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Everything you need to know about credit notes [explained by a Certified Accountant]
Emilie is a Certified Accountant and Banker with Master's in Business and 15 years of experience in finance and accounting from corporates, financial services firms - and fast growing start-ups.
Credit note, also known as credit memo or credit memorandum, is a commercial document issued by a seller of goods or services to a buyer, reducing the amount that the buyer owes to the seller under the terms of an earlier invoice.
Credit note is a negative invoice through which a seller notifies a buyer of a reduction in the amount owed that was originally agreed upon at the time of purchase in exchange for either full or partial credit.
A credit note (credit memo or memorandum) is different from a refund for two reasons:
Credit note is also known as credit memo or credit memorandum, with all of these terms being used interchangeably.
Why can’t you just simply change or cancel an invoice in an accounting system? Great question!
Many jurisdictions legally mandate that entities keep a full audit trail for their financial transactions, which means that an invoice that has already been issued should never be edited or deleted in an invoicing system.
That is where a credit note comes in, allowing a company to keep the record of sale in its accounts, while clearly indicating that the order was partially or fully cancelled, with the appropriate returned to a customer in the form of credit.
Although a credit note is usually linked directly to a specific existing invoice, it can also be issued separately and applied to any future invoice or other income source.
In some cases, a credit note is created for internal purposes only and not sent out to a customer, for instance when a seller is writing off an irrecoverable bad debt.
Bank credit note, also known as a bank credit memo or memorandum, is a notice issued by a bank which confirms that the institution has increased a depositor’s account balance for a certain transaction, such as a promissory note collected by the bank, interest earned, or a bank charge refund.
In any case, it is advisable for businesses to analyse the situations in which they typically issue credit notes, especially if they frequently reoccur, as developing insight into the underlining causes can help remove any issues and inefficiencies in order to improve business performance.
What information should a credit note include?
Top 8 things to include on a credit note:
The double-entry journal postings into an accounting general ledger from a buyer’s and seller’s point of view are as follows:
When a seller issues a credit note to a buyer, the document provides evidence for a Sales Returns journal to be posted against the debtor’s outstanding balance in Accounts Receivable because the buyer is now required to make a reduced or no payment for an invoice that was originally recorded as Sales Revenue.
A credit note in a seller’s books is entered as a debit in the Sales Returns account to reduce the sales revenue and a credit in the Accounts Receivable account to reduce the asset.
| Credit Note - Accounting Journal Entries: Seller (Creditor) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Transaction | Debit | Credit | |
| Original Sale | Accounts Receivable | Sales Revenue | |
| Seller sends credit note to buyer | Sales Returns | Accounts Receivable | |
| Explanation: Reduction in revenue originally booked as sales | Explanation: Reduction in assets as payment from a debtor will be reduced | ||
When a buyer receives a credit note from a seller, the document provides evidence for a Purchase Returns journal which decreases the Accounts Payable liability the debtor has to pay to the creditor and decreases the expense originally incurred to make the purchase.
A credit note in a buyer’s books is recorded as a debit in the Accounts Payable account to reduce the liability to the creditor; and a credit in the Purchase Returns account to reduce the expense.
| Credit Note - Accounting Journal Entries: Buyer (Debtor) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Transaction | Debit | Credit | |
| Original Purchase | Purchase | Accounts Payable | |
| Buyer receives credit note from seller | Accounts Payable | Purchase Returns | |
| Explanation: Reduction in liability as payment to a creditor will be reduced | Explanation: Reduction in expenses incurred to make the original purchase | ||
If the invoice has already been fully paid, the buyer can typically decide whether to use the credit note against any future invoice payments to the seller or exchange it for a cash payment, depending on the agreed payment terms.
Otherwise, the buyer is required to pay the remaining amount owed after the reduction specified in the credit note, if any.
A credit note should always reflect the tax details of the original invoice, such as the amount before and after sales tax, along with the seller’s sales tax registration number.
Since credit notes are almost as susceptible to fraud as cash, it is important to maintain proper internal controls for the process at all times, including:
Company A is a manufacturer that regularly supplies Company A with goods and the companies have a long-standing relationship with a good track record of doing business with each other.
Let’s take a look at the 5 most common situations that may give rise to a credit note in these companies:
1. Company B purchases $1,000 worth of product from Company A.
2. Company B informs Company A that it cannot complete the payment for the order because there is an error on the invoice.
3. Company A realizes that it has, indeed, accidentally overcharged Company B by 10% and sends a $100 credit note to Company B.
4. Company B pays $1,000 to Company A (= $1,100 original erroneous invoice – $100 credit note)
1. Company B orders 40 products items for $25 each from Company A.
2. On receipt of the shipment, Company B informs Company A that two of the items are defective, perhaps damaged in transit.
3. Company A issues a credit note for $50 (= 2 damaged items x $25 item price).
4. Since Company B has already paid the original invoice in full, it will use the $50 credit note towards future purchases with Company A.
1. Company B notices that the products it bought from Company A were marked down in price by 20% just one day after Company B made the purchase.
2. Since Company A and B have a long-standing business relationship, Company A agrees to issue a credit note for the difference between the price Company B originally paid and the new sale price.
3. As Company B has already paid the original invoice in full, it will use the $200 credit note towards future purchases with Company A.
1. Company B resells the goods purchased from Company A to the end-consumers in its online and brick-and-mortar stores.
Company B’s return policy is that it accepts returns within 90 days of purchase, no questions asked. However, the reimbursement is in the form of store credit only, no cash.
2. Sally buys a product from Company B’s online store. In a couple of days after the item arrives to her home, Sally changes her mind about the product as it does not fully fit her needs and sends it back to Company B.
3. Upon receipt of the returned item, Company B credits Sally’s account with the company with the total amount originally paid for the returned goods so she can use the credit to buy a different product or exchange it for another one of the same type.
1. Company B (buyer and payer) issues a promissory note to pay Company A (seller and payee) for some goods purchased.
2. Company B’s bank collects the payment from Company A as per the promissory note.
3. Company B’s bank will send a statement to Company B, which confirms that the financial institution has collected the note receivable on behalf of Company B and increased its account balance accordingly.
In practice, a common example that illustrates this difference is when a buyer returns goods to a seller, accompanied with a debit note requesting a reduction in debt obligations. In response, the seller issues a credit note to the buyer confirming the approval of the credit or refund for the returned goods.
| Credit Note vs. Debit Note: Example with Accounting Journal Entries | ||
|---|---|---|
| Entity | Buyer | Seller |
| Document | Debit Note | Credit Note |
| Scenario | Buyer returns goods to a seller with a debit note. | Seller approves buyer’s return of goods and issues a credit note to the buyer. |
| Debit | Accounts Payable | Sales Returns |
| [Decrease in liability as payment to a creditor is reduced.] | [Decrease in revenue originally booked as sales.] | |
| Credit | Purchase Returns | Accounts Receivable |
| [Decrease in expenses incurred to make the original purchase.] | [Decrease in assets as payment from a debtor is reduced.] | |
Emilie is a Certified Accountant and Banker with Master's in Business and 15 years of experience in finance and accounting from large corporates and banks, as well as fast-growing start-ups.
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