# Sale Return Order
A Sale Return Order records customer intent to return goods against a sale invoice. Use it to track return quantities, receive goods back via receipt notes, and issue credit notes for refunds or balance adjustments.
Overview & List View
The Sale Return Orders list shows all return orders with customer, date, linked sale invoice, amount, and status. Use quick filters to view Approved, Draft, Cancelled, Received, or Partial Received returns. Return orders are typically created from a Sale Invoice using Return Order — the list may not show a New button. From the list you can open existing return orders, edit drafts, or delete draft return orders.
List View
List row actions
| **Action** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|------------------------------|
| Edit | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Draft, For Revisal |
| View | All statuses |
Quick Start — Create a Sale Return Order
1. Navigate
Open the source Sale Invoice from Sales → Sale Invoice.
2. Create return order
On an Approved or Closed invoice, open the more menu (⋮) and select Return Order. The return order form opens pre-filled with customer and item details from the invoice.
3. Fill in details
- Review the linked Sale invoice reference and return item lines with Qty, Unit, and Rate.
- Select a Return Reason when return reasons are configured (pre-filled from User Settings when a default is set).
- Set Delivery Due Date for expected return receipt.
- Add Notes or Internal Notes if needed.
4. Save
- save — keeps the return order as a Draft.
- Save And Approve — approves the return order in one step.
- Cancel — closes the form without saving.
5. Complete the return
- Use Create Receipt Note to record goods received back into stock.
- Use Create Credit Note once goods are Received or Partial Received to issue the financial credit.
- Alternatively, use Mark As Received on Partial Received orders when all goods are in.
| **Field** | **Description** |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Date * | Date of the return order. |
| Form Type | Sale type that controls numbering, tax rules, and print layout. |
| Bill Number * | Unique return order reference. Auto-generated when numbering is configured. |
| Sale invoice | Source sale invoice for this return. Pre-filled when created from an invoice. |
| Customer * | Customer returning goods. Pre-filled from the invoice. |
| Customer Billing Address | Auto-filled from the customer. Read-only. |
| Shipping Address | Return pickup or delivery address. |
| Contact person | Customer contact. Enabled after a customer is selected. |
| Return Reason | Reason for the return. Shown when return reasons are configured. Pre-filled from the user's default Sale Return Reason in User Settings when set. |
| Employee | Sales employee responsible for this return. |
| Prepared By | Employee who prepared the document. Shown when Show Prepared by field is enabled. |
| Delivery Due Date | Expected date for receiving returned goods. |
| Branch | Branch for the transaction. Shown when multi-branch is enabled. |
| Brand | Brand for brand-wise profit tracking. |
| Billing center * | Billing center for the transaction. |
| Project | Optional project link. |
| Project Task | Task within the selected project. |
| Currency / Currency Exchange Rate | Shown when multi-currency is enabled. |
| Notes | Remarks printed on the return order. |
| Internal Notes | Internal remarks not shown on print. |
> Many optional header and line fields are controlled by Sale Settings.
Item Lines — ITEMS
| **Column** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Sl.No | Line serial number. |
| Item | Item being returned. Required. |
| Item code, Variant, Description, HSN, MRP, Brand | Optional columns enabled in Sale Settings. |
| Qty | Quantity to return. Required. Cannot exceed invoiced quantity. |
| Unit | Unit of measure. Required. |
| Rate | Return rate per unit. Pre-filled from the invoice. |
| Amount, Trade Discount, discounts, Taxable Amount, Taxes, Tax Amount, Total | Calculated based on tax and discount settings. |
Actions & Status
View toolbar actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Approve | Finalizes the return order. | Draft |
| Edit | Opens the return order for editing. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Permanently removes the return order. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Print | Prints the return order. | All |
| Export | Exports the return order to Excel. | All |
More menu (⋮) actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Cancel | Cancels the return order. | Approved, Open, Delivered |
| Create Receipt Note | Opens a Receipt Note to receive returned goods into stock. | Approved, Partial Received |
| Create Credit Note | Opens a Credit Note from received quantities. | Partial Received, Received |
| WorkFlow Request | Starts a company process linked to this return order. Does not approve the return. See WorkFlow Request. | Approved, Closed |
| Add/Update Note | Adds or edits an internal note. | All |
| Master Update | Updates selected header fields. See Master Update. | Approved, Closed, Delivered, Partial Received, Received |
| Mark As Received | Manually marks the return order as fully received. | Partial Received |
| 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. Ready for receipt note and credit note processing. |
| Partial Received | Some returned quantities have been received via receipt notes. |
| Received | All returned quantities have been received. |
| Closed | Return order is closed after processing. |
| Cancelled | Return order has been cancelled. |
Posting note: Sale Return Orders do not post to accounts or inventory by themselves. Stock increases when you approve Receipt Notes. Ledger entries are created when you approve Credit Notes linked to the return.
Master Update
Master Update lets you change selected header fields on an approved or in-progress return order without editing item lines. Open the three-dot menu and select Master Update.
| **Field** | **Can be updated?** | **Notes** |
|-----------|---------------------|-----------|
| Date * | Yes | Cannot be set before the accounts closing date. |
| Employee | Yes | Sales employee in charge. |
| Delivery Due Date | Yes | Expected date for receiving returned goods. |
| Branch | Yes | When multi-branch is enabled. |
| Brand | Yes | When brand-wise tracking is enabled. |
| Project | Yes | |
| Customer, invoice reference, item lines, totals | No | Edit the full return order (Draft / For Revisal) or cancel and recreate. |
Click Confirm to save or Cancel to close without saving.
View Tabs & Side Panels
When you open a sale return order in full view (not in a small modal), the right side shows tabbed panels. Click the expand icon on a tab to open the same data in a larger modal.
Top panel
| **Tab** | **What it shows** |
|---------|-------------------|
| Summary | Linked documents — receipt notes, credit notes, and related follow-up transactions from this return order. See Sale Transaction Summary. |
Middle panel
| **Tab** | **What it shows** |
|---------|-------------------|
| Deliveries | Receipt notes and return receipt progress against this return order. |
Bottom panel (all transactions)
| **Tab** | **What it shows** |
|---------|-------------------|
| History | Activity log — who created, approved, edited, or cancelled the return order and when. |
| Attachments | Files uploaded to this return order. |
Best Practices
- Always create return orders from the original Sale Invoice so quantities and rates match.
- Follow the full workflow — Return Order → Receipt Note → Credit Note — for accurate inventory and financial tracking.
- Use configured Return Reasons to analyze return patterns in reports.
- Receive goods with Create Receipt Note before issuing a credit note when inventory must be updated.
FAQ
Why is there no New button on the return order list?
Return orders are created from an approved or closed sale invoice using Return Order. This ensures every return is linked to the original bill.
Can I create a credit note without a receipt note?
Create Credit Note is available when status is Partial Received or Received. For inventory-tracked items, receive goods first with a receipt note.
What is Mark As Received vs Create Receipt Note?
Create Receipt Note records physical receipt and updates stock. Mark As Received manually completes a Partial Received return when all goods are in without creating another document.
Does a return order post to accounts?
No. The Credit Note posts the ledger adjustment when approved.
Why is Create Credit Note disabled?
All return quantity may already be credited, or status is not Partial Received / Received. Check remaining quantity on the return order view.
Why does credit note not match the receipt note?
Approve validates returned quantity against the receipt note. Align receipt note lines before approving the credit note.
Can I return more than the original invoice quantity?
No. Return order lines are capped by remaining quantity on the linked sale invoice.
Where do I pick the return reason?
Select a reason from Sale Return Reason on the return order header when recording the return. You can set a per-user default in User Settings.