A credit note reduces what the customer owes after an invoice has been issued — because goods came back, arrived damaged, were short-shipped, or you agreed a post-sale discount. In VentryHub a credit note is a sub-document of the sale with two halves that are authorised separately:

• The Credit Note half — the financial lines and the amount being credited. Owned by billing.
• The Return half (Return-type credit notes only) — the RMA: which products are expected back, how many, why. Owned by fulfilment. Authorising it doesn't move stock; physical receipt is handled later by a Return disposition.

Once authorised, the credited amount is settled on the Refunds tab — as a cash refund, an allocation against an open invoice, or a customer credit. See Refunds vs customer credits.

Before you start

• The sale must have an authorised invoice or fulfilled goods. Otherwise the tab shows Credit notes become available once the order has been invoiced or goods have been fulfilled.
• Sale — Billing full access (SaleBillingFA) to create and edit the credit note lines; Authorize/Undo Sale Invoice/Credit Note to authorise the credit note.
  ✏ Updated after full article audit (15 Oct 2026): Used the permissions' on-screen names.
• Sale — Fulfilment full access (SaleFulfillmentFA) to edit return details, and Authorize/Undo Sale Fulfillment/Return to authorise the return.

A user with only billing access can complete a Discount credit note alone. A Return credit note needs both sides, or one user with both permissions.

Create the credit note

1. Open the Credit Notes tab

Open the sale and click Credit Notes in the side navigation. The list shows Credit Note Number, Type, Date, Total, Refunded, Status and Return Status. Click New Credit Note (or Add Credit Note in the empty state).

2. Set the credit note details

In Credit Note Details:

• Type — Return (goods are coming back) or Discount (price adjustment, no stock). The type can be changed only while the credit note is a draft with no return lines or dispositions.
• Credit Note Date.
• Conversion rate — foreign-currency sales only.

3. Add the credit note lines

On the Credit Note tab:

• Prefill from Invoice — opens Prefill from invoice listing the sale's Authorized and Paid invoices. Pick one and its lines are copied with the quantities not yet credited. A banner confirms Invoice ‹number› from ‹date› has been used to prefill the credit note. If nothing is left: The selected invoice has no lines left to credit.
• Add line — add products individually. The product lookup shows Invoiced, Credited and Net Invoiced so you can see how much is still creditable.

Adjust quantities and prices so the line totals equal the amount being credited. Each line needs a positive quantity, UOM, tax rule and price.

4. Add a note (optional)

Click Add note for customer — printed on the credit note and included in emails.

5. Save

Click Save. A new credit note needs at least one credit note line or one return line.

Define the return (Return type only)

1. Open the Return tab

Click the Return tab. The RMA notice at the top explains that authorising the return confirms the expected products and quantities but does not move stock.

2. Set the Return Details

• Return Location — where the goods will arrive (required to authorise the return).
• Return Date — expected or actual return date (required to authorise).
• Return Carrier, Return Tracking Info — optional; these stay editable after the return is authorised, since goods may still be in transit.

3. Add the return lines

• Copy from Credit Note Lines — builds a return line for every stock product on the credit note. If return lines already exist you're asked Replace return lines? (…removed and rebuilt from the credit note lines. This cannot be undone.). Products that can't be returned are skipped with a notice.
• Add Return Line — pick a product from Available to Return (products shipped on this sale), then set Quantity, UOM, Return Reason, Requested Resolution and an optional Comment.

Kit products expand to show their components; a component can be returned on its own.

4. Save

Click Save.

Authorise

The header shows one primary button, or a split Authorize button when both halves are still authorisable:

• Authorize Credit Note — needs at least one credit note line. If the return is already authorised, credited quantities per stock product can't exceed the returned quantities (Credited quantity for "‹product›" exceeds the authorized return quantity.).
• Authorize Return — needs Return Location, Return Date and at least one return line.

Either can be done first. The tab you're on determines which the primary button offers; the split button lets you pick.

After the credit note is authorised

The status tag reads Authorized; lines, date and rate lock, and the Refunds tab appears. If the sale has invoices with an outstanding balance, VentryHub offers to apply the credit immediately: Apply credit note? — Invoice ‹number› has an outstanding balance of ‹due›. Apply ‹amount› from credit note ‹number› to it? Click Apply to allocate, or Cancel to decide later on the Refunds tab. With several open invoices you choose which, oldest first.

After the return is authorised

Return Status reads Authorized, return lines show To Process Qty, On Inspection Qty and Processed Qty, and the Return Stock Dispositions tab appears. Continue in Return disposition.

Undo or void

From the ⋮ menu:

• Undo Credit Note — reverts an Authorized credit note to draft and reverses its financial transactions. Blocked while refunds exist: There are refunds recorded for this credit note. Please delete them first. A Refunded credit note always has refunds, so delete them first.
  ✏ Updated after full article audit (15 Oct 2026): Corrected. Only an Authorized credit note can be undone.
• Undo Return — reverts the return to draft. Blocked once dispositions are authorised or processed (Return cannot be undone while authorized return stock dispositions exist.).
• Void Credit Note — This voids the credit note, including its return. This action cannot be undone. Subject to the same refund and disposition blocks.

What happens next

• Settle the credit on the Refunds tab — see Refunds vs customer credits. The status becomes Refunded once the full amount is settled, and returns to Authorized if a refund is edited or deleted.
  ✏ Updated after backend review (15 Oct 2026): Confirmed. Added the return to Authorized.
• Receive and inspect returned goods through Return Stock Dispositions — see Return disposition.
• The credit note appears in Sale → Invoicing & Payments → Credit Notes, and the postings on its Financials tab.
  ✏ Updated after backend review (15 Oct 2026): Confirmed that postings are created. Exact journal lines are pending accounting review.
• Print or Email the credit note from the editor header.

See also

• Issuing an invoice from a sale order
• Return disposition
• Refunds vs customer credits
• Return reasons and requested resolutions (link pending: admin article)