Home Documents Credit Note - How-To

How to Create Credit Note in 5 Steps

Complete guide to creating credit notes for returns, refunds, and invoice corrections

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5-Step Process

1

Select Original Invoice

Open Billmator → Credit Note → Select original invoice from list. App imports all invoice details automatically.

Important: Credit note MUST reference an existing invoice. Cannot create standalone credit note for GST compliance.

2

Select Items to Credit

Full return: Select all items. Partial return: Select specific items and enter return quantity.

Example - Full Return:

Invoice had: 100 laptops. Return all 100. Select all items.

Example - Partial Return:

Invoice: 100 laptops. Return only 10 (damaged). Select laptop item, qty: 10

3

Add Reason for Credit

Select reason: Product Return, Damaged Goods, Post-Invoice Discount, Invoice Error, Quality Issue, Others. Add detailed notes.

Common Reasons:

  • Product Return: Customer changed mind, returned within 7 days
  • Damaged in Transit: 15 units broken during shipping
  • Post-Sale Discount: Gave 10% loyalty discount after invoice
  • Quality Issue: Defective products, returned for replacement
4

Review GST Reversal Calculation

App automatically calculates reversed GST based on credit amount. Review: Base amount, CGST/SGST/IGST reversed, Total credit.

Example: Invoice: ₹1L + ₹18k GST. Return: ₹20k items. Credit: ₹20k + ₹3.6k GST = ₹23.6k total credit

5

Generate PDF & Process Refund

Generate credit note PDF. Send to customer. Then choose: Immediate refund OR Adjust credit against next invoice.

Option 1: Immediate Refund

Transfer credit amount back to customer. Settlement complete. Mark as "Refunded"

Option 2: Future Adjustment

Keep credit on account. Next order: Auto-deduct credit. Mark as "Adjusted"

Common Scenarios

Damaged Goods Return

Invoice: 100 units @ ₹1k = ₹1L. Customer reports 15 damaged. Issue credit for 15 units = ₹15k + ₹2.7k GST. Refund ₹17.7k or send 15 replacement units.

Post-Invoice Discount

Sent invoice ₹1L. Customer negotiates 10% discount after. Issue credit note for ₹10k (10% discount). Customer pays ₹90k instead of ₹1L.

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