# Record a vendor refund

Turn a posted bill into a refund when the vendor corrects a price or takes goods back, and deduct an open refund from the vendor's next bill.

A refund records what a vendor owes back: a price corrected after the bill, goods returned, a bill entered twice. On screen it is a **Vendor Credit Note**. It is made from the bill it corrects, or on its own; an open refund is then deducted from the vendor's next bill.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- You need the **Invoicing** access right on **Accounting**.
- The bill to correct is posted. A draft bill is simply corrected before it is confirmed.

## Refund a bill {#from-a-bill}

1. Open **Accounting/Vendors/Bills** and open the bill.
2. In **Actions**, choose **Credit Note**. Type the **Reason displayed on Credit Note**; it is added to the reference of the refund, after the number of the bill. **Journal** and **Reversal date** are proposed: the purchase journal and today.

![The reason, the journal and the date of the refund; Reverse prepares it.](https://jaah.app/web/image/10732-483fd0f5/vendor-bills-refund-credit_note_dialog-en.png)

3. Click **Reverse**. A draft **Vendor Credit Note** opens with every line of the bill copied. For a partial refund, lower the quantity or the price of the lines now.

![The draft refund copies the lines of the bill; change them for a partial refund.](https://jaah.app/web/image/10736-346e8953/vendor-bills-refund-draft_refund-en.png)

4. In **Actions**, choose **Confirm**. The refund is posted and settles the bill it came from at once: it carries the **Paid** ribbon.

![Confirmed, the refund settles the bill it came from at once.](https://jaah.app/web/image/10740-57ea2a0d/vendor-bills-refund-refund_confirmed-en.png)

5. Go back to the bill with the link at the top. A refund that covers the whole bill gives it the **Reversed** ribbon; a smaller one leaves it **Partial**, with the rest still to pay.

![The bill fully offset by its refund reads Reversed.](https://jaah.app/web/image/10744-4aa6f2cc/vendor-bills-refund-bill_reversed-en.png)

**Reverse and Create Invoice**, the other button of the dialog, does more in one click: it posts a refund of the whole bill, settles the two, and opens a new draft bill with the same lines, to enter the right amounts.

## Deduct an open refund from a bill {#apply}

A refund recorded on its own, with **New** in **Accounting/Vendors/Refunds**, or one made after the bill was paid, stays open. Every posted bill of that vendor still to pay then shows a blue banner about outstanding debits, and under its totals the **Outstanding debits** list: each open refund with its date, its reference (or its number when it has none) and its amount.

![An open refund of the same vendor waits under the totals of the bill.](https://jaah.app/web/image/10748-ad1cd72e/vendor-bills-refund-outstanding_refund-en.png)

Click **Add** on the line of the refund. The amount is deducted from the bill; a refund that covers the whole bill gives it the **Reversed** ribbon.

![Added, the refund pays the bill off.](https://jaah.app/web/image/10752-68d838ba/vendor-bills-refund-refund_applied-en.png)

## FAQ {#faq}

### Can I refund only part of a bill? {#partial}

Yes. After **Reverse**, change the quantity or the price on the draft refund before confirming it; the bill stays **Partial** with the rest due.

### The vendor paid us back by bank transfer. How do I record it? {#money-back}

Open the refund and choose **Pay** in **Actions**: the dialog records money received instead of money sent. Then match it with the bank statement in [Banks, cash and currencies](/docs/banks-and-cash).

### I added the wrong refund to a bill. Can I undo it? {#undo}

Under the totals of the bill, the info icon next to the deducted amount opens its details; **Unreconcile** takes it off, and the refund is open again.

### Where are all the refunds? {#list}

In **Accounting/Vendors/Refunds**. The bills list hides them, because it starts with the **Bills** and **Receipt** filters.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/vendor-bills/record-a-vendor-refund
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- Version: Vendor bills and expenses 19.0.2.1
- Verified: 2026-10-23