How to Raise a Purchase Return
What you're doing here
Raising a purchase return is telling Bizconnekt "these goods are going back to the supplier." You start from what you actually received, pick the items and quantities you're returning, say why, and send it. Bizconnekt then takes those goods out of your stock and, if you ask it to, sets up a supplier credit for their value.
We'll follow one running example throughout: a supplier delivered 480 units, 20 of them are damaged, and you're sending those 20 back.
Before you start
- The goods you're returning were received in Bizconnekt — there's a goods receipt for them
- You know which items are going back and how many
- You know the reason for the return
- Your role allows you to create purchase returns
Step-by-step
Step 1: Open the new return form
- Go to Purchase in the sidebar
- Click Purchase Return
- Click the add button to start a new return
Step 2: Choose the goods you're sending back
A return is always made against goods you've already received, so this is where you tell Bizconnekt which receipt you're returning from.
- Pick the supplier you're returning to
- Choose the goods receipt the items came in on
- Bizconnekt fills in the items that were received, so you're working from real quantities — not typing them in by hand
In our example, you'd choose the receipt where all 480 units came in. You'll now see those 480 units, ready for you to pick what goes back.
Return against the document the goods came in on. If the goods were received on a goods receipt, return against that receipt, not the bill. The bill is offered only when the bill itself received the goods, with no receipt.
If you pick the wrong one, a notice appears with a button such as "Return against GRN-12 instead". Click it and the return switches to the right document. You do not have to start again.
Step 3: Pick the items and quantities to return
For each item, set how many are going back.
- Enter the return quantity for the item — in our example, 20 out of the 480 received
- Leave the items you're keeping untouched, or set their return quantity to zero
- You can never return more than was received — Bizconnekt won't let the return quantity go above what came in, and returns you have already made count against that amount
If your goods are tracked by batch or serial number, pick the exact ones going back so the right units leave your stock.
Step 4: Say why the goods are going back
Choose a return reason. This is the single most useful thing you'll record — it's what a report, or the supplier, will look at first.
For our example, you'd choose Damaged. Other common reasons are wrong item, excess quantity, defective, expired and quality issue. If none fits, choose Other and explain it in the notes.
Step 5: Add references and notes (optional)
These make the return easier to trace later:
- A reference number of your own, if you file returns by your own numbering
- The supplier's return reference, if they've given you one (an RMA number, for instance)
- A note explaining anything the reason code doesn't capture — "cracked corners, photos sent to supplier by email"
Step 6: Attach evidence (optional)
If you have photos of the damage, an email trail, or the supplier's return authorisation, attach them. When a supplier queries a return weeks later, having the evidence sitting on the return itself saves a lot of back-and-forth.
Step 7: Check the summary
Before you send it, look over the totals on the return:
- The quantity going back matches what you intended — 20 units, in our example
- The value of the return looks right
- The reason and any notes are clear
Step 8: Decide whether to raise the debit note now
Under the Reason field, above the items table, you will see a tick box, Enable auto debit note. It is unticked by default. Hover the small information icon beside it for a reminder of what it does.
- Tick it and the debit note is created and posted in the same save as the return. It is left unapplied, so you apply it to the supplier's bills later from Debit Notes.
- Leave it unticked and the return only moves stock. No debit note is raised, and you raise one yourself from Debit Notes when you are ready.
When to tick it. Tick it when the credit is settled — you know the supplier owes you the full value of what goes back, and you want it done in one step.
When to leave it unticked. Leave it unticked when the amount is not agreed yet — for example the supplier has not confirmed the credit, or your accounts team raises debit notes themselves.
If you return goods against a goods receipt, a second field, Against Bill, appears once you tick the box. Choose the bill the debit note goes against; it is required. If there is only one suitable bill it is chosen for you.
One debit note per bill. If that bill already has a debit note, no second one is made. The return still saves, and a message tells you which existing debit note to update instead. Open it from Debit Notes and add the new amount there.
The box can be greyed out, with a sentence beneath it saying why:
| What you see under the box | What it means |
|---|---|
| "You do not have permission to create debit notes, so the note will not be created with this return." | Your role cannot create debit notes. Ask someone who can raise it from Debit Notes. |
| "This goods receipt note has no purchase order, so its bill cannot be found. Raise the debit note from Debit Notes." | There is no bill to debit against yet. |
| "The bills for this return could not be loaded, so the debit note cannot be created with it. Raise it from Debit Notes." | The list of bills could not be read. Raise the debit note from Debit Notes. |
| "No bill has been raised for this goods receipt note's goods yet, so the debit note cannot be created with this return. Raise it from Debit Notes once the bill exists." | Record the bill first, then raise the debit note. |
If saving is refused after you ticked the box, the message tells you to untick Enable auto debit note and raise the debit note from Debit Notes. Do that, and the return itself saves as usual.
Step 9: Send the return
Save and confirm the return. Depending on how your business is set up, one of two things happens:
- If approval is required, the return waits in Awaiting approval until someone signs it off.
- If it isn't, the return is confirmed straight away.
Once confirmed, you can mark the goods as dispatched back when they physically leave you. At that point your stock drops by the returned quantity. If you ticked Enable auto debit note, a supplier credit — a debit note — was raised with the return, and its number is shown on it ("Created with this return: ..."). To change quantities or rates afterwards, void the debit note first. If you left the box unticked, raise the debit note yourself from Debit Notes.
If the return was a mistake, you can cancel it even after it was processed — see Cancel a processed return.
Field definitions
| Field | What it means | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier | The supplier the goods are going back to | |
| Goods receipt | The record of what you received — the return is made against this | |
| Return date | The date you're raising the return | |
| Item | The received goods you're sending back | |
| Return quantity | How many of that item go back — never more than you received | |
| Return reason | Why the goods are going back (damaged, wrong item, excess, and so on) | |
| Batch / serial numbers | The exact units going back, if your goods are tracked this way | If tracked |
| Enable auto debit note | Tick to raise the debit note in the same save as the return. Unticked by default; leave it unticked to raise the note yourself later | Optional |
| Against Bill | Shown when you return against a goods receipt and tick the box above — the bill the debit note goes against | When shown |
| Reference number | Your own reference for the return | Optional |
| Supplier return reference | The supplier's reference, such as an RMA number | Optional |
| Notes | Anything the reason code doesn't capture | Optional |
| Attachments | Photos, emails or the supplier's return authorisation | Optional |
Common issues & solutions
The goods I want to return aren't showing
Solution: A return works only from goods you've received. If they're not there, the receipt hasn't been recorded yet — record the goods receipt first, then come back and raise the return against it. Also check you've picked the right supplier and the right receipt.
It won't let me return the quantity I've entered
Solution: You can't send back more than was received. If you received 480 and try to return 500, Bizconnekt will stop you. Check the number you received, and make sure earlier returns against the same receipt haven't already sent some of these units back.
I can't send the return — it's stuck waiting
Solution: Your business likely requires approval before goods leave. The return sits in Awaiting approval until someone signs it off. Ask your approver, or check whether your own role is allowed to approve it.
There is no supplier credit
Solution: A debit note is raised with the return only if you ticked Enable auto debit note. If you left it unticked, raise the debit note yourself from Debit Notes.
I picked the wrong reason
Solution: While the return is still in draft, open it and change the reason. Once it's confirmed and the goods have gone, raise the correction with support rather than editing a completed return.
Related guides
- Track Purchase Returns — follow your returns and their credits
- Goods Receipt — the received goods a return starts from
- Debit Note — the supplier credit a return sets up
- Suppliers — the supplier you're returning to
Best practices
Tips for clean returns
Raise the return as soon as you spot the problem, while the delivery and the evidence are fresh
Always set the most specific reason — "damaged" or "wrong item" tells a far better story than "other"
Attach photos of damaged goods at the time; they settle supplier queries weeks later without argument
Need help? Contact support at support@bizconnekt.com