To create a credit note:
- Open the original invoice you want to credit
- Click "Create credit note / correction" on the detail page
- MyCompanyDesk creates a complete, finalized credit note in one step: every line from the original is negated and the credit note gets the next number in your sequence
- Send the credit note to the customer
Canceled invoices cannot be credited. If you need to correct an invoice that was already canceled, duplicate the canceled invoice and make the changes there.
You cannot adjust the amounts during creation; sent documents are locked, so the credit note always mirrors the original exactly. For a partial correction, create the full credit note first and then issue a new invoice for the correct amount.
MyCompanyDesk also prevents you from crediting more than the original invoice amount. You can issue several partial credit notes against the same invoice, but once the combined credit total reaches the invoice total, no further credit note can be created for that invoice.
A credit note returns money to the customer, so it has no payment due date of its own. In the customer portal the due-date row and the past-invoices table hide the deadline for credit notes. The Confirm payment button is also hidden, because a credit note pays the customer instead of asking the customer to pay. When the original invoice has been fully credited, the portal hides the payment buttons on that invoice too, labels the payment summary as Credited, and shows the credit note amount as part of the balance breakdown.
In the invoice list, the credit note amount is already deducted from the original invoice. The outstanding report and the receivables ageing card also net the credit against the invoice, so the customer's balance reflects what is actually still owed.
In the back office, the credit note detail page shows whether the credit amount is still open or already settled, so you can see at a glance whether you still need to refund or offset it.
When the original invoice has been fully credited, the invoice detail page no longer labels it as fully paid. Instead it shows that the invoice is credited and nothing more is due. If the customer had already paid before the credit was issued and that payment now exceeds the remaining amount, the page also shows the refund amount the customer is owed.
When you send a credit note by email, it uses a dedicated credit-note template. The subject line names it as a credit note, the body states the credited amount as a positive number, and it does not ask for payment or show a due date. The PDF itself uses Credit note to, Credit note details, and Credit note No. in place of the invoice labels, so a credit note is never mislabeled as an invoice. While the credit note is still a draft, the suggested action card only offers to send it; once sent, no reminder or collection actions appear, because a credit note pays the customer rather than asking for money.
Tip: Because you create the credit note from the original invoice, the two documents match exactly and your records stay consistent.