Qvian Suite
App →

Returns, Exchanges & Credit Notes

Process returns against an original sale or blind, handle exchanges and even swaps, choose the refund method, and understand how credit notes are accounted for.

A return takes goods back and refunds the customer. An exchange takes goods back and gives different goods out, settling only the difference. Both raise a credit note and return stock to inventory. They are accounted for separately from sales and are excluded from daily reconciliation and tax statement aggregation, so a return never appears as a negative sale on your GST return.

Last updated

Linked, blind, and why it matters

A linked return is tied to the original sale, so the system knows what was paid, when, at what price and under what tax treatment. A blind return has no such link — the customer has no receipt, and you are refunding on trust.

Prefer linked returns wherever possible. Most businesses restrict blind returns to managers and refund them to store credit rather than cash.

Common Tasks

How to Process a Return Against a Sale (refund with receipt, linked return, return goods)

The normal case, where the customer can show what they bought.

Required permission: Returns

  1. Open the returns screen in the POS
  2. Search for and select the Original sale
  3. Under Select items to return, set the Return Qty per line — Return value updates as you go
  4. Choose the Refund method
  5. Add a Reason (optional)
  6. Click Process Return

Result: Stock returns to inventory, a credit note is raised, and the refund is recorded. A confirmation reads Return processed.

Note: Only lines marked Returnable can be returned, and only up to the quantity originally sold.

How to Process a Blind Return (no receipt, blind return, unlinked refund)

Refund without an original sale to link to.

Required permission: Returns (manager level typically)

  1. Open the returns screen
  2. Choose Use blind return (no receipt), or Remove link (blind return) if a sale is attached
  3. Add the items and quantities being returned
  4. Choose the Refund method — Store Credit is the safer default
  5. Click Process Return

Result: Stock returns to inventory and the refund is recorded, with no link to an original sale.

Note: Without a linked sale there is no proof of what was paid or when, and no original tax treatment to reverse. Treat it as a commercial decision rather than a routine transaction.

How to Process an Exchange (swap goods, exchange, different size, even exchange)

Take goods back and give different goods out.

Required permission: Returns

  1. Open the returns screen and select the Original sale
  2. Choose the Items to return and their quantities
  3. Add the Replacement items
  4. Compare Return value against Replacement value
  5. If equal, the screen shows Even exchange and nothing is settled
  6. Otherwise take the extra payment or refund the difference
  7. Click Process Exchange

Result: Returned stock goes back, replacement stock leaves, and only the difference is settled. A confirmation reads Exchange processed.

How to Refund to Store Credit (store credit, credit note to customer, no cash refund)

Refund as credit against future purchases rather than money out.

Required permission: Returns

  1. Process the return as normal
  2. Choose Store Credit as the Refund method
  3. Complete the return

Result: The customer holds credit to spend with you rather than receiving cash, and your drawer is unaffected.

Note: Attach the customer to the return, or there is no account for the credit to sit against.

How returns are accounted for

  • A credit note is raised, reversing the original revenue rather than recording a negative sale
  • Stock returns to inventory at its cost, so cost of goods sold is reversed too
  • Returns and exchanges are excluded from daily reconciliation and from tax statement aggregation — they carry their own entries

Why they are excluded from the tax return

A return is not a sale with a minus sign; it is a reversal of a specific earlier sale, with that sale's own tax treatment. Handling it separately keeps the output tax on the original sale and its reversal correctly paired, rather than netting them into a period that may not be the same one.

Troubleshooting

An item cannot be returned

Cause: It is not marked Returnable, or the full quantity has already been returned.

Fix: Check the original sale — you cannot return more than was sold. If the product should be returnable, change that on the product record for future sales.

The refund went to the wrong method

Cause: The Refund method is selected during the return.

Fix: Check it before processing. Refunding cash for a card sale empties the drawer and produces a variance at close.

Returns are not showing in the sales report

Cause: Returns and exchanges are deliberately excluded from sales aggregation.

Fix: They appear as credit notes with their own entries. Look for them there rather than expecting negative sales lines.

Stock did not come back after a return

Cause: The item may not be stock-tracked, or the return was recorded as a quick sale line with no product.

Fix: Check the product exists in inventory and was on the original sale as a catalogue item. A one-off quick sale line has no stock to return.

A customer wants to return goods bought at another outlet

Cause: Sales and stock are held per business unit.

Fix: The return should be processed where the goods will physically go back into stock. Processing it elsewhere puts the stock in the wrong unit and leaves the original unit’s figures wrong.