UBL CreditNote

UBL CreditNote is the OASIS UBL credit-note document, the equivalent of UBL Invoice for credit notes.

Definition

A credit note is a document that reduces or cancels the amount payable on a previously issued invoice. In UBL syntax it takes the form of a document whose root element is <CreditNote>, distinct from <Invoice>.

Its structure is very close to the UBL Invoice: the same parties, lines, amounts and VAT information.

How it works

In the EN 16931 model a credit note reuses the same business terms (BT/BG) as an invoice. The document type is carried by InvoiceTypeCode or, for a CreditNote, by CreditNoteTypeCode (code 381 in the UNTDID 1001 list, denoting a commercial credit note).

• The CreditNote usually references the original invoice through BillingReference.
• Some profiles, such as PEPPOL BIS Billing, handle both Invoice and CreditNote within the same process.

Good to know

Depending on practices and countries, a correction may be issued either as a dedicated CreditNote document or as an invoice carrying negative amounts. UBL syntax clearly separates the two documents, though not every ecosystem uses that distinction in the same way.