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Credit notes

Create credit notes online

Got an invoice wrong, or taken a return? Create a credit note straight from the original, credit all of it or just a line, and let the amounts and VAT reverse cleanly in your books — no editing a document your customer already has.

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An Invoice Office credit note against invoice 2026-0142, showing the credited lines, the reversed sales tax and the negative total amount

Everything on the credit note

Correct an invoice the right way

Mistakes and returns happen. What matters is that the correction is documented, matches the original, and leaves your books and your VAT return telling the truth.

Credit an invoice you already sent
A sent invoice is a legal document, so you correct it with a credit note rather than editing it. Create the credit note from the original and the lines and amounts come with it.
Customisable credit note templates
Start from a ready-made design or build your own — logo, fonts, colours and layout. A credit note is still a document your customer files, so it should look like the invoice it corrects.
Import lines from Excel
Crediting a long or complex invoice? Fill the import template with a product number and a quantity per line and the matching products come from your catalog — no manual re-entry. Up to 300 lines, on a Pro license.
Multiple languages & currencies
Credit in the same language and currency you invoiced in. Both are set per customer, so the correction reads and adds up exactly the way the original did.
Add document texts
Explain the correction properly with an introduction, closing message, payment and document terms — plus internal notes that stay private to your team.
Books and VAT stay correct
A credit note posts to your journals exactly as an invoice does — only the other way round. The amounts and the VAT reverse against the original, and Journal data on the Action menu shows you the entries it produced.
UBL and Peppol, same as an invoice
Credit notes are the one other sales document that carries full e-invoicing. Invoice UBL XML sits on every finalized credit note, and Send to Peppol appears once your Peppol connection is active — so the correction reaches your customer’s system the same way the invoice did.
Returned goods go back on the shelf
A credit note is an inbound document, so the products on it are added back to stock automatically — no separate correction, and no drift between what you credited and what you hold.

Amounts & totals

Credit back exactly the right amount

A credit note is a number you are giving back, so it needs to be right to the cent. Shape the whole totals section — labels, fields, discounts, deposits and shipping — so the credit mirrors the real transaction rather than an approximation of it.

More about invoicing

  • Text lines & subtotal sections

    Break the credit down with free text lines and subtotal sections, so the customer can see exactly which charges are being reversed and why — not just a single net figure.

  • Custom total labels

    Rename and restyle the totals row to match your business terminology, in the language of the document, so your credit notes stay consistent with the rest of your paperwork.

  • Configure grand total fields

    Add or remove the fields under the lines and define how totals are calculated and displayed — useful when special charges, adjustments or custom tax rules are involved.

  • Advanced discount & amount options

    Apply line discounts, grand total discounts or payment-term discounts, and account for advance payments, deposits and shipping — so the credit reflects the real transaction.

How it works

Corrected and credited in three steps

  1. Step 1Start from the invoice

    Open the invoice that needs correcting and create a credit note from it. The customer, lines, prices and VAT rates carry over, so you are editing rather than retyping.

  2. Step 2Credit all of it, or part

    Reverse the whole invoice or just the lines and amounts that were wrong. Adjust discounts and totals so the credit matches exactly what you owe back.

  3. Step 3Send it and settle up

    Email the credit note as a branded PDF. The amounts and VAT reverse against the original in your books, and the outstanding balance updates on its own.

Credit note questions, answered

What is a credit note?
A credit note is a document that reverses all or part of an invoice you have already sent. It is how you correct an overcharge, handle a return, or cancel an invoice — because once an invoice is issued it is a legal document and should not simply be edited or deleted.
Why can’t I just edit or delete the invoice?
A sent invoice is part of your accounting record, and your customer has their own copy of it. Changing it after the fact breaks the audit trail and leaves the two of you holding different documents. Invoice Office can lock finalized invoices and credit notes against editing and deleting for exactly that reason, and always does once a document has gone to Peppol. A credit note corrects it openly instead, which is what your bookkeeping and your VAT return both need.
Can I credit only part of an invoice?
Yes. Credit the whole invoice or just the lines and amounts that were wrong. The rest of the invoice stays payable, so a single incorrect line does not mean cancelling and reissuing everything.
What happens to the VAT on a credit note?
The VAT is reversed along with the amounts, at the same rates as the original invoice. That correction flows into your VAT return automatically, so you are not adjusting figures by hand at the end of the quarter.
Is a credit note the same as a refund?
Not quite. A credit note is the document that records the reduction; a refund is the money moving back. A credit note can settle against an unpaid invoice or an outstanding balance instead of being paid out — the customer simply owes less.
Can I create credit notes on the free plan?
Yes. Credit notes count toward the Free plan’s 3 documents a month, along with every other document type you create. A Pro license removes the limit, and starts with a 14-day free trial.

More answers in our FAQ and help center.

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