return, commercial gesture or error correction. It can be attached to an invoice or standalone, carries a type, a status and a remaining balance, feeds the customer's credit and is consumed when collecting payment on a future invoice.
Overview
The Sales credit note is the negative equivalent of an invoice: it records a debt owed by the company to the customer. Most often it is attached to an original invoice (to correct it), but it can also be standalone (without an invoice, for a direct commercial gesture). Each credit note creates a credit in the customer's favor that is reused on their future invoices.
Business goal
- Correct / cancel a customer invoice
- Record a merchandise return (+ stock)
- Grant a commercial gesture (with or without an invoice)
- Build up customer credit to apply later
Target audience
- Accounting — issue, consume and refund credit notes
- Sales reps — grant commercial gestures
- Logistics — manages merchandise returns
Position in the cycle
The credit note comes after an invoice is issued (to correct it) or independently (commercial gesture). It is the normal way to cancel an invoice that has already been posted. See Sales invoices upstream and Payments received / Advances for consuming the credit.
Access and navigation
Left-hand side menu: Sales → Sales credit notes. A credit note is created either from the invoice concerned, or directly here via "New" (standalone credit note).
List of credit notes
The page lists Sales credit note notes. By default, only credit notes with a remaining balance greater than 0 (still usable) are shown; the search also lets you find settled credit notes. Each row shows the original invoice, the customer, the reason, the amount, the status (badge) and the remaining balance.
| Number⇅ | Invoice⇅ | Customer⇅ | Status | Date⇅ | Credit amt⇅ | Remaining⇅ | Action(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AV000128 | SY000412 | SOCIÉTÉ EL MAZRAA | Validated | 05/05/2026 | 2,380.000TND | 2,380.000TND | ||
| AVR-031 | — (standalone) | ECAR | Validated | 28/04/2026 | 500.000TND | 150.000TND | ||
| AV000126 | SY000391 | SOCIÉTÉ FONDS CLAIR | Cancelled | 10/03/2026 | 1,120.000TND | 0.000TND |
Table columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Number | Unique reference of the credit note (e.g. AV000128, or AVR-031 for a standalone credit note). |
| Invoice | Number of the original invoice; blank ("—") for a standalone credit note. |
| Customer | Customer benefiting from the credit note. |
| Status | Badge Draft / Validated / Cancelled (see section 8). |
| Date | Credit note's issue date. |
| Credit note amount | Actual value of the credit note granted to the customer. |
| Remaining | Credit still to be consumed (red if > 0, neutral at 0). |
Reading the "Remaining" figure
A remaining balance in red = credit still available (to apply to an invoice or to refund). At 0.000, the credit note is settled and no longer appears in the default list.
Action bar
New
Creates a standalone credit note (without an invoice) — commercial type or error correction.
Search
Filters by customer, reason, type and period — and lets you find settled credit notes.
Help / Types
Reminds you of the meaning of each credit note type (commercial, return, correction).
Two ways to create a credit note
To correct an invoice (or a merchandise return), create the credit note from the original invoice (Invoices screen). For a direct commercial gesture without an invoice, use "New" here (standalone credit note).
Row actions & detail
Generates the credit note as a PDF (credit memo) to hand over / send to the customer. For a standalone credit note, the document line shows the credit note type and the customer's name.
Details
ViewOpens the credit note: lines, amounts, attached invoice, reason, type and status. It is from the detail view that you can Cancel or Refund the credit note (see section 9).
Cancel / Refund
DetailAvailable in the credit note's detail view: they cancel the credit note (stock + credit reversed) or refund the remaining balance to the customer.
Create a credit note
A · From the invoice
On the original invoice, choose the type, reason and the lines / amounts to credit. Allows all 3 types, including merchandise return (stock reinstatement).
The invoice's remaining balance is reduced by the same amount; several partial credit notes are possible on the same invoice.
B · Standalone credit note ("New")
Without an original invoice: choose the customer, the reason, the type (commercial or correction) and the amount. The credit note directly creates customer credit.
The merchandise return is not offered here: it requires an original invoice (lines + stock targeting).
| Article | Qty returned | Unit price | VAT | Σ Total incl. tax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 467802 - SMART SUPERVISOR MODULE | 3.000 | 650.000 | 19,000 % | 2,320.500 |
Conditional stock impact
For a "Merchandise return" credit note, the quantities entered (positive) reinstate the stock (incoming movement), in simple mode as well as by batch/expiry date. A commercial or correction credit note has no stock impact.
Credit note types
| Type | When to use it | Stock impact | Standalone? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial credit note | Commercial gesture, after-the-fact discount, loyalty — on a correct invoice. | None | ✅ Yes |
| Merchandise return | The customer physically returns invoiced items. | Stock reinstatement | — No (invoice required) |
| Error correction | Fixes an incorrect invoice (price, quantity, duplicate) — purely financial. | None | ✅ Yes |
Commercial vs. Correction
The commercial credit note is granted on a correct invoice (a voluntary gesture). The error correction fixes an incorrect invoice. Both have no stock impact; choose based on intent for clear accounts.
Status, remaining balance & consumption
The credit note's status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Credit note being prepared, not yet active. |
| Validated | Active credit note: it has generated its customer credit and can be consumed. |
| Cancelled | Cancelled credit note (stock and credit reversed) — kept for traceability, never deleted. |
Remaining balance & customer credit
On validation, the credit note's amount is added to the customer's total credit (the customer record's "Total advances/credit notes"). The credit note's remaining balance is the portion of this credit not yet used: it decreases with each application, and the customer's credit follows exactly the same movement.
Consuming the credit note at payment collection
A credit note is consumed like a means of payment when collecting payment on an invoice from the same customer:
- 1Open the payment collection for a customer invoice (Payments received screen or the invoice's "Collect payment" button).
- 2In "Payment type", choose the "Credit note" type.
- 3Select the credit note from the list (only those with a remaining balance > 0 appear), then enter the amount to apply.
- 4Confirm: the invoice's remaining balance, the credit note's remaining balance and the customer's credit decrease by the amount applied.
Configuration prerequisite
The "Credit note" option only appears in "Payment type" if your company has a payment type marked "Credit note". If the list only offers Cheque/Cash/Transfer…, first create a "Credit note" payment type in Settings → Payment types (the "Credit note" toggle = Yes).
Credit note = credit, not a cash outflow
Applying a credit note creates no treasury movement: it simply deducts from what the customer owes. To give the money back to the customer, use the refund (section 9).
Cancellation & refund
Cancelling a credit note
From the credit note's detail view, use the "Cancel" button. The status changes to Cancelled, the reinstated stock is reversed (for a return), the original invoice's remaining balance is restored, the credit note's remaining balance is reset to 0 and the customer's credit is removed. The credit note is not deleted (traceability).
Refunding a credit note
When the customer will not reuse their credit, the "Refund" button settles the credit note: the remaining balance goes to 0 and the customer's credit is removed. The actual disbursement (cash outflow) is handled separately in treasury.
Deletion vs. cancellation — always prefer cancellation over deletion: it preserves the credit note's trail while cleanly reversing the stock and credit.
Lifecycle (workflow)
flowchart LR A([Sales invoice]):::s --> B[Sales credit note
type + reason]:::p N([No invoice]):::s -.->|standalone| B B -->|return type| ST[(Stock reinstated)]:::st B --> V[Validated
+ customer credit
remaining > 0]:::w V -->|applied at payment collection| F([Settled
remaining = 0]):::ok V -->|refunded| F V -->|cancelled| X([Cancelled
stock + credit reversed]):::no classDef p fill:#f3f1ff,stroke:#7366fe,color:#1f1c3d; classDef s fill:#F5F3FF,stroke:#8B5CF6,color:#5B21B6; classDef st fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F59E0B,color:#92400E; classDef w fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#F59E0B,color:#92400E; classDef ok fill:#D1FAE5,stroke:#10B981,color:#065F46; classDef no fill:#FEE2E2,stroke:#EF4444,color:#991B1B;
Business rules
Attached or standalone — a credit note is linked to an original invoice (traceability), except for the standalone credit note (commercial / correction) which has no invoice.
Stock depends on type — only the merchandise return reinstates stock; commercial and correction credit notes have no effect on it. Cancellation reverses the reinstated stock.
Consistent customer credit — the remaining balance of the credit note and the customer's credit always move together: +amount on validation, −amount on each application, removed on cancellation / refund. Never a negative credit.
Partial & multiple credit notes — an invoice can give rise to several partial credit notes; a credit note can be applied in several instalments across different invoices until its remaining balance = 0.
International currency — a credit note in a foreign currency keeps, in addition to the amount in that currency, its amount in local currency (TND) and the exchange rate applied, for complete accounting traceability.
Cap — the amount of an attached credit note cannot exceed the remaining creditable amount of the original invoice.
Scenarios & FAQ
Return of defective merchandise
SOCIÉTÉ EL MAZRAA returns 3 modules from invoice SY000412. From the invoice, the accountant creates a "Merchandise return" credit note for 2,380 TND: the stock is reinstated, the customer's credit increases by 2,380, and a credit note PDF is generated.
Standalone commercial gesture
To build loyalty with ECAR, the sales rep uses "New" to create a standalone commercial credit note for 500 TND (without an invoice). Later, when collecting payment on a new invoice, they apply 350 TND from this credit note (remaining balance 150).
How do you use (consume) a credit note?
When collecting payment on an invoice, choose the "Credit note" payment type, select the credit note (remaining > 0) and enter the amount. If "Credit note" doesn't appear, create this type in Settings → Payment types.
Stock didn't move after the credit note?
Check the type: only "Merchandise return" reinstates stock. A commercial or correction credit note has no effect on quantities.
Tip — cancel rather than delete
To undo a credit note, use "Cancel": the stock and credit are cleanly reversed and the history remains complete.
