Credit notes that point back to the right invoice

01What is inside the credit note template

1. 1Original invoice. The number and date of the invoice this credit corrects, in a highlighted box.
2. 2Reason. A short title and one or two sentences on why money is credited.
3. 3Credited items. Quantity, unit price, VAT rate and the amount credited on every line.
4. 4VAT by rate. Net and VAT credited for each rate, next to the totals.
5. 5Total credited. A dark bar with the amount the customer gets back.
6. 6Settlement. A refund to an account, or an offset against the next invoice.

02What this credit note template is for

An invoice, once sent, should stay as it is. If the customer returns goods, was overcharged or cancels part of an order, you issue a credit note instead. It lowers what they owe by a clear amount.

This template prints the original invoice number and date in a highlighted box. Below it, a short reason explains the credit. Each credited item shows the quantity, the unit price, the VAT rate and the amount credited.

The last block says how the credit is settled. Choose a refund to the customer, or an offset against their next invoice.

What a good credit note includes

• The title "Credit note" and its own number, apart from your invoice numbers.
• The number and date of the invoice it corrects.
• The reason for the credit, in a sentence or two.
• Each credited item, with quantity, price and tax rate.
• The tax credited for each rate, and the total credited.
• Whether you refund the money or deduct it from a later invoice.
• Your tax number, and the customer’s where the invoice showed it.

03The fields it fills

Each field fills one part of your credit note. Send new details and the credit note keeps its design. Leave out an optional field and its line simply disappears.

04Make it automatically

Use the template in the dashboard once, then let your systems fill it. Every way below uses the same template, so a change to the design shows up everywhere.

One request from your app

Copy the template id from the editor and save it with your data in request.json. Then send the file. The reply is the finished PDF.

curl https://api.castpdf.com/v1/pdf \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CASTPDF_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @request.json \
  --output credit-note.pdf

import { readFile, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';

const res = await fetch('https://api.castpdf.com/v1/pdf', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.CASTPDF_API_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: await readFile('request.json', 'utf8'),
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error((await res.json()).error.message);
await writeFile('credit-note.pdf', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));

import json, os
import requests

with open("request.json") as f:
    body = json.load(f)

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.castpdf.com/v1/pdf",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['CASTPDF_API_KEY']}"},
    json=body,
    timeout=60,
)
res.raise_for_status()
with open("credit-note.pdf", "wb") as f:
    f.write(res.content)

{
  "template_id": "YOUR_TEMPLATE_ID",
  "data": {
    "currency": "GBP",
    "locale": "en-GB",
    "seller": {
      "name": "Copperline Office Supplies Ltd",
      "initials": "CO",
      "address": "48 Wharf Approach\nLeeds LS1 4BR\nUnited Kingdom",
      "email": "[email protected]",
      "tax_id": "GB 771 2093 58"
    },
    "customer": {
      "name": "Marlow & Pike Architects LLP",
      "address": "9 Lantern Yard\nYork YO1 7HT\nUnited Kingdom",
      "tax_id": "GB 645 3378 10"
    },
    "credit_note": {
      "number": "CN-2026-0031",
      "issued": "2026-10-08",
      "invoice_number": "INV-2026-1184",
      "invoice_date": "2026-09-22",
      "reason": "Returned goods and a price correction",
      "reason_detail": "Two chairs arrived damaged and we collected them on 2 October, together with the unopened monitor arms and books. The desk lamps were billed at list price instead of your contract price."
    },
    "settlement": {
      "method": "refund",
      "account": "the bank account ending 2210",
      "date": "2026-10-15",
      "note": "Keep this credit note with the original invoice for your records. Questions? Reply to [email protected]."
    },
    "items": [
      {
        "description": "Ergonomic task chair, graphite",
        "detail": "Returned damaged, collected 2 October",
        "quantity": 2,
        "unit_price": 289,
        "vat_rate": 20
      },
      {
        "description": "Desk lamp, price correction",
        "detail": "Billed at £64.00 each, contract price £52.00",
        "quantity": 12,
        "unit_price": 12,
        "vat_rate": 20
      },
      {
        "description": "Monitor arm, single screen",
        "detail": "Returned unopened",
        "quantity": 3,
        "unit_price": 74.5,
        "vat_rate": 20
      },
      {
        "description": "Architecture reference books",
        "detail": "Returned unopened, zero-rated",
        "quantity": 2,
        "unit_price": 42,
        "vat_rate": 0
      },
      {
        "description": "A1 plan paper rolls, short delivery",
        "detail": "Invoiced 10 rolls, 6 delivered",
        "quantity": 4,
        "unit_price": 16.8,
        "vat_rate": 20
      },
      {
        "description": "Delivery charge on the returned items",
        "quantity": 1,
        "unit_price": 18,
        "vat_rate": 20
      }
    ]
  }
}

New to the API? The quickstart gets you from a free key to your first PDF in about five minutes.

05Make one without code

1. Sign up free. You do not need a card. "Use this template" opens the editor with this template ready.
2. Open the credit note template. Put your own details into the credit note’s sample data, and change the words and colours.
3. Check the preview. It updates as you type and is free. Every page carries a small “Preview” label.
4. Generate the PDF. Verify your email and press Generate PDF for a clean copy. It counts as one PDF on your plan.

06Make it yours

• Set settlement.method to offset and the offset wording replaces the refund line.
• Use the detail under each item to say what happened, such as short delivery.
• Cancelling a whole invoice? Copy every line of the original.
• Keep each VAT rate exactly as it was on the original invoice.
• Every save is a new version, and your last 50 versions are kept.

Refund or offset, chosen per credit note

Customers want to know when the money arrives. The settlement block answers that in one line, with the amount and the date.

With refund, it names the account the money goes to. With offset, it says the amount comes off the next invoice. A note underneath can carry anything else, such as a contact address.

07Questions about credit note templates

08More templates

• Billing · A4, portrait

  Invoice

  Get paid faster: discounts, VAT per line and totals worked out for you.
• Billing · 80 × 170 mm

  Receipt

  Send customers a receipt with items, VAT and a paid stamp.
• Billing · A4, portrait

  Proforma invoice

  Ask for payment up front, before the goods leave.