A credit note may be a necessary part of the invoicing process for many reasons. Here are some examples of when one might issue credit notes:

• A damaged shipment: If a shipment arrives with partially damaged goods, then a credit note may be issued for the damaged materials, whereas the client is still expected to pay full price for the undamaged goods. 

• A customer was overcharged:Automated invoicing has taken over much of the accounting industry which reduces many of the human errors that used to creep into the system routinely. That said, there are still situations when customers may get overcharged as a result of some type of accounting inaccuracy. A credit note may be applied to remedy this issue with either a refund or chargeback.

• A shipment arrived late and reimbursement was agreed to: If part of an agreement hinges on goods or services being delivered on a specific date, then a credit note may be applied if that date was missed as a form of reconciliation between the merchant and the customer.

• A customer changes their mind about services: When an invoice is issued for multiple products or services at once, the customer may change their mind about one or two of those items, but still require the rest. In those instances, a credit note can be added to the invoice instead of creating a brand new one.