# Sale Debit Note
A Sale Debit Note increases the customer's balance — the opposite of a Credit Note. Use it after a sale invoice is already issued to charge the customer for rebate adjustments, missing charges, or similar corrections. It posts like a sale invoice (customer debit), never moves inventory, and is different from the Debit Note in the Purchase module.
Overview & List View
The Sale Debit Notes list shows every sale debit note with customer, reason, linked sale invoice, date, amount, balance, pay mode, and status. Use quick filters for Approved, Draft, Cancelled, Closed, or Multi Level Approval. From the list you can create new sale debit notes, open existing ones, edit drafts, or delete drafts.
List row actions
| **Action** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|------------------------------|
| Edit | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Draft, For Revisal |
| View | All statuses |
Go to Sales → Sale Debit Note.
When to Use
Use a Sale Debit Note when the sale invoice is already issued and you need to increase what the customer owes. Typical business cases:
- Rebate adjustment (rebate reversal) — reverse or claw back a discount/rebate that was given earlier (for example via a credit note or rebate scheme).
- Additional charges — shipping, insurance, or other charges missing from the original invoice.
- Price or tax correction — increase price or add tax after the invoice (supported as a business use case; enter the correction as service lines).
- Under-invoicing — customer was billed for less than delivered (today, charge the difference with service lines; inventory goods lines may be added in a later release).
Current product scope. Sale Debit Note supports reasons Rebate Adjustment and Additional Charges. Only service items can be added — stock/inventory items are not allowed, and approving a sale debit note does not move inventory. Broader goods-line types may be added later.
Not the same as Purchase Debit Note. Purchase Debit Note reduces what you owe a supplier. Sale Debit Note increases what a customer owes you.
Opposite of Credit Note. Credit Note reduces customer receivables (and may update stock). Sale Debit Note increases customer receivables and never updates stock.
Quick Start — Create a Sale Debit Note
1. Navigate
Go to Sales → Sale Debit Note and click New.
2. Fill header
- Enter Date and Bill Number (auto when numbering is configured on the sale type).
- Choose Reason * — Rebate Adjustment or Additional Charges.
- Select the Customer.
- Optionally link a Sale Invoice (Approved or Closed invoices).
- Set Payment mode — Cash, Bank, Credit, or Digital Wallet.
3. Add service lines
Add only service items (item type Service). Enter quantity, unit, and rate. Inventory/stock items are blocked.
4. Save
- save — keeps the sale debit note as a Draft.
- Save And Approve — approves and posts in one step.
- Cancel — closes the form without saving.
5. After approval
- Customer receivable increases (customer account is debited; revenue/tax credited) — similar to a sale invoice.
- Inventory is not updated.
- For Credit pay mode, collect payment with Payment In (Receipt Voucher) against the sale debit note. Cash / Bank / Digital Wallet notes can close automatically on approve when paid immediately.
| **Field** | **Description** |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Reason * | Rebate Adjustment or Additional Charges. Required. |
| Sale Invoice | Optional link to an approved or closed sale invoice. |
| Date * | Accounting date of the sale debit note. |
| Form Type | Sale type that controls numbering, tax rules, and print layout. |
| Bill Number * | Unique reference (prefix typically SDN when configured). |
| Customer * | Customer being charged. |
| Customer Billing Address | Auto-filled from the customer. |
| Shipping Address | Address on the document. |
| Contact person | Customer contact. Enabled after a customer is selected. |
| Employee | Sales employee responsible. |
| Prepared By | Shown when prepared-by is enabled in Sale Settings. |
| Payment Term | Customer payment terms. |
| Due Date | Due date based on payment term settings. |
| Payment mode | Cash, Bank, Credit, or Digital Wallet. |
| Cash Account | Shown for Cash, Bank, or Digital Wallet. |
| Route | Optional route; may auto-fill from the customer. |
| Branch | Shown when multi-branch is enabled. |
| Brand | Brand for brand-wise tracking. |
| Billing center * | Billing center for the transaction. |
| Project / Project Task | Optional project link. |
| Currency / Currency Exchange Rate | Shown when multi-currency is enabled. |
| Notes | Remarks printed on the document. |
| Internal Notes | Internal remarks not shown on print. |
> Many optional header and line fields are controlled by Sale Settings. Sale Debit Note does not use Without Inventory / Without Invoice Ref flags — inventory is never posted, and the invoice link is optional.
Item Lines — ITEMS
| **Column** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Sl.No | Line serial number. |
| Item | Service item only. Stock items cannot be selected. Required. |
| Qty | Quantity. Required. |
| Unit | Unit of measure. Required. |
| Rate | Rate per unit. Required. |
| Amount, discounts, Taxable Amount, Taxes, Tax Amount, Total | Calculated from tax and discount settings. |
Important. Only items with item type Service are allowed. Approving the document does not create inventory ledgers or stock movement.
Actions & Status
View toolbar actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Approve | Finalizes and posts the sale debit note. | Draft |
| Edit | Opens the document for editing. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Permanently removes the document. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Clone | Creates a copy. | All (if permitted) |
| Print | Prints the sale debit note. | All |
| Export | Exports to Excel. | All |
More menu (⋮) actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Payment In | Opens a Receipt Voucher linked to this sale debit note to collect the amount. | Approved |
| Cancel | Cancels the sale debit note. | Approved, Closed |
| Revise Sale Debit Note | Creates a revised document from a cancelled one. | Cancelled |
| Add/Update Note | Adds or edits an internal note. | All |
| Update Secondary Status | Updates a custom secondary status. | Approved, Closed |
| Master Update | Updates selected header fields. See Master Update. | Approved, Closed |
| Mark As Closed | Manually closes the document. | Approved |
| Undo Close | Reverts a manual close. | Closed (only when manually closed) |
| Export Items | Exports item lines to Excel. | All |
Statuses
| **Status** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Draft | Saved but not yet approved. Can be edited or deleted. |
| For Revisal | Sent back for changes. Treated like Draft for edit and delete. |
| Approved | Finalized and posted. Increases customer receivable. |
| Closed | Settled (paid) or manually closed. |
| Cancelled | Cancelled. Use Revise Sale Debit Note to create a replacement. |
| Multi Level Approval | Awaiting multi-level approval workflow. |
Posting note: Sale Debit Notes post journals on approve — customer is debited and revenue/tax accounts are credited (same direction as a sale invoice). There is no inventory or COGS posting. Open sale debit notes appear under open documents on customer outstanding views and in customer statement / tax sale totals where applicable.
Master Update
Master Update lets you change selected header fields on an approved or closed sale debit note without editing item lines. Open the three-dot menu and select Master Update.
Typical updatable fields include Date, Payment Term, Due Date, Employee, Prepared By, Branch, Brand, and Project (subject to company settings). Customer, reason, invoice link, item lines, and totals cannot be changed here — edit while Draft / For Revisal, or cancel and revise.
Click Confirm to save or Cancel to close without saving.
View Tabs & Widgets
When you open a sale debit note in full view, the right side shows tabbed panels.
| **Tab** | **What it shows** |
|---------|-------------------|
| Summary | Linked follow-up documents for this sale debit note. |
| Journal Info | Accounting journal entries posted on approve. Requires journal access. |
| Payments | Receipt vouchers and collections against this sale debit note. |
| Secondary Status | Custom secondary status history when enabled. |
Best Practices
- Link the Sale Invoice whenever the debit relates to a specific bill, so statements and audits stay clear.
- Use a dedicated service item for rebate claw-back or extra charges (with the correct revenue account) so books stay clean.
- Prefer Rebate Adjustment when reversing a customer rebate or credit given earlier; use Additional Charges for freight, insurance, and similar add-ons.
- Do not use Sale Debit Note for goods returns — use Sale Return Order and Credit Note instead.
- Do not confuse with Purchase Debit Note, which adjusts supplier payables.
- Approve promptly so outstanding and tax reports include the charge; collect with Payment In for credit-mode notes.
FAQ
How is Sale Debit Note different from Credit Note?
Credit Note reduces what the customer owes (and may update stock). Sale Debit Note increases what the customer owes and never updates stock.
How is it different from Purchase Debit Note?
Purchase Debit Note is in the Purchase module and adjusts supplier balances. Sale Debit Note is in Sales and adjusts customer balances.
What does Reason “Rebate Adjustment” mean?
Use it when you need to reverse or claw back a rebate/discount previously given to the customer (often called rebate reversal in business terms). The UI label is Rebate Adjustment.
Can I add inventory items?
No. Only service items are allowed. Inventory does not move when you approve a sale debit note. Support for goods lines may come in a later release.
Is a sale invoice required?
No. Linking a sale invoice is optional but recommended for audit trail.
How do I collect payment?
On an approved Credit-mode sale debit note, use Payment In to create a Receipt Voucher. Cash, Bank, or Digital Wallet notes may close on approve when paid immediately.
Does it appear in tax and outstanding reports?
Yes. Sale debit notes are included in relevant sale tax reports (for example as debit notes in GSTR-style flows), customer statement, and open sale debit notes on customer outstanding views.
Can I create a sale debit note from the Sale Invoice screen?
Not as a one-click action today. Create from Sales → Sale Debit Note → New and optionally select the sale invoice on the form.