Credit Memorandum – Overview, Definition and Example
A credit memo or credit memorandum is a document issued by the seller of goods or services to the buyer, reducing the amount that the buyer owes to the seller under the terms of an earlier invoice. One type of credit memo is issued by a seller in order to reduce the amount that a customer owes from a previously issued sales invoice. The credit memo usually includes details of exactly why the amount stated on the memo has been issued, which can be used later to aggregate information about credit memos to determine why the seller is issuing them.
What is the definition of Credit Memorandum?
A credit memo or credit memorandum is a document issued by the seller of goods or services to the buyer, reducing the amount that the buyer owes to the seller under the terms of an earlier invoice. One type of credit memo is issued by a seller in order to reduce the amount that a customer owes from a previously issued sales invoice. The credit memo usually includes details of exactly why the amount stated on the memo has been issued, which can be used later to aggregate information about credit memos to determine why the seller is issuing them.
Example of a Credit Memo
Assume that Seller Company had issued a sales invoice for $400 for 50 units of product that it shipped to Buyer Company at a price of $4 each. Buyer company informs Seller company that one of the units is defective. Seller company will then issue a credit memo for $4.
The seller should always review its open credit memos at the end of each reporting period to see if they can be linked to open accounts receivable. If this is allowed by the accounting software, it reduces the aggregate dollar amount of invoices outstanding, and can be used to reduce payments to suppliers.
Credit Memos from the Bank
A bank credit memo is an item on a company’s bank account statement that increases a company’s checking account balance. The bank adding interest that was earned for having money on deposit, The bank having collected a note for the company and A refund of a previous bank charge; are the examples of Bank Credit Memo in a Bank Reconciliation.
Since the amount of the bank’s credit memo has already been added to the bank’s balance, the bank reconciliation will not reconcile unless the amount is also included in the company’s general ledger Cash account. To record the bank credit memo the company will debit Cash and credit another account.
Types of Information on a Credit Memo
A credit memo contains several pieces of important information. Most credit memos feature the purchase order (or PO) number, as well as the terms of payment and billing. The shipping address, a list of items, prices, quantities, and the date of purchase are other significant pieces of data found on a credit memo. All of this information helps a seller to keep track of inventory. This document also includes the reason for issuing the credit memo.
How Credit Memorandums are Settled
If a buyer has paid the full amount of the invoice, they have two choices to settle a discrepancy in their favor. One option is to use a credit memorandum toward any future payments they may make to the seller. Also, the buyer can instead ask for a cash payment based on what the seller owes the buyer.
