Purchase Credit Note (Internal) Applet

What is a purchase credit note?

In purchasing, a credit note (you may also hear supplier credit or purchase credit note) is a formal record that reduces what your company owes a supplier—or corrects what you already recorded—when something changes after a purchase or invoice. Common reasons include returned goods, wrong quantities or prices, agreed rebates, or duplicate billing. Think of it as the mirror of a supplier invoice: an invoice says “pay more”; a credit note says “pay less” or “take this amount off the account.”

In BigLedger, an Purchase Credit Note (Internal) is that record kept inside your ERP, with the same kind of structure as other purchase documents: header details, supplier account, and lines—so finance and procurement stay aligned.

What this applet is for

The Purchase Credit Note (Internal) applet is where you create, review, and post those credit notes: for example returns, rebates, or corrections linked to your purchase process. You work with a familiar document: main details, supplier account (who you are crediting and where goods or invoices relate), and line items (what is being credited and for how much).

Depending on how your company configured BigLedger, you may also use e-invoicing, settlement (ARAP), contra, attachments, exports, a separate Line Items screen to work across many documents at once, and File Import to bring in data from a spreadsheet.

What problems does this solve?

Without a structured credit-note process, teams often juggle email, spreadsheets, and informal notes. That makes it hard to prove what was agreed, match credits to invoices or receipts, and keep procurement and finance on the same numbers.

With this applet, you get:

• One official list of purchase credit notes instead of scattered records.
• Clear draft vs posted behaviour so people know when a document is still editable.
• Header + supplier + lines in one place—easier audits and fewer “wrong total” mistakes.
• Optional links to e-invoice, settlement, contra, and related purchase flows when your company turns them on.
• Bulk work through Line Items search and File Import when many lines need updating at once.

Who uses it

Benefits by role

Procurement

• Enter supplier credits in the same pattern as other purchase documents (faster training, fewer errors).
• Fix line-level details on one document or across many via Line Items when your process allows it.

Finance

• Post when the credit is ready for accounting or statutory flows (e-invoice, ARAP, etc., if enabled).
• Void or discard drafts when policy allows—less clutter and clearer audit trail than informal reversals.

Operations

• File Import for high-volume line data; attachments and exports when your company uses them for evidence or hand-off to other systems.

Key Features

Key concepts for purchase credit notes

Every credit note ties together who you are dealing with, which document you are working on, and what is being credited on each line.

The three pieces that work together

How this maps to your screen

• Main Details and related header tabs → the document.
• Account → the supplier side.
• Line Items (inside the document) or the Line Items menu → individual credit lines (one document vs many documents).

Exact tab names and optional areas (Payment, Department, Knock-off, E-Invoice, ARAP, etc.) depend on your company’s configuration.

Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with the tasks people do most often. Start with your role below, then use the step-by-step sections for full detail.

For procurement: create and maintain credit lines

Goal: Record a supplier credit with the right supplier, header, and lines—while the document is still a draft if your process says so.

1. Open Purchase Credit Note (Internal) and click Create or +.
2. Complete Main Details (dates and references your company requires).
3. On Account, pick the supplier and addresses.
4. Add or adjust Line Items (items, quantities, amounts).
5. Save the document. Use Line Items (menu) only when you need to search or edit lines across many credit notes.

Full walkthrough: Create a purchase credit note · Search and open existing credit notes · Work on many lines at once (Line Items)

For finance: finalize or cancel

Goal: Move approved credits to posted (or cancel drafts) so downstream accounting and compliance steps can run.

1. Open the document from Purchase Credit Note (Internal) or search the list.
2. Check supplier, totals, and lines against your approval rules.
3. Use Final (or FINAL) to post when ready—or Void / Discard when your policy allows.
4. If your tenant uses them, complete E-Invoice, ARAP, Contra, or Knock-off only as trained.

Full walkthrough: Finalize, void, or discard (finance) · Understanding draft vs posted · What happens after you post?

For operations: bulk data and evidence

Goal: Load many lines from a file or attach evidence without re-keying everything.

1. Use File Import to upload a CSV, pick the delimiter, then Submit and review Checking for errors.
2. Use Line Items (menu) to find and fix specific lines after import if needed.
3. On an open document, use Attachment or Export if your process requires files or hand-offs.

Full walkthrough: Import rows from a CSV file · Line Items · Purchase credit notes in detail (attachments/exports)

Step-by-step detail (all roles)

Create a purchase credit note

Goal: Start a new credit note and save it as a working document.

1. Open the applet and go to Purchase Credit Note (Internal) (main list).
2. Click Create or +.
3. Fill in Main Details (dates, references, and other header fields your company requires).
4. Open Account and select the supplier and Bill To / Ship To addresses as needed.
5. Open Line Items and add each line (item, quantity, amounts—whatever your form shows).
6. If you see optional tabs such as Payment, Department, or Knock-off (KO), complete them only if your process says so.
7. Click Create or Save to store the document.

Tip: Your screen might use tabs across the top or panels you expand—both are normal; your admin chooses the layout.

Finalize, void, or discard (finance)

Goal: Move a credit note to a posted state, or cancel it when your rules allow.

1. Find the document on Purchase Credit Note (Internal) or open it from the list.
2. Use the action your process describes:
   • Final (or FINAL) — marks the document as posted / confirmed for downstream use.
   • Void or Discard — cancels or removes a draft according to your company rules.
3. If you do not see these buttons, your role may not include posting, or your administrator hid them—ask finance or IT admin.

Self-billed: Some setups show Self-billed on the list—use it only if your company trained you for that flow.

Search and open existing credit notes

1. Stay on Purchase Credit Note (Internal).
2. Use search or filters at the top of the list (your columns may include document number, dates, amounts, e-invoice fields, and status).
3. Click a row to open and view or edit (if you have edit rights).

Work on many lines at once (Line Items)

Goal: Find lines from different credit notes (or linked purchase flows) and open one line to edit.

1. Open Line Items from the left menu.
2. Use search and filters to narrow the list.
3. Click a row to open Edit Line Item.
4. Update Item details, serial / batch / bin (if shown), costing or pricing (if shown), or issue link (if shown).
5. Save. To remove a line, use Delete if available—often you must confirm twice.

Import rows from a CSV file

Goal: Upload a spreadsheet and check that the system accepted it.

1. Open File Import from the left menu.
2. Click Create or + to start a new import.
3. Choose the delimiter (often comma or semicolon—pick what matches your file).
4. Upload your file (drag-and-drop or browse). Use Sample format if your company provided a template.
5. Click Submit to run the import.
6. Open the import record to see Details (status, errors, who created it) and the Checking tab for row-by-row validation messages.
7. Fix the file if there are errors and try again as your admin instructs.

Understanding draft vs posted

You will usually see two kinds of state:

Exact labels depend on your tenant. If you are unsure whether you may still edit, ask finance.

What happens after you post?

After you Final / post a purchase credit note, your company’s BigLedger setup decides what happens next. Typical patterns include:

• Payables (AP) — the posted credit usually reduces what you owe the supplier or offsets an existing invoice, depending on how ARAP, Knock-off (KO), or Contra are configured. Your finance team defines the exact behaviour.
• E-invoicing — if E-Invoice is in use, a posted document may need to follow country or network rules (submission, cancellation, or replacement). Follow your local procedure and training.
• Stock and costing — some implementations adjust inventory valuation or cost when lines are linked to returns or receipts. If you are unsure, ask finance or inventory admin; do not assume every credit note moves stock.
• Audit trail — posted documents are often harder to change; corrections may require a new document or a controlled reversal per policy.

What you should do: After posting, confirm with finance whether any follow-up step is required (e.g. settlement run, e-invoice status check, payment batch). Labels and menus differ by tenant.

Purchase credit notes in detail

Main menu: Purchase Credit Note (Internal)

This is the home list for all purchase credit notes.

• Create (+) — starts a new document (if you have permission).
• Final, Void, Discard, Self-billed — may appear on the list or inside a document; visibility depends on your role and settings.
• Use column chooser and pagination if you have many documents.

While creating or editing one document

Typical areas (not all may show for every company):

• Main Details — header information.
• Account — supplier entity, billing and shipping addresses.
• Line Items — products or services being credited.
• Payment, Department, Knock-off (KO) — optional; follow internal procedure.

When you edit an existing document, you may also see tabs such as E-Invoice, ARAP, Trace document, Contra, Doc link, Attachment, and Export. Treat each as your company training describes—many are optional or country-specific.

Line Items

Line Items is not the same as the Line Items tab inside one credit note. This menu is a separate list so you can search across documents and jump straight into editing one line.

Use it when you need to correct line-level data, trace items, or work through a large set of lines without opening each document header first.

File Import

Use File Import when your company moves data in bulk from CSV files instead of typing each line.

• Each import has a status so you can see whether it finished or failed.
• Always read the Checking results before assuming the data is live in your main lists.
• If the File Import menu is missing, your administrator may have hidden it or restricted it to certain roles.

Settings (for administrators)

These live under Settings in the applet. Names match what users usually see in the sidebar.

Personalization (separate menu) lets each user adjust personal default selection and sidebar order without changing company-wide settings.

Works with other purchase documents

Your Line Items search and company setup may link credit lines to other purchase flows, such as purchase orders, goods received (GRN), requisitions, or delivery documents. Ask your implementation team which links apply to you.

When to use which purchase document?

Use the document your finance and procurement policy names for each situation. The table below is plain-language guidance only—your tenant may use different names or combine steps.

Related guides:

• Purchase Order (Internal) Applet
• Purchase GRN (Internal) Applet
• Purchase Debit Note (Internal) Applet
• Purchase Return (Internal) Applet
• Purchase Refund Note (Internal) Applet
• Supplier Delivery Order Applet

If something is wrong

Still stuck? Note your user name, document number (if any), and what you clicked, then contact your BigLedger administrator or internal help desk.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a purchase credit note and a supplier invoice?
An invoice from the supplier normally increases what you owe. A purchase credit note reduces that balance or corrects an earlier posting—see What is a purchase credit note?.

When should I use a credit note instead of a debit note?
Use a credit note when the outcome is “we pay less” or “take this off our account.” Use a debit note when your policy says you must charge the supplier more or adjust the other way. See When to use which purchase document?.

Can I edit a credit note after it is posted?
Often no, or only with limited fields—depends on permissions and company rules. If you need a correction, finance may ask for a new document or a controlled process. Check Understanding draft vs posted.

What is the difference between Void and Discard?
Both cancel or remove work in progress in many setups, but exact meaning depends on your configuration and training. If you are unsure which to use, ask finance before clicking—especially if the document was already final.

Why is Final (post) or Save missing on my screen?
Usually permissions or feature visibility. Your admin can check Permission Wizard, client-side permission listing, and feature visibility for this applet.

File Import failed—what should I check first?
Open the import record and read the Checking tab: fix delimiter, required columns, invalid item or supplier codes, and date/number formats to match your template. See Import rows from a CSV file.

What is the Line Items menu versus the Line Items tab inside a document?
The tab belongs to one credit note. The Line Items menu searches across documents so you can open and edit a single line without opening each header first. See Line Items.

What does Self-billed mean on the list?
Some companies use self-billed flows for specific statutory or commercial arrangements. Use it only if your organisation trained you for it.

Related Documentation Links

• Purchase Order (Internal) Applet
• Purchase GRN (Internal) Applet
• Purchase Debit Note (Internal) Applet
• Purchase Return (Internal) Applet
• Purchase Refund Note (Internal) Applet
• Supplier Delivery Order Applet