Credit notes are credit vouchers that are issued automatically by the cash register when a customer returns items or receives a refund that exceeds the amount paid. Instead of paying out the amount in cash, it is registered as a credit note that the customer can use for future purchases in the store.
Credit notes are created exclusively from the cash register — it is not possible to create them manually in Financial. The "Credit notes" screen in Financial is a follow-up and administration view: here you can see all issued credit notes, see their status and register manual withdrawals.
In Financial you select the menu item Gift cards & credit notes and then Credit notes.
If you cannot see the menu item, you probably do not have permission for it. Contact support.
When you open the screen, a list of all credit notes in the system is shown. You can sort on most columns by clicking the column header.
Register withdrawal registers a manual withdrawal against the selected credit note. The button is only active when a credit note is selected in the list, and the credit note is not already fully redeemed. If there is already an active withdrawal on the credit note, or the remaining amount is 0, the system rejects with an error message.
View/Edit (pencil icon) opens the detail view for the selected credit note with full withdrawal history. The button is only active when a credit note is selected.
Report export exports the credit note list as a report. The button is only active when a credit note is selected.
Search opens a search field for free-text search in the list. It is cancelled with the Cancel search button, which resets the list.
Refresh reloads the list. Supports a keyboard shortcut.
Help opens this article.
Org. unit: The organizational unit (e.g. store or department) the credit note belongs to.
Number: The unique identification number of the credit note.
Description: Description of the related element, e.g. the number of the associated sale or complaint.
Created on: Date of creation of the credit note.
Amount: The original amount on the credit note, shown as a currency amount.
Redeemed: A checkmark icon that is shown if the credit note has at least one active withdrawal (status OK). If the icon is missing, the credit note is not yet redeemed.
You open the detail view by double-clicking a credit note in the list or selecting it and clicking the pencil icon. The view is read-only — the fields cannot be edited.
Number: The credit note's unique identification number (read-only).
Amount: The original amount on the credit note (read-only).
Credit note withdrawals: An embedded table with all withdrawals made on the credit note. See the description of the withdrawal list below.
Close (button) closes the detail view and returns to the list.
Register withdrawal is available as a button also in the detail view and works the same way as from the list.
Under the withdrawal list you see all withdrawals made on the credit note. The list shows up to 10 rows at a time.
Org. unit: Which organizational unit the withdrawal was made from.
Registered on: Date and time for when the withdrawal was registered (date and time).
Type: Indicates whether the withdrawal was made automatically from the cash register or manually in Financial.
Sale means that the withdrawal happened automatically via a sale in the cash register.
Manual means that the withdrawal was registered manually via the "Register withdrawal" dialog in this screen.
Description: Optional free-text description associated with the withdrawal.
Status: Indicates whether the withdrawal is valid or has been cancelled.
OK means that the withdrawal is active and valid.
Cancelled means that the withdrawal is set to cancelled.
Amount: The amount that was withdrawn, shown as a currency amount (right-aligned).
The "Register withdrawal" dialog is opened by clicking the Register withdrawal button — either from the list or from the detail view.
The dialog can only be opened if the following conditions are met:
There must not already be an active withdrawal on the credit note. The system only allows one active withdrawal per credit note. If you try to register a new withdrawal when one already exists, the attempt is rejected with the message "Cannot register more than one withdrawal on the credit note".
The remaining amount on the credit note must be greater than 0. If the credit note is fully redeemed, the attempt is rejected with the message "Credit note is fully used".
Amount: The amount to be withdrawn. The field is pre-filled with the remaining amount on the credit note as the maximum value. Zero amounts and negative amounts are allowed in the field, but the amount must not exceed the remaining amount. The field is required.
Registered on: Date and time of the withdrawal. The field is required.
Description: Optional free-text description of the withdrawal.
OK saves the withdrawal and closes the dialog. The list or detail view is then updated automatically.
Cancel closes the dialog without saving.
Credit notes are created automatically in the cash register when a refund, a complaint or a sales refund is processed. The cash register registers the credit note via an internal command and associates it with the relevant transaction.
Withdrawals can happen in two ways: automatically from the cash register when the customer uses the credit note for a new purchase (type "Sale"), or manually by a user in Financial via the dialog window described above (type "Manual"). Both withdrawal types are visible in the withdrawal list in the detail view.
If you have questions, you are welcome to contact support.
Want to know more?
Read more in these related articles:
Credit note list (printout)
How to find, narrow down and print the Credit note list in Sapera — an overview of issued and redeemed credit notes with remaining value and movements.
Gift cards
Manage gift cards in Financial: create, sell, redeem and cancel gift cards, and set up gift card types as templates.
