Purchase and Sales Returns

Returns let you send received stock back to a supplier or receive shipped stock back from a customer. Both workflows validate against the original order, update inventory immediately, and leave return activity tied to the source transaction.

This page owns the detailed return procedures. For broader order context, see Purchasing and Shipping Orders.

Purchase Order Returns

Use PO Returns when received stock must be removed from inventory and credited back to the supplier.

Before You Start (PO)

• The PO must be editable. Archived orders may need Re-Open before the Returns option is usable.
• The screen enforces return-related security and also checks whether you can maintain PO lines.
• Supplier users cannot apply PO returns.
• The Returns grid only shows stock that still matches the received lot and location. If stock was moved or otherwise changed after receipt, that line may not be available here.

Return Items on a PO

1. Open the purchase order and go to Line Items.
2. Click Returns.
3. Review the grid by line, item, location, lot or serial, received quantity, and Actual Units.
4. Enter the quantity you want to keep in Actual Units.
5. Leave Actual Units at the remaining quantity for a partial return, or set it to 0 to return the full received quantity.
6. Adjust the unit of measure only if the return must be processed in a different valid unit.
7. Click Apply and confirm.

Important: on this screen, Actual Units is not the quantity being returned. It is the quantity that stays on the PO line after the return. The system returns the difference between the received quantity and Actual Units.

PO Return Notes

• Partial returns are supported. Keep the quantity that should remain on the line in Actual Units.
• If no lines appear, verify the stock has not already been moved, adjusted, or otherwise consumed since receipt.
• If the return cannot be completed from this screen because the original stock state no longer matches, use the appropriate manual inventory correction process from Issuing.

Shipping Order Returns

Use SO Returns when material comes back from a customer and the order needs both inventory and credit handling updated.

Before You Start (SO)

• The Returns button is available only when the shipping order is in Started or Completed status.
• The screen requires SO return access and normal SO line maintenance access.
• Returned stock must be assigned to a return location before the return is applied.

Return Items on an SO

1. Open the shipping order and go to Line Items.
2. Click Returns.
3. Review the shipped lines, return location, lot or serial details, shipped quantity, Actual Units, and unit price.
4. Choose the Return Location for any quantity coming back into stock.
5. Enter the quantity the customer keeps in Actual Units.
6. Change Unit Price only when the customer credit amount must differ from the original shipped price.
7. Click Apply.

Important: on this screen, Actual Units is also the retained quantity, not the return quantity. The system returns the difference between shipped quantity and Actual Units.

SO Return Notes

• Partial returns are supported by leaving the kept quantity in Actual Units.
• To process a full physical return, set Actual Units to 0.
• For a price-only correction with no stock coming back, leave Actual Units unchanged and update Unit Price.
• The default return location is normally the original pick location when one is still available.

Credit Memo

After a return is applied, the shipping order can expose a Credit Memo button on the order header. Use that action to generate the customer credit from the order that owns the return.

Inventory Effect and Audit Trail

Both return types support partial quantities and preserve lot or serial context from the original transaction.

For related stock movement behavior, see Issuing and Receiving.

Related Topics

• Purchasing
• Shipping Orders
• Issuing
• Receiving