What is Customer Credit?
Customer credit works like a “credit account” for your customers. When a customer has credit, it means:- From a business perspective: The customer has prepaid credit that they can use
- From an accounting perspective: You owe the customer money (negative accounts receivable balance)
How Does Customer Credit Arise?
Customer credit can arise in various ways:1. Overpayment
If a customer overpays an invoice, the overpaid amount is automatically credited as credit.3. Credit for Future Invoices
If you create a credit note and choose the action “Credit for future invoices”, the amount is added to the customer credit.Automatic Application to Invoices
When an invoice is finalized, the system automatically checks whether the customer has credit. If so, the credit is automatically applied to the invoice:The credit is only applied up to the invoice amount. If a customer has EUR 50 credit but the invoice is only EUR 30, only EUR 30 will be used. The remaining EUR 20 stays as credit.
Credit on Invoice Cancellation
When an invoice is canceled to which credit has already been applied, the following happens:- Credit is reversed: The used credit is credited back to the customer
- Complete reversal: The original credit transaction is offset by a reversal
- Traceability: All transactions remain in the system and are traceable (GoBD-compliant)
Credit on Credit Notes
When you create a credit note for an already paid invoice, the credit is not automatically reversed. Instead, it depends on the chosen action:| Action | Credit Impact |
|---|---|
| Refund | No impact on credit. The credit note is treated as a new liability and settled via payout. |
| Adjust Amount | No impact on credit. The credit note only offsets the accounts receivable balance. |
| Credit for Future Invoices | The credit note amount is added to the customer credit. |
Credit notes are separate documents and not corrections of the original invoice. Therefore, the originally used credit is not reversed.
Credit Transactions
Every movement of customer credit is documented as a separate transaction. This ensures:- Complete traceability: Every change is documented
- GoBD compliance: All transactions are immutable and traceable
- Transparency: Customers can view their credit history
Transaction Types
| Type | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Manual Credit | Credit was added manually | Positive |
| Applied to Invoice | Credit was used for an invoice | Negative |
| Invoice Canceled | Reversal on invoice cancellation | Positive |
| Overpayment | Customer overpaid invoice | Positive |
| Credit Note Granted | Credit note was granted as credit | Positive |
View Credit
You can view a customer’s current credit in the customer overview. There you can see:- The current credit balance
- The transaction history
- Linked invoices and credit notes
Credit is maintained separately per currency. A customer can therefore have, for example, EUR 50 in EUR and $30 in USD as credit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a customer have negative credit?
No. The system prevents credit from becoming negative. When credit is applied to an invoice, only as much is used as is available.What happens when an invoice with credit is canceled?
The used credit is automatically reversed. The customer gets their credit back.Can I manually remove credit?
Yes, you can manually adjust credit. However, this should only be done in exceptional cases and is documented in the activity log.How does credit differ from accounts receivable balance?
- Accounts receivable balance: Shows the total receivables position (invoices minus payments minus credit notes)
- Customer credit: Shows only the available credit that can be applied to future invoices