Returns & credit notes

Returns, refunds and credit notes, done properly.

Take goods back against the invoice or delivery note, put them back in stock, refund the customer across the methods they paid with, and issue credit notes that correct an invoice or give goodwill credit. Every balance stays right.

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Returns against the invoice or delivery note
Refunds split across payment methods
Credit notes that correct an invoice or give credit
Return windows and not-returnable products

What is Returns & credit notes in Flowyana?

Flowyana returns and credit notes handle the two sides of a customer sending something back or being owed money: the goods and the money. A sales return takes items back against an invoice or delivery note and puts them in stock; a credit note corrects an invoice or gives the customer credit. They are for any business that sells on invoice, from retailers and distributors to service firms, in India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

Returns turn messy quickly. Someone returns half an order, paid part by card and part in cash, and a month later you discover an overcharge on the same invoice. If each of those lives in a different spreadsheet, the invoice balance and the stock are both wrong. Flowyana ties every return and credit note back to the invoice it came from, so the balance, the stock and the customer’s credit all agree.

A return can be refunded straight away across the methods the customer paid with, or turned into a credit note they keep. A credit note can be applied to one or several invoices, refunded in part, and every application or refund can be reversed if it was a mistake. Invoices show a credited amount next to what was paid, so what the customer owes is always one clear number.

You set the rules: how long a sale stays returnable, which products or categories have their own window, and which cannot come back. Past the window, a manager has to override.

What it does

Returns & credit notes, in practice.

Returns from an invoice or delivery note

Pick what came back from the invoice or the delivery note. You can only return what was sold, less what has already been returned.

Reasons for the return

Record why: damaged, wrong item, quality issue or other, so you can see where returns come from.

Stock goes back

Returned items are restocked. Damaged units can be written off or kept at a reduced value, and serial-numbered items return by their own serial number.

Split refunds

Refund in one method or several. Flowyana proposes the split against the payments the customer actually made, and you can change it.

Return windows

Set a default return window, then override it by category or product, or mark a product not returnable. A manager override is needed to go past it.

Credit notes of two kinds

An invoice correction draws its lines from the invoice, with tax. A credit is a plain amount for a rebate or goodwill, with no tax.

Apply, refund, reverse

Apply a credit note to one or several invoices, refund what is left, and reverse an application or a refund if it was a mistake.

Invoices show the credit

Invoices carry a credited amount beside what was paid, so the balance is right, and print a Credited line.

Issue and apply in one step

When you issue a correction from an invoice, you can apply it to that invoice at once, up to what it still owes.

Approval where you want it

Returns can follow an approval workflow, so a manager approves them before they complete.

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How it works

Returns & credit notes, step by step.

1
Start from the invoice or delivery note
Create the return from the document, and the returnable quantities are filled in for you.
2
Choose what came back and why
Enter quantities and a reason. The system refuses more than was sold, and checks the return window.
3
Refund or keep as credit
Refund across one or more methods, or issue a credit note the customer keeps.
4
Issue credit notes for corrections
For an overcharge or a rebate, issue a credit note from the invoice or from the customer, with no goods involved.
5
Apply, refund or reverse
Apply the credit to open invoices, refund what is left, or reverse an application or refund made in error.

In depth

A closer look.

Sales returns and refunds

A return starts from the invoice or the delivery note and only lets you return what was sold and not yet returned. You record the reason, the items go back into stock, and the money is settled. A refund can be one method or several: Flowyana proposes a split across the payments the customer actually made, you can adjust it, and the refund lines must add up to the refund amount before it saves. Shipping can be refunded too if you choose.

Against the invoice or the delivery note
Damaged, wrong item, quality issue or other
Refund split across payment methods
Optional shipping refund

Credit notes: corrections and credits

A credit note answers the question what happened. An invoice correction covers an overcharge, a discount given after the sale or a service not delivered: you pick the lines and quantities to credit from the invoice, with tax per line. A credit covers a rebate, goodwill or loyalty credit: a description and an amount, no tax. A credit note moves from draft to issued, partially used and used, or cancelled, and the status follows from what has been applied and refunded.

Invoice correction, with tax per line
Plain credit for rebates and goodwill
Draft, issued, partially used, used or cancelled
Cannot credit more than was invoiced

Applying, refunding and reversing credit

Issued credit does something useful. Apply it to one or several of the customer’s unpaid invoices, or refund the balance in cash or another method. The credit note’s tabs list every application and refund, and each can be reversed with a reason, which puts the invoice balance back. On the invoice, a Credits tab shows the credit notes applied and raised against it, and the printed invoice shows a Credited line between Paid and Balance.

Apply to several invoices at once
Refund the unused balance
Reverse an application or a refund
Credits tab and Credited line on the invoice

Return rules and damaged stock

Set how long a sale stays returnable as a default, then change it for a category or product, or mark a product not returnable. A return past the window, or of a not-returnable item, needs a manager’s override. Returned stock goes back on the shelf; damaged units can be written off or kept at a reduced value, and a damage report lists every return line with damaged stock.

Default window, by category, by product
Not-returnable products
Manager override past the window
Damage write-off and write-down, with a report

Who it’s for

Businesses that run on Returns & credit notes.

Retail shops and supermarkets

Returns with a return window, split refunds across cash and card, and damaged stock written off.

Distributors and wholesalers

Take goods back against a delivery note and issue a credit note against the customer’s next invoice.

Electronics and appliance dealers

Return serial-numbered units by their serial number, with the warranty history intact.

Service and trading companies

Correct an overcharge or a missed discount with an invoice correction instead of rewriting the invoice.

Fashion and lifestyle retailers

Product and category return windows, with a manager’s override for the exceptions.

Questions

Asked about returns & credit notes.

What is a sales return?

A record that a customer sent goods back against an invoice or delivery note. In Flowyana it puts the items back in stock, settles the money, and can issue a credit note.

What is the difference between a sales return and a credit note?

A return is about goods: they come back and go into stock. A credit note is about money: it reduces what the customer owes or gives them credit. A return can issue a credit note, and a credit note can also stand alone for an overcharge or a goodwill rebate.

Can I refund a customer in more than one payment method?

Yes. Split the refund across methods, for example part cash and part card. Flowyana suggests a split based on the payments the customer made, and the refund legs must add up to the refund amount.

Can I issue a credit note without a return?

Yes. Use an invoice correction for an overcharge, a discount after the sale or a service not delivered, or a credit for a rebate or goodwill gesture that is not tied to goods.

Can a credit note be applied to several invoices?

Yes. One credit note can be applied across several of the customer’s open invoices in one go, and each application can be reversed, which raises the invoice balance again.

How do credit notes work with GST or VAT?

An invoice-correction credit note takes its tax from the lines of the invoice it corrects, so GST or VAT is reversed with it. A plain credit carries no tax.

Can I limit how long customers can return goods?

Yes. Set a default return window, change it for a category or a product, or mark a product not returnable. Past the window, a return needs a manager’s override.

Can I stop someone crediting more than was invoiced?

Yes. A credit note cannot credit more quantity than was invoiced less what earlier notes already took, and cannot credit a line above its invoiced price.

What happens to stock when goods are returned?

Returned items go back into stock. Damaged units can be written off or kept at a reduced value, and the damage shows in a report. Serial-numbered items go back by their serial number.

Can customers raise returns themselves online?

No. Returns are recorded by your team, in the web workspace or at the till.

Can I refund the credit note to the customer in cash?

Yes. Refund the unused balance of a credit note in one or more methods. A credit note that came from a return already reflects the refund taken on the return.

One platform

Plays well with the rest.

Sales & Invoicing shares its records with every other module you switch on — no connectors, no re-typing.

Sales & Invoicing Sales & Invoicing Inventory Accounting Inventory Point of Sale All features →

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