Credit note vs invoice (and credit memo): how to issue one
When to issue a credit note instead of editing an invoice, what it must show, a worked return example, and how it differs from a credit memo and a debit note.
What a credit note does
An invoice asks the customer to pay. A credit note reduces or cancels what an invoice already asked for: goods came back, a price was lowered after delivery, part of a service was not provided, or the invoice was simply wrong. It is a separate document with its own number, and it points to the invoice it corrects.
The invoice that went out stays as it was: editing and resending it leaves two versions of one number in circulation, one of them perhaps already booked by the customer. In the EU, Article 219 of the VAT Directive treats any document that amends and refers specifically and unambiguously to the initial invoice as an invoice, so a credit note needs the same care.
Credit note, credit memo and debit note
Credit memo is the usual US name, common in accounting software, and means the same thing: a seller's document lowering what the buyer owes. What matters is what it says and which invoice it refers to.
A debit note points the other way. Depending on the market, it is a seller's request for an amount on top of an invoice, or a buyer's note sent with returned goods asking for a credit. Say in the text which one you mean.
What the credit note should show
HMRC's VAT Notice 700 lists what a UK VAT credit note must show, and most VAT systems ask for something close. HMRC also wants the reason for the adjustment clear from your records; writing it on the note is simplest.
- Its own number from your sequence and the date it is issued.
- Your name and address, and your VAT number if you are registered.
- The customer's name and address, as on the original invoice.
- The number and date of the invoice being corrected.
- A description, quantity and amount for each line being credited.
- The total credited before tax, the tax rate, and the tax being reversed.
- The reason, such as returned goods or a discount agreed after delivery.
Example: five of forty items returned
Invoice INV-2026-0042 bills 40 display stands at GBP 25 each: GBP 1,000 net plus GBP 200 VAT at 20%, GBP 1,200 in total. The customer returns five damaged stands, and you agree to credit them.
Credit note CN-2026-0007 names INV-2026-0042 and its date, gives the reason "5 display stands returned damaged", and credits 5 x 25 = GBP 125 net plus GBP 25 VAT, GBP 150 in total. The customer now owes 1,200 - 150 = GBP 1,050. Both documents keep their own amounts; neither is edited to show the balance.
Refund, set-off or a fresh invoice
A credit note records that less is owed; it does not move money. An unpaid invoice is paid less the credit, quoting both numbers. If it was already paid, refund the credit or agree in writing to set it against the next invoice, and record which.
If the whole invoice was wrong, say addressed to the wrong company, the usual course is to credit it in full and issue a new invoice with a new number. Ask your accountant how to record it when the original is already in a filed VAT return.
Give credit notes their own series, such as CN-2026-0001, or number them within the invoice series. Never reuse a number, and file each credit note with the invoice it corrects.
Making a credit note in QuoteBill
Open the issued invoice and choose "Make a credit note for this invoice". QuoteBill opens a new draft with the same customer and lines, its own number, and the invoice number filled in as the original invoice. The invoice itself is not changed.
Reduce the lines to what you are crediting (quantity 5 instead of 40 in the example) and put the invoice date and the reason in the notes. The total reads "Total credit", and a printed line says the credit note reduces the amount due on the original invoice. QuoteBill applies one tax rate per document, so an invoice that mixed rates needs another tool. Save to the cloud and check the PDF.
- The credit note has its own number and today's date, not the invoice's.
- Only the returned or reduced lines remain, with the right quantities.
- Tax is reversed at the same rate the invoice charged.
- You have recorded whether the credit was refunded or set off.
Sources
140 Free Invoice, Quote & Receipt Templates
Credit note template
Free credit note (credit memo) template: reduce or cancel an invoice you already sent, quoting its number and the reason. Download Excel or Word, or save a PDF.
Free invoice generator
Download the invoice as Excel or Word with the formulas working, or edit it online with your logo and tax settings and save a PDF. Free with a QuoteBill account.
Receipt template
Free receipt template for a payment you received: date, payment method, the invoice it settles and the amount. Download Excel or Word, or make a PDF online.
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