Free credit note generator

Questions people ask

What is a credit note?

A document that reduces what a client owes you — because you overcharged, because something was returned, or because you agreed a discount after the invoice went out. It exists because you should not edit an invoice that has already been issued: the original stays as it was, and the credit note is the correction sitting beside it.

Why not just cancel the invoice and send a new one?

Because in most places an issued invoice is meant to be a fixed record, and in all places your client's accounts already have the original in them. Rewriting it means two versions of one invoice number exist, which is exactly the mess an audit finds. A credit note leaves an honest trail.

Should the amounts be negative?

No, and this tool deliberately prints them positive. The document's title and wording carry the direction — a PDF full of minus signs is how a client ends up paying the wrong number. It states plainly that it reduces the amount owed and is not a request for payment.

Does it reference the original invoice?

Yes. There is a 'Credits invoice' field, and the number prints in the detail column of the document. A credit note that does not say which invoice it applies to is very hard to reconcile later.

Do I have to make an account?

No. Nothing here asks you to sign up, and the tool works fully signed out.

Is my client's information sent anywhere?

No. The credit note is built inside your browser on your own device, and the PDF is created there too. Nothing you type is uploaded to us, because there is nothing on our side to receive it.

Does it handle sales tax, GST, VAT or HST?

Yes. Credit the tax as well as the amount when the original invoice charged it, or your return will not balance. Name the tax whatever your country calls it, set the rate, and it appears as its own line. What your own authority requires is worth a five-minute check — this is not tax advice.