Free Architect Credit Note Template
Issue credit notes for architectural fee adjustments, project scope reductions, and cancelled planning services. Free PDF.
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What should an architect put on a credit note?
An architect issues a credit note when an invoiced stage fee no longer applies, such as a suspended project or a withdrawn planning application. The note cites the original invoice, names the stage credited, gives the reason, and reduces the client's balance so the account reflects the work actually performed.
Typical line items
- Original invoice number and date
- Technical Design stage fee credit, project suspended
- Planning application fee refund, application withdrawn
- Reason for the credit
- Credited amount
- Adjusted fee now payable
- Tax reversed in proportion
How the work is charged
Base the credit on the stage fee from the original invoice, crediting the unstarted or withdrawn portion in full and keeping any part already delivered. A withdrawn application fee is refunded at the amount the client paid.
Payment terms and deposits
Set the credit against the next stage invoice or refund it through the original payment method, quoting the original invoice number. State the revised total so the client's project account stays clear.
Tax and compliance
Where the first invoice charged VAT or sales tax, the credit note usually reverses it in the same proportion as the fee credited. Tax rules vary by jurisdiction, so confirm what applies to your practice.
Frequently asked questions
A developer cancelled after Stage 2 but I had already completed Stage 3 work. How do I handle the credit note?
Issue a credit note only for the work you are returning. If you kept your Stage 3 fee because the work was done, no credit is needed for that stage. If you agreed to return a portion as a goodwill gesture or because the stage was not fully complete, issue a credit note for exactly that amount with a clear description.
My fee is percentage-based and the build cost estimate changed. Do I need a credit note or just a revised invoice?
If you already invoiced at the higher amount and the client paid it, issue a credit note for the difference. If the invoice has not yet been paid, a revised invoice is simpler. A credit note is the correct document whenever money has already changed hands and the amount needs to be corrected.
Should credit notes include disbursements separately from professional fees?
Yes, follow the same structure as your original invoice. If you originally listed disbursements as separate line items, credit them separately. This makes it easy for the client's accounts team to match the credit note against the original invoice line by line.
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Read the complete credit note guide to see when to issue one and how it adjusts an invoice already sent.
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