Credit note generator
Credit Note
A credit note cancels part or all of an invoice you have already sent. It names the original invoice, gives a reason, and credits an amount back. This one starts against invoice INV-2026-0118 for $1,840 and takes $340 of it back.
Built for the moment after the invoice has gone out and something has to come back off it. An overcharge, returned goods, a job cancelled halfway, a duplicate that went twice. The credit note is how you fix it without deleting the invoice, which is the thing your accountant will ask you not to do.
Cite the invoice, pick the reason, credit the lines that were wrong rather than all of them, and print it, save it as a PDF or send it. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
- Free credit note generator
- Cites the original invoice
- Printable sheet or PDF
- Nothing leaves your browser
Nothing on it yet. Add a line and it appears here.
Made with invoicetools.com
Copy credit note as image puts the whole document on the clipboard, so one paste sends it to an email, a chat or a note. Copy as text gives you the wording instead, which is what most accounts inboxes prefer. Print or save PDF opens your own print dialogue: choose Save as PDF as the destination.
What a credit note is for
An invoice that has gone out is a record. You do not edit it and you do not delete it, because the copy your client has will no longer match the copy you have, and because in most places the numbering has to run unbroken. A credit note is the correction that leaves both copies intact: the invoice still says $1,840, the credit note says $340 comes back off it, and the two read together.
That is also why the original invoice number is the one field on this page that cannot be skipped. A credit note with no invoice on it is an amount with nothing to attach to, and it will sit on an account unapplied until somebody works out what it was meant to cancel.
Partial credits are the normal case
Most credits are not the whole invoice. A line was priced wrong, one item came back, half the job was cancelled. Credit those lines and leave the rest alone, because a full credit followed by a fresh invoice creates two documents where one would do and makes the account harder to read afterwards.
The page starts with one line rather than the whole invoice copied over, which is the shape most credits actually take.
Credit note, refund and debit note
A credit note reduces what is owed. A refund moves money back. They are not the same thing and often only one of them happens: if the invoice is unpaid, a credit note settles it on its own and no money moves at all.
A debit note runs the other way, raising what is owed rather than reducing it. If the invoice was too low, you are usually better issuing a second invoice for the difference than a debit note, because an invoice is the document everyone's system already understands.
What to do after this one
If the invoice was wrong and needs replacing, the button under the sheet carries these lines straight into the invoice generator so the corrected bill quotes the same wording rather than something typed again from memory. If the client has been sent several documents, the statement generator puts the invoice, the credit and any payments on one page with a running balance.
Questions people ask
What is a credit note?
A credit note is a document that cancels part or all of an invoice you have already sent. It names the original invoice, gives a reason, and credits an amount back to the client's account. The invoice itself stays exactly as it was.
Can I just delete or edit the invoice instead?
You should not. The client already has a copy, so editing yours means the two no longer agree, and invoice numbering is normally expected to run unbroken. A credit note leaves the record intact and corrects it in the open.
Does a credit note mean I have to refund money?
Not by itself. A credit note reduces what is owed. If the invoice has not been paid, the credit settles it and nothing moves. If it has been paid, the credit is what justifies the refund, and the refund is a separate step.
How do I number credit notes?
Use a unique, sequential number in its own series, such as CN-2026-0007, and never reuse one. Keeping credit notes in their own series rather than mixed into your invoice numbers makes them far easier to find later.
Can I credit part of an invoice?
Yes, and that is the usual case. Credit only the lines that were wrong. The page will tell you if the total you are crediting is larger than the invoice you named, because that is almost always a mistake rather than an intention.
What reason should I put on it?
Whichever is true: overcharge, returned goods, cancelled work, duplicate invoice, price adjustment, damaged on arrival, short delivery or goodwill. Accounts teams sort credits by reason, so a vague one slows the credit down.
Does a credit note need a signature?
It does not have to be signed, but a name on it tells the client who authorized the credit, which is the question their accounts team asks first. Sign by typing the name or drawing it with a finger, and it prints on every export.
Does tax come off too?
Normally yes. If the original invoice charged tax on the amount you are crediting, the credit note carries the same tax rate so the tax is reversed with it. Set the same rate here that the invoice used.
Can I turn this into a replacement invoice?
Yes. The button under the sheet carries the lines, the client and the currency into the invoice generator, so the corrected invoice quotes the same wording rather than something retyped.
How do I save a credit note as a PDF?
Use Print or save PDF and choose Save as PDF as the destination in your own print dialogue. The sheet is scaled to one page first, so it does not split, and printing gives the sharpest, selectable file.