Credit Notes & Refunds
Issue credit notes for voids, partial refunds, insurance adjustments, and error corrections
Overview
Credit notes in SehaFile handle the complex scenarios of reversing or adjusting insured invoices. Unlike simple voids for cash-pay patients, insured invoices may have already been claimed, submitted, or paid by the insurance company. The credit note system handles insurance refund amounts separately from patient refund amounts and reverses the patient's insurance_used_amount to restore their annual ceiling.
When to Use Credit Notes vs. Simple Void
SehaFile provides a Smart Void feature that automatically determines the correct action:
- No Insurance - Standard void (invoice status set to "void")
- Pending Claim - Void with automatic insurance_used_amount reversal
- Draft Claim Attached - Removes invoice from claim, reduces claim total, voids invoice
- Submitted/Approved/Paid - Cannot void directly. Must use a credit note.
Creating a Credit Note
- Navigate to the Invoice: Go to Financial > Invoices and open the invoice you need to credit.
- Click Create Credit Note: Click the Credit Note (إشعار دائن) button on the invoice detail page.
- Select Credit Type: Choose from:
- full_void - Complete reversal of the entire invoice
- partial_refund - Partial amount returned to patient
- insurance_adjustment - Adjustment due to insurance recalculation
- error_correction - Billing error correction
- Enter Amounts:
- Amount - Total credit note amount (defaults to invoice total)
- Insurance Refund Amount - Portion attributed to insurance (defaults to invoice's insurance_amount)
- Patient Refund Amount - Portion to be returned to patient (auto-calculated as amount minus insurance_refund_amount)
- Enter Reason: Provide a clear Reason for the credit note (required for audit trail).
- Create: Click Create Credit Note. A unique credit number (format: CN-YYMM-#) is generated and status is set to "pending".
Processing a Credit Note
- Navigate to Credit Notes: Go to Financial > Credit Notes.
- Open the Pending Note: Click on a credit note with status "pending".
- Click Process Refund: Click the Process button to finalize the credit note.
- System Actions: Processing:
- Reverses the patient's insurance_used_amount by the insurance_refund_amount
- Updates the credit note status to "processed"
- Records who processed it and when
Tip: For simple non-insured invoices, use the Void button instead of credit notes. Credit notes are specifically designed for invoices with insurance involvement.
Warning: Credit notes cannot be processed twice. If a credit note is already in "processed" status, attempting to process it again will return an error.
Credit note creation form showing type selection, amount breakdown between insurance and patient portions, and reason field
Frequently Asked Questions
Does voiding an insured invoice affect the insurance claim?
If the claim is still in "draft" status, the invoice is removed from the claim and the claim total is reduced. If the claim has already been submitted, you must issue a credit note instead.
Is the patient refunded automatically?
No. The credit note records the refund obligation. The actual refund to the patient must be processed separately through the payment system or manually at the counter.
Can I filter credit notes by type?
Yes. The credit notes list supports filtering by status (pending/processed), patient_id, and type (full_void, partial_refund, insurance_adjustment, error_correction).
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