Each WooCommerce refund produces a credit note: the structure of the original invoice, with debit and credit reversed, on the same accounts.
| Account | Side | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Credit | Total refunded |
| Sales | Debit | Amount refunded excluding tax, on the category account of each line |
| Shipping | Debit | Shipping refunded |
| Additional fees | Debit (or credit) | Fees refunded |
| VAT | Debit | VAT refunded, on the account of each rate (OSS, class or default) |
The credit note is posted to the credit notes journal, dated on the refund and exported in the period of that date, independently of the invoice. A credit note created after the order has been exported comes out in the next export, without issuing the invoice or the payment again.
Amount-only refund
A refund entered without line details (a goodwill gesture of €20.00 including tax, for example) is spread pro rata over the original invoice: sales per account, shipping, fees and VAT per rate. At 20% VAT: €16.67 of sales and €3.33 of VAT. Rounding is absorbed by the largest sales line.
Credit note reference
Format: AV-<refund no.>-<invoice document number>, for example AV-99-1042 or AV-99-FA-2026-00007.
Good to know
- Gateway fees are not reversed on credit notes: a refunded fee, if any, has to be entered manually.
- The refund payout (bank credited) is not generated: the credit note credits the customer account, to be matched with the bank outflow.
- A credit note is only exported if its order’s invoice is: export periods in chronological order.
Mis à jour le 7 octobre 2026
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