Tax invoices, credit notes and debit notes
How invoices, credit notes and debit notes work together, how they are numbered, and what open, fully credited and void mean.
An invoice is a fixed record: once issued, its number, lines and amounts never change. You correct it with a credit note (less to pay) and add to it with a debit note (more to pay). Together they tell the true amount of the sale, and your books and your VAT return stay clean.
The three documents
| Document | When you use it | On the booking's Payments tab |
|---|---|---|
| Tax invoice or Simplified tax invoice | The sale itself, issued from the booking. | Positive amount, with Credit note and Debit note buttons. |
| Credit note | Something was charged too much, not provided, or cancelled. | Negative amount, for the invoice number. |
| Debit note | An extra charge after the invoice, such as an extra night. | Positive amount, for the invoice number. |
Every note belongs to one invoice and keeps that invoice's kind (standard or simplified) and its seller and buyer.
An example
Al Noor Company books two seats on an Umrah package at SAR 4,600 and gets invoice INV-RUH-2026-00120.
- One traveller cancels. You issue a credit note by Chosen lines for one seat: SAR 2,300. The invoice row now shows 2,300.00 SAR open.
- The other traveller adds a night in Madinah. You issue a debit note of SAR 450. The open amount becomes SAR 2,750.
- If the whole trip had been cancelled, a credit note for everything left makes the invoice fully credited.
The invoice INV-RUH-2026-00120 itself still shows SAR 4,600 in every reprint.
What "open" means
The open amount of an invoice is its total, plus its debit notes, minus its credit notes. While anything is open:
- you can issue credit notes up to that amount, and debit notes of any amount;
- the booking cannot get a second invoice: This booking already has an invoice. Issue a credit note first to change it.
When credit notes cover everything, the row shows fully credited and Issue invoice is available again, for example to invoice the booking with corrected details.
Numbering
- Each kind has its own series, for example
INV-2026-00042,CN-2026-00007andDN-2026-00003. Numbers are given in order at the moment of issue, so there are no gaps and no duplicates. - Branches in Saudi Arabia, and branches set to number their own documents, put the branch code in the number, for
example
INV-RUH-2026-00001. - The format is set in Settings → Numbering. Invoice series are locked: their next number can only go up (Invoice numbers can only move forward).
Void documents
Invoices, credit notes and debit notes are never voided or deleted from any screen, and there is no void button. Tax law and ZATCA require every document to stay in the sequence (and, in Saudi Arabia, in the hash chain). To correct a document, issue a credit note or a debit note.
"Void" is a state only the system sets: when support corrects data, or for imported records. A void document prints This document is void. It is left out of open amounts, the accounting export and the VAT report, and no note can be issued against it (This invoice is void).
Invoices and money
Invoices and payments are separate. Issuing an invoice does not record a payment, and a credit note does not give money back. Record payments and refunds on the booking as usual.
Tip
Every invoice keeps a copy of the seller and buyer details as they were when it was issued. You can correct a customer's details for future invoices without touching the ones already issued.
Related articles
- Issue an invoiceIssue the tax invoice of a booking from its Payments tab, then print it or save it as a PDF for the customer.
- Issue a credit note or a debit noteCorrect an issued invoice with a credit note (by amount or by chosen lines) or add an extra charge with a debit note.
- Invoices: common questionsAnswers about changing or deleting an invoice, wrong customer details, invoicing before payment, printing, currencies and the Rounding line.
- Invoice and e-invoice statusesEvery invoice kind, invoice type, invoice state, ZATCA e-invoice status and e-invoicing device status, with what each means.