Credit notes

Credit notes with an audit trail

Raise a credit note against a specific invoice or on its own. It carries VAT per line, nets off the invoice balance when you send it, and reverses cleanly if you delete it, so your books stay reconciled and every adjustment stays linked to the invoice it came from.

Your first 3 invoices are free to send, no card needed.

How it works

From correction to a settled balance

1

Raise the credit note

Choose the invoice you’re crediting and Sendinvo checks it’s yours and eligible, then inherits its client and currency. No matching invoice? Issue a standalone credit note instead.

2

Credit the right lines

Each line carries its own VAT rate. Credit part of a mixed-rate invoice and every line stays at the rate it was invoiced at, so the tax reconciles to the penny.

3

Send it

Send the credit note with its own email template and PDF. The value nets off the linked invoice’s balance, and if that clears the debt the invoice settles to paid and its reminders stop.

4

Reverse if you need to

Delete a credit note and the netting is fully undone: the credited amount is recomputed, a credit-settled invoice reopens, and its reminders switch back on.

The details

Corrections that keep the numbers straight

A credit note corrects an invoice you’ve already sent, whether you’re refunding a line, applying a discount after the fact, or cancelling a charge. Sendinvo keeps every credit note tied to the invoice it belongs to, so the maths always adds up.

Linked to a specific invoice

Raise a credit note against an invoice and Sendinvo validates that it’s yours and in an eligible state, then inherits its client and currency automatically, so nothing is retyped. Correcting a charge that never had an invoice? Issue a standalone credit note instead.

VAT per line, reconciled to the penny

Credit notes carry VAT per line, so a credit against a mixed-rate invoice keeps each line at the rate it was invoiced at and the tax reconciles to the penny on sterling invoices. It works the same way as per-line VAT does on your invoices.

Send nets the balance, delete reverses it

Sending a credit note nets its value off the linked invoice’s balance. When it clears the debt, the invoice settles to paid and its reminders stop, so nobody chases a client who owes nothing. Delete the credit note and all of that reverses: the credited amount is recomputed from any remaining sent credit notes, a credit-settled invoice reopens to sent or partially paid, and its reminders switch back on.

Its own numbering and email

Credit notes get their own sequence, numbered with a prefix that defaults to CN, and their own email template with a sensible default you can customise. Deleting one is never gated by your subscription, so money is never left half-reversed, while emailing or re-emailing a credit note to a client needs an active Sendinvo subscription.

Questions

Good to know

Can I raise a credit note against an invoice?

Yes. Choose the invoice you’re crediting and Sendinvo checks it’s yours and still eligible, then inherits its client and currency so you don’t retype anything. If there’s no matching invoice, you can issue a standalone credit note instead.

How is VAT handled on a credit note?

Each line carries its own VAT rate. When you credit part of a mixed-rate invoice, every line stays at the rate it was invoiced at, so the tax reconciles to the penny on your sterling invoices.

What happens to the invoice when I send a credit note?

The credit note’s value nets off the linked invoice’s balance. If that clears the debt, the invoice settles to paid and its reminders stop, so a client who owes nothing is never chased.

Can I undo a credit note?

Yes. Delete it and the netting is fully reversed: the credited amount is recomputed from any remaining sent credit notes, a credit-settled invoice reopens to sent or partially paid, and its reminders switch back on.

Do I need a subscription to use credit notes?

Deleting a credit note is never blocked by your subscription, so money is never left half-reversed. Emailing or re-emailing a credit note to a client does need an active Sendinvo subscription.

Credit a client without breaking your books.

Link it to the invoice, credit each line at the rate it was invoiced at, and let the balance reconcile itself.