Sales Debit Memos
Sales Debit Memos
Sometimes a customer owes more than their original invoice shows — a restocking fee on a large return, a late payment penalty, or a price correction where the original invoice was undercharged. A sales debit memo adds that charge to the customer's account cleanly, without reopening or voiding the original invoice. Posting the memo increases the customer's outstanding balance and creates the corresponding Accounting entry.
Sales Debit Memos list, Additional Charges applied to Customers post-invoice.
How to create a Sales Debit Memo
- Go to Returns > Sales > Debit Memos.
- Click + Data Entry and select New.
- Select the Customer and set the Posting Date.
- Enter the Amount to charge.
- Add a Reference Number and Comments if needed.
- Post the debit memo.
Field reference
- Customer — locked after creation; make sure you have the right customer before saving.
- Amount — the additional charge to apply. This increases the customer's outstanding balance immediately on posting, so double-check the figure before you post.
- Reference Number — include the original invoice number, a late payment notice reference, or a restocking fee authorization so the customer and your AR team both know what this charge relates to.
Document lifecycle
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Editable; no financial impact yet |
| Posted | Customer balance increased; Accounting entry created |
| Archived | Closed and read-only |
Printing and emailing
A debit memo can be sent to the customer as a PDF, the same way as Invoices and other documents. Both buttons sit in the detail-page header:
- Reports — opens the printable Debit Memo as a PDF in a new tab, ready to download or print. It shows your company details, the customer, the charge amount, the reference, and any comments.
- Email — opens a pre-filled email (recipient, subject, and message) with the debit memo PDF attached. Edit anything you need and send; the send is recorded on the document.
The Email button appears once a debit-memo email template has been set up under Setup > Email Templates. The Reports button is available as soon as the debit memo print template is in place.
Tips
- Debit memos are for Additional Charges only. If a customer was overcharged or is returning goods, use a Customer Credit Note — a debit memo will make the situation worse, not better.
- The customer's total outstanding balance on their customer record reflects all posted debit memos alongside their unpaid Invoices.
Related: Customer Credit Notes · Invoices · Customers · Audit Trail · Account Priming
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