Create a professional credit note or refund note and download as PDF - no sign-up required
This is a free credit note maker that works in your browser. Add your business details and your client's, enter the number of the invoice you are crediting, list the credited items as negative amounts, and download a professional credit note as a PDF. Totals and tax are worked out for you, and the finished credit note is ready to email. If you searched for a credit note generator, a credit note template, a credit memo maker, or a way to create a credit note for free, this is the tool.
You do not need an account to make a credit note here. There is no sign up, no login, and no watermark on the PDF, so the credit note your client receives carries only your business details. It is free for one credit note or for hundreds.
If you searched for a credit note template or a sample credit note, you can skip the file. Pick a design, fill in the fields, and download the finished credit note as a PDF. It is free, with no sign up and no watermark, and every field is editable. Here is what a finished credit note contains, using a partial refund on a returned item:
| Credit note field | Example |
|---|---|
| Credit note number | CN-003 |
| Date | 18 March |
| Client | Brightside Cafe |
| Original invoice | INV-042 (printed as "Re: Invoice INV-042") |
| Line item 1 | Refund for damaged goods, 1 x -50.00 = -50.00 |
| Line item 2 | Restocking fee, 1 x 10.00 = 10.00 |
| Net credit before tax | -40.00 |
| Tax | The same tax name and rate as the original invoice |
| Notes | Credit for damaged goods returned on 15 March |
Use the credit note generator whenever an invoice you already sent needs to be reduced. Each case below uses the same steps: reference the original invoice, list what is being credited as negative amounts, and say why in the notes.
Describe the refund, such as "Refund for damaged goods", enter the quantity, and enter the refunded amount as a negative unit price. The credit note becomes your record that the money was given back or credited to the account.
List the returned items with their quantities and the price they were invoiced at, entered as negatives. If you charge a restocking fee, add it as a positive line so the net credit is right.
If you charged the wrong price or quantity, credit the difference and, if needed, issue a new corrected invoice. Our guide on how to correct an invoice mistake shows when to credit and reissue rather than edit.
To cancel an invoice in full, credit every line at the invoiced price and tax. The credit note and the original invoice then net to zero, and both stay on record.
If you agree a discount after an invoice has gone out, credit the agreed amount rather than reissuing the whole invoice. State the reason in the notes so your books show why the amount changed.
A credit note does not have to cancel the whole invoice. Credit only the lines or the portion affected, and leave the rest of the invoice payable.
Freelancers and contractors issue credit notes less often than invoices, but they need one at exactly the moment a client questions a bill. Your business details are saved in your browser, so the credit note only needs the client, the invoice number, and the credited lines. Enter your own name in the company field if you are a sole trader.
A credit note should adjust tax in line with the original invoice. The tax section has a name field and a rate field, so use the same tax name and percentage that the invoice used, and the tax is calculated on the credited lines. If the original invoice had no tax, leave the rate at zero.
| Country | Tax name to enter | Standard rate (check the current rate) |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | VAT | 15% |
| United Kingdom | VAT | 20% |
| Ireland | VAT | 23% |
| Germany | VAT (MwSt) | 19% |
| Australia | GST | 10% |
| New Zealand | GST | 15% |
| Canada | GST or HST | 5% GST, higher combined rates in some provinces |
| Singapore | GST | 9% |
| United Arab Emirates | VAT | 5% |
| Nigeria | VAT | 7.5% |
| Kenya | VAT | 16% |
| India | GST | Several slabs, 18% is common |
| United States | Sales tax | Varies by state and locality |
Use the VAT and sales tax calculator if you need to split a tax-inclusive refund into net and tax.
Choose from more than 150 currency symbols, including dollars, pounds, euros, rand, naira, shillings, rupees, and dirhams. Use the same currency as the original invoice so the credit lines up with what the client owes. The tool tries to detect your currency the first time you visit and you can change it at any time.
Upload your logo, crop it, and choose a template. The credit note carries the same branding as your invoices when you use the same template, which makes the pair look like part of one system.
| Template | Look and feel |
|---|---|
| Classic | Structured layout with a green accent and clear sections |
| Modern | Bold dark header with a contemporary two-column layout |
| Minimal | Understated black-and-white design with generous whitespace |
| Corporate | Formal navy letterhead style with bordered tables |
| Elegant | Serif typography with a refined gold accent |
| Creative | Bold violet blocks for a distinctive, expressive look |
| Compact | Dense, efficient layout for documents with many line items |
| Sidebar | Dark teal sidebar holding company details and totals |
| Dark Mode | Inverted dark page with a bright lime-green accent |
| Tech | Teal accent with rounded, startup-style blocks |
| Rose | Soft pink tones, ideal for beauty and lifestyle brands |
| Slate | Flat blue-gray SaaS billing style with minimal chrome |
| Ledger | Traditional ruled accounting ledger with a double-underlined total |
You can issue a credit note from your phone the moment you agree a refund. The page adapts to a small screen, the PDF downloads directly, and on devices that support it a share button sends it to WhatsApp or email in one step.
Enter your local currency and the same tax that the invoice used, and add your registration or tax number. South African and UK businesses that are VAT registered will normally keep the VAT rate the same as on the invoice, Australian businesses use GST at 10% with their ABN, and Canadian businesses use GST or HST. US businesses use the same sales tax as on the invoice, or none. The tool does not assume a country.
| Situation | What to issue |
|---|---|
| Client paid and you are returning money | Credit note, then make the refund payment |
| Client has not paid and the invoice was wrong | Credit note for the error, then a corrected invoice |
| Client wants to cancel the whole order | Credit note for the full invoice amount |
| You undercharged the client | A debit note or an extra invoice, not a credit note |
| Client paid the wrong invoice | Reallocate the payment and confirm it with a receipt |
Read what is a credit note for the full explanation. If a payment was applied to the wrong invoice, you do not need a credit note at all: see how to correct an invoice mistake. Create the original document with the invoice generator and confirm any payment with a receipt.
Yes. This credit note generator is free and needs no account, no login, and no email address. Fill in your credit note and download the PDF.
Yes. Enter your details, your client's details, the original invoice number, and the credited items, then download the credit note as a PDF. There is no charge and no limit.
No. The PDF only contains the details you enter.
Enter the unit price as a negative number, for example -50. The line total and the credit note total then show as a credit.
Yes. Enter the original invoice number and it prints on the credit note as a reference, so the client can match the credit to the invoice.
Yes. The generator works in your browser on iPhone and Android, and the PDF can be shared by email or WhatsApp from your phone.
Yes. Upload your logo in the company section, crop it, and it appears on the credit note in whichever template you choose.
Yes. A sole trader or freelancer can enter their own name in the company field. A registration number is optional.
Yes. Use the same tax name and rate as the original invoice. The tax is calculated on the credited lines and shown in the totals.
Yes. The currency picker has more than 150 currency symbols. Use the same currency as the original invoice.
Yes. Credit memo is the term commonly used in the United States for the same document. You can use this tool to make one.
Yes. Enter the returned items or the overcharged amount as negative lines at the price they were invoiced at, and add any restocking fee as a positive line.
Yes. Credit only the lines or amounts affected and leave the rest of the invoice payable.
Yes. Credit every line of the invoice at the original price and tax. The credit note and invoice then net to zero.
There are 13 templates, including Classic, Modern, Minimal, Corporate, Elegant, Creative, Compact, Sidebar, Dark Mode, Tech, Rose, Slate, and Ledger.
A credit note reduces the amount a client owes. A debit note increases it, usually to correct an invoice that undercharged them. Most small businesses only need credit notes. If you do need one, use the debit note generator.
No. It works in your browser, with no app store download and nothing to install.
Your details are saved in your own browser on your device. Clearing your browser data removes them, so download the PDF of any credit note you need to keep.
You do not need to download one. Choose a design on this page, fill in your details and the credited items, and download the finished credit note as a PDF.
A sample credit note shows a credit note number, the date, the client, the original invoice number, the credited line items as negative amounts, the tax, and the net credit. There is a worked example on this page.
Yes. Every field is editable, including your logo, company details, client details, credited items, tax, and notes. Tap any section to change it, then download the PDF.