Credit Note Generator
Handle returns and billing adjustments professionally — reference the invoice, list the items, print the PDF.
Document details
Customer
Items
Saved documents
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Documents you save appear here — stored in your private workspace on this device, never uploaded.
What is a credit note?
A credit note is the document a seller issues to reduce what a customer owes on an invoice that has already gone out. It does not cancel or replace that invoice: the invoice stays in your books as issued, and the credit note sits beside it, quoting its number and recording how much comes off and why. This credit note generator builds that document: the invoice it adjusts, the reason, the items and tax being credited, and the total that comes off the customer's balance.
Under GST, a registered supplier issues a credit note when the taxable value or tax on an invoice turns out higher than it should be, when goods are returned, or when goods or services supplied are found deficient. You report it in your GSTR-1, which lowers your output tax for that period, and a GST-registered customer reduces the input tax credit they took on the original invoice. The law also sets a deadline after the financial year ends for declaring credit notes against that year's invoices, so raise them as returns happen rather than leaving them for a year-end clean-up.
A quick example: invoice INV-0142 billed 10 office chairs at ₹2,500 each with 18% GST, and the customer returns 2. The credit note lists 2 chairs at ₹2,500 with tax at the same 18% charged on the invoice: ₹5,000 plus ₹900 GST, a total of ₹5,900, against INV-0142 with the reason Return of goods. In Tally it is a Credit Note voucher, and in any double-entry books it reduces sales by ₹5,000, output GST by ₹900 and the customer's balance by ₹5,900.
What the credit note maker does
Linked to the original invoice
The Against invoice no. field prints as Ref on the note, so the customer and your CA/CPA can see exactly which bill is being reduced.
Six ready reasons
Return of goods, Pricing error, Duplicate payment, Post-sale discount, Damaged in transit and Goodwill adjustment are one pick away, and you can type your own.
Saved customers and products
With your workspace connected, picking a customer fills the name and address, and picking a product fills its name, selling price and tax rate.
Units on every line
Choose Pcs, Kg, g, L, ml, m, Box, Dozen, Hours, Days or Service, and the unit prints beside the quantity.
Print-ready A4 layout
The note prints with your business details, an authorised signatory line and a footer stating that it adjusts the referenced invoice.
Saved notes and CSV
Saved credit notes stay on this device, and the 20 most recent are listed with number, customer, date and total for reprinting. Export CSV saves the note currently in the form as a spreadsheet file.
How to use the free credit note generator
- 1Fill in your Business Profile once, then click Use workspace when this page says a workspace was found, so your name, address, phone and GSTIN print on the note.
- 2Replace the default CN- number with the next number in your own credit note series, check the date, and type the original invoice number and date into Against invoice no.
- 3Pick a saved customer to fill the name and address, or type them, and add the customer's GSTIN if they are registered.
- 4Choose a common reason such as Return of goods or Pricing error, or type your own.
- 5Add each item being credited with its unit, quantity, rate and the same tax % the original invoice charged, plus any notes.
- 6Click Save, then Print / PDF to print it or save it as a PDF, or Export CSV for your spreadsheet.
What to include on a GST credit note
GST rules expect these details on a credit note. Most come from a field in the form; the last two need a few words typed in.
- Your name, address and GSTIN, which print from your Business Profile
- A serial number from your own consecutive series, unique for the financial year and no longer than 16 characters, typed over the default CN- number
- The customer's name, address and GSTIN if they are registered
- The taxable value, tax rate and tax amount being credited, which the item lines and totals show
- The number and date of the invoice being adjusted, both typed into Against invoice no., for example INV-0142 dated 12-09-2026
- For an unregistered customer, the state name and code in the Address field, since the form has no separate place-of-supply box
Related tools
Other documents and records that sit around a credit note.
Frequently asked questions
When you need to reduce the value of an invoice you already issued — goods returned, an overcharge, a post-sale discount, or a billing error. The credit note references the original invoice and records the reduction.
It carries the fields GST practice expects — your GSTIN, the customer's GSTIN, the original invoice reference, itemised lines with tax rates and a clear reason. Report it in your GST returns as your CA/CPA advises.
Yes — everything stays in your browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded to any server, and there's no signup.
GST law allows one credit note to cover supplies from more than one invoice in the same financial year, such as a volume discount. In this tool the Against invoice no. field is a single text box, so type every invoice number and date the note adjusts, separated by commas. For returns, one note per invoice is easier for you and the customer to match later.
Saved credit notes can be reprinted or deleted from the Saved documents list, but they do not reopen in the form. To correct one that was never sent, fill the form again with the right details, keep the same number, save it and delete the old copy. If the wrong note already reached the customer, issue a fresh note rather than quietly changing the old one.
Enter the customer name and at least one item, then tap Print / PDF. A print view of the note opens in a new tab and your browser's print dialog appears; choose Save as PDF, or use your phone's share option to save or send the file. If nothing opens, allow pop-ups for the site in your browser settings and tap the button again.
A credit note reduces the amount the customer owes you on paper. What happens to that credit is a separate step: it can be set off against the next invoice, adjusted against an unpaid balance, or paid back as a refund by cash, UPI or bank transfer. The credit note alone does not move money, so record any refund payment separately in your cash book or bank entries.