How do I map a credit note?
What you require when mapping a credit note will depend on your accounting software.
Usually for a credit note to be accepted by your accounting software, the requirement is that the total amount is a negative figure. Therefore the type of map you will need to use depends on how the totals are presented on the credit note.
Some software might require something different, so it is best to export an example of each and see which one your system requires (which is discussed further on in this article).
The below image shows you examples of different types of maps available when you search for a map. You need to know which type you require by looking at your figures in your credit note.
See what type of bill a map was created for
What type of map should I use?
We have 2 basic 'document type' maps
- Invoice - Service or Line Item (Service or LineItems)
- Credit Note - Service or Line Item (ServiceCrNote or LineItemsCrNote)
1) Invoice Type
You would normally use an Invoice type when your credit note already has a negative figure. For example if your credit note total looks like one of the following:
- TOTAL: -$300.00
- TOTAL: $300.00 CR
- TOTAL: ($300.00)

Our system recognises ( ) and CR as a negative
As an invoice type map will extract it the negative it sees already presented, you will have the required negative in the extracted details.
2) Credit Note Type
If you have a Credit Note that has the figure without any negative indicators or brackets, for example:
then you need to use a 'Credit Note' type map. This map type will flip the figure from a positive to a negative, meaning the total will now have the required negative in the extracted details.
What if my accounting software requires something different?
For some accountancy software the above scenarios don't count, as they recognise a 'Credit Note' document type as a credit note and it does not want the negative on it. Or it may want a 'Credit Note' type map and the negative on the total.
So as mentioned before the best way is to do a credit note test by exporting 3 examples:
As this is just a test you can simply manually enter them and adjust the document type and negatives manually, this saves you looking for the perfect type of map.
If you do the above test and find that your system is the customised type, you may still come across another scenario where you may need to use a 'Credit Note' type map on a credit note that does have negative on it (because suppliers can send credit notes with & without negatives).
You will see that when you apply the credit note type map where the total amount is a negative, it will still flip it - so it will go from negative to positive. This means that after we apply the the credit note type map it removes the negatives and the totals will have red !!!! on them. Depending on what your system requires you will need to either:
- add the negatives back on the line amount so the totals will have negatives on them
OR - you'll need to simply remove the red!!! by clicking on the !!!, then click Update, then save.