Credit note in Belgium: what it is and when to issue one
A credit note is a document that cancels an invoice you issued, in full or in part. The VAT Code calls it a corrective document and treats it as an invoice. You issue one when the price or the VAT was too high, or when the customer sends something back.
What is a credit note?
A credit note cancels an invoice in full or in part, and under article 53 of the VAT Code (WBTW) any document that amends the original invoice and refers to it specifically and unambiguously counts as an invoice itself. Article 79 of the same code calls that document a corrective document (verbeterend stuk / document rectificatif). The FOD BOSA / SPF BOSA (the federal public service Policy and Support, Belgium’s Peppol Authority) writes in its FAQ on e-invoicing that in practice a corrective document is a credit note.
Kredietnota, the spelling in the FOD BOSA’s FAQ, is the same document, and it means a corrective document that cancels an invoice in full or in part. A credit note moves no money itself: it is the paperwork side of a correction, and any refund is paid separately. The credit note belongs to the invoicing stage, whose articles are under Invoices and Peppol.
When do you issue a credit note instead of paying back?
Under article 77, § 1 of the VAT Code, VAT is given back in seven cases, and for an error on the invoice and in six of those cases the supplier must issue a corrective document. The seven cases are:
- the VAT is higher than what is legally due;
- you grant your customer a price reduction;
- you credit your customer for returned packaging in which the goods were transported;
- the contract is broken before delivery or performance;
- the contract is declared void or dissolved amicably or by a final court decision;
- you take the goods back within six months, with neither party gaining a financial advantage from it;
- your claim for payment of the price is lost in full or in part.
Article 79, § 1 makes the corrective document compulsory for an error on the invoice and in cases 2° to 7°. A refund to your customer is a separate payment: the code only says what happens to the VAT. What you can do before a claim is lost, the seventh case, is in the article on unpaid invoices and payment demands.
What does a credit note state?
A credit note refers to the invoice it corrects, you keep a copy and you enter it in the book of outgoing invoices. Article 12 of KB nr. 1 (Royal Decree no. 1) asks that the corrective document carries a reference to the invoice or document being corrected (§ 3) and that taxable persons make a copy of it (§ 4). Under article 14, § 2 of the same decree, corrective documents go in the book of outgoing invoices.
A credit note states the amounts of the reduction, VAT included. The example below is an illustration we calculated ourselves, not a figure from an official text.
Example: a €1,000 invoice with 21% VAT, reduced by €200
Take a VAT rate of 21% as an illustration. An invoice of €1,000.00 excluding VAT therefore carries €210.00 VAT. If you reduce the price by €200.00, you issue a credit note for that amount and the VAT on it.
| Amount excluding VAT | VAT 21% | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invoice | €1,000.00 | €210.00 | €1,210.00 |
| Credit note | −€200.00 | −€42.00 | −€242.00 |
| What your customer still owes | €800.00 | €168.00 | €968.00 |
How do you correct an invoice with a credit note?
You correct an invoice with a corrective document, in practice a credit note, for the amounts invoiced wrongly. The FOD BOSA says so in its FAQ for an invoice that went to the wrong customer: the VAT is payable, the invoice is in the book of outgoing invoices and its amounts are in the periodic return, and the amounts invoiced wrongly must be the subject of a corrective document.
Making a credit note in your software means creating a document of the credit note type that is linked to the invoice, so that it refers to it, as article 12, § 3 of KB nr. 1 asks. If the original invoice was a structured e-invoice, the format rules in the last part below apply.
What does a credit note do to your VAT return, and until when can you issue one?
The VAT on a credit note you issue goes in box 64 of the periodic return and the amount excluding VAT in box 49, or in box 48 for the transactions of boxes 44 and 46. KB nr. 1 sets no deadline for issuing a corrective document, but under article 82bis of the VAT Code the claim for a refund of the VAT expires at the end of the third calendar year after the year of the cause.
The Intervat help describes those boxes in kader II (kader is Intervat’s word for a frame of the return; boxes 48 and 49), kader III (84 and 85), kader IV (63) and kader V (64).
| Who | What | Box |
|---|---|---|
| You, the issuer | VAT on the credit note you issued | 64 |
| You, the issuer | amount excluding VAT of the credit note you issued | 49 (48 for boxes 44 and 46) |
| Your customer | VAT to be paid back on the credit note received | 63 |
| Your customer | amount of the credit note received | 84 and 85 |
Article 12 of KB nr. 1 sets no date by which you must issue a corrective document. The 15th of the month after the event that gives rise to the VAT is the deadline for the invoice itself (article 4 of KB nr. 1).
Your customer accounts for the VAT they had deducted in the period in which they received the corrective document (article 79).
Must a credit note go through Peppol?
Yes, if it amends a structured e-invoice: it is then itself a structured e-invoice, issued in the same format as the original invoice and so through Peppol, says the FOD BOSA in its FAQ. Article 53, § 2bis of the VAT Code says the same in its third paragraph. The royal decree of 8 July 2025 sets the format (Peppol BIS in UBL) and the network in article 13ter of KB nr. 1, from 1 January 2026, and the report to the King names credit notes explicitly.
Under the Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 specification the credit note has a document type of its own, and a negative invoice is also allowed. What a Peppol invoice is and how you send one is in Peppol invoice, what changed in 2026 in e-invoicing in Belgium and who is bound in Who must use Peppol in Belgium?.
In 2026 the FOD BOSA still allows a credit note on a 2025 invoice as a PDF if your customer accepts it. For a credit note on an earlier PDF invoice, the FOD BOSA says no format requirement applies.
Frequently asked questions
What is a credit note?
A credit note cancels an invoice you issued, in full or in part. Under article 53 of the VAT Code (WBTW), any document that amends an invoice and refers to it specifically and unambiguously counts as an invoice. The code calls it a corrective document. A credit note moves no money: a refund is paid separately.
When do you issue a credit note?
Article 77, § 1 of the VAT Code lists seven cases in which VAT is refunded: too much VAT, a price reduction, returned packaging, a broken contract, a void or dissolved contract, goods returned within six months and a lost claim for payment. For invoice errors and cases 2° to 7°, the supplier must issue a corrective document.
What must a credit note state?
Under KB nr. 1 (Royal Decree no. 1), a credit note refers to the invoice it corrects, you keep a copy of it and you enter it in the book of outgoing invoices. Article 12 asks for the reference and the copy, article 14, § 2 for the book. That decree sets no deadline for issuing a corrective document.
How do you correct an invoice with a credit note?
You correct an invoice with a corrective document, in practice a credit note, for the amounts invoiced wrongly. The FOD BOSA says so in its FAQ about an invoice sent to the wrong customer. The credit note refers to the original invoice and, like that invoice, goes into the book of outgoing invoices.
How do you handle a credit note in your VAT return?
The VAT on a credit note you issue goes in box 64 of the periodic return, and the amount excluding VAT in box 49 (48 for the transactions of boxes 44 and 46). Your customer enters the VAT they had deducted in box 63, in the return for the period in which they received the credit note.
Must a credit note go through Peppol?
Yes, if it amends a structured e-invoice. The FOD BOSA says such a credit note is itself a structured e-invoice, issued in the same format as the original invoice and so through Peppol. In 2026 the FOD BOSA still allows a PDF for a credit note on a 2025 invoice if your customer agrees.
A mistake on an invoice is normal, and there is a document for it. If the credit note is right and refers to the right invoice, the correction is done.
💜💙 Your BravoLisa Team
This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. Every situation is different — consult a qualified professional (tax adviser, accountant, or lawyer) for advice specific to your circumstances. BravoLisa does not accept liability for decisions made based on this information.
Sources (9)
- Justel — Wetboek van de belasting over de toegevoegde waarde, art. 53, 77, 79, 82bis
- efactuur.belgium.be — Specifieke vragen over e-facturering, vragen 5, 23 en 29
- Justel — Koninklijk besluit nr. 1 van 29 december 1992, art. 4, 12, 14
- Intervat — Help, kader II: uitgaande handelingen (roosters 48 en 49)
- Intervat — Help, kader III: inkomende handelingen (roosters 84 en 85)
- Intervat — Help, kader IV: verschuldigde belasting (rooster 63)
- Intervat — Help, kader V: aftrekbare belasting (rooster 64)
- Justel — Koninklijk besluit van 8 juli 2025, art. 13ter van KB nr. 1
- OpenPeppol — Peppol BIS Billing 3.0