How to Track Purchase Returns
What you're doing here
Once you've sent goods back, this is where you keep an eye on them: which returns are still in progress, which are done, why each was raised, and whether a supplier credit was raised for it. When you need to answer "did we ever get credited for those damaged units?", the answer is here.
We'll keep following the running example: 20 damaged units returned out of 480 received.
Find your returns
- Go to Purchase in the sidebar
- Click Purchase Return
- The list of your returns appears, newest first
Each row shows the return at a glance — its number, the date, the supplier, how many units went back, the reason, its current stage, and the value of the credit it raised.
Filter and search the list
When you have a lot of returns, narrow the list down:
- Search by return number or supplier to jump straight to one
- Filter by supplier to see everything you've sent back to one company
- Filter by reason to see, say, every return marked Damaged — useful for spotting a supplier whose deliveries keep arriving broken
- Filter by stage to separate what's still in progress from what's done
- Filter by date to focus on a period
What each stage means
| Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Still being built — nothing has gone to the supplier yet |
| Awaiting approval | Waiting for someone to sign it off before the goods leave |
| Confirmed | Agreed and on its way back — your stock has been reduced |
| Completed | Goods are back with the supplier, and the supplier credit is in place if a debit note was raised |
| Rejected | Turned down at approval |
| Cancelled | Cancelled — even a processed return can be. Its stock and accounts are reversed, and the record stays, read-only |
Open a return to see the full story
Click any return to open it. Inside, you'll find everything about it in one place:
- Which goods went back, and how many of each
- The reason you set, plus any notes
- The receipt it was returned against, so you can trace it back to what you originally received and ordered
- Attachments — the photos or emails you added as evidence
- The supplier credit, if you ticked Enable auto debit note, and a link to the debit note
For our example, opening the return shows the 20 damaged units, the Damaged reason, the receipt they came in on, and the credit sitting on the supplier's account.
Check the credit reached the supplier's account
The point of a return is that the supplier ends up owing you for the goods you sent back. To confirm that landed:
- Open the return and find its supplier credit (a return only has one if you ticked Enable auto debit note; otherwise raise it from Debit Notes)
- Follow the link to the debit note it created
- Check the value matches what you expected for the returned goods
When you next settle up with that supplier, this credit comes off what you owe them. If the numbers don't match, open the return and check the quantities that went back.
Common tasks
See everything you've returned to one supplier
- Filter the list by that supplier
- You'll see every return, its reason, and the credit each one raised
Spot a supplier with recurring problems
- Filter by reason — for example, Damaged
- If one supplier keeps appearing, that's a conversation to have with them
Trace a return back to the original order
- Open the return
- Follow it back to the goods receipt, and from there to the purchase order
Cancel a processed return
If a return was recorded by mistake, or the goods never actually went back, you can Cancel it — even after it has been processed. Cancelling undoes what the return did:
- The stock goes back to where it was before the return. The pieces the return took out of your store are put back.
- The money side is reversed too, by a new entry dated the day you cancel. The history is not erased.
- The return stays on record. It keeps its number, shows a red Cancelled label, and opens read-only. Nothing is deleted.
How to cancel
- Open the Purchase Return list.
- Open the actions menu on the return's row — or the actions of the return once you have opened it — and choose Cancel. You only see it if you can edit Purchase Returns, and not on a return that is already cancelled.
- A box titled Cancel Purchase Return asks you to confirm. It says: "This reverses the stock and accounting this return posted and cannot be undone. The record and its number are kept and shown as Cancelled."
- Click Cancel Purchase Return to go ahead, or Keep it to leave the return as it is.
You see a success message, and the return now shows Cancelled. Opening it shows a note, "This return is cancelled ... It is read-only."
When Cancel is refused. You see the reason on screen. The common ones: the return has a live debit note (void the debit note first, then cancel the return — otherwise the supplier would stay debited for goods the books no longer show as returned), the return's own date is in a closed accounting period — the message reads "This accounting period is closed. The books are locked through [date]; documents dated on or before that date cannot be created, edited, or deleted. Ask an administrator to move the closing date if you need to post into this period." The reversal itself is dated today (see Accounting period lock), or it is already cancelled.
Finding cancelled returns. The list shows live returns by default. Open the filters and set Status to Cancelled to see only cancelled returns, or All to see both. A label such as "Status: Cancelled" appears above the list while the filter is on; clear it to go back to Active.
Confirm a return is finished
- Open it and check the stage is Completed
- Confirm the goods are marked as dispatched back and, if you raised a debit note, that the supplier credit is in place
Troubleshooting
I can't find a return I know I raised
Solution: Check your filters first — a stage or supplier filter may be hiding it. Clear the filters and search by the return number or the supplier name.
A return still shows as in progress
Solution: It's probably waiting on approval, or the goods haven't been marked as dispatched back yet. Open it to see which step is outstanding.
The credit value looks wrong
Solution: Open the return and check the quantities and rates on its lines. If a debit note was raised with it, open the debit note and compare.
Related guides
- Raise a Purchase Return — send goods back to a supplier
- Debit Note — the supplier credit a return can raise, or you raise separately
- Goods Receipt — the received goods a return starts from
- Purchase Order — the original order behind the goods
Best practices
Tips for staying on top of returns
Filter by reason now and then — a supplier that keeps showing up under Damaged is telling you something
Chase returns stuck in Awaiting approval so goods aren't sitting in limbo and credits aren't delayed
Always check the credit landed on the supplier's account before you settle their next bill
Keep the evidence on the return itself, so anyone can answer a supplier's query without hunting through email
Need help? Contact support at support@bizconnekt.com