Free UX Designer Credit Note Template
Create credit notes for UX project cancellations, research phase reductions, and retainer billing corrections. Free PDF.
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How does a UX designer credit a client for cancelled work?
A UX designer issues a credit note when an invoiced project is cut back, such as a discovery phase cancelled after kickoff or user-testing participants dropped. The note references the original invoice, names the work removed, gives the reason, and reduces the client's balance to the work delivered.
Typical line items
- Original invoice number and date
- Discovery phase cancellation, post-kickoff
- User testing reduction, five participants cancelled
- Reason for the credit
- Credited amount
- Adjusted balance due
- Tax adjusted in proportion
How the work is charged
Credit a cancelled phase at its value on the original invoice, keeping any kickoff work already done. Dropped participants are credited at the per-participant testing rate for those not run.
Payment terms and deposits
Set the credit against the next invoice or refund it to the original payment method, referencing the original invoice number. Show the remaining balance after the adjustment.
Tax and compliance
Where the original invoice carried VAT or sales tax, a credit note usually reverses that tax in proportion to the amount credited. Confirm the rules that apply to you.
Frequently asked questions
A client cancelled after the kickoff call but before any deliverables. What do I credit?
Your contract should specify what portion of the project fee covers the kickoff and setup. Credit everything above that amount. If your contract does not break it down, be transparent about how you calculated the retained portion and document it on the credit note. This avoids disputes later.
Can I issue a credit note for work that was delivered but the client says it did not meet the brief?
Only issue a credit note if you agree to return money as part of a resolution. A credit note is not an admission that the work was wrong; it is a financial document. If you are issuing one as part of a settlement, describe it as a settlement credit rather than implying a deliverable was unacceptable.
How do I handle a credit note when the project used time-and-materials billing and the actual hours were fewer than estimated?
If you invoiced based on an estimate and the actual hours came in lower, issue a credit note for the difference between what was invoiced and the actual hours worked at your day rate. This is cleaner than issuing a revised invoice after payment has already been made.
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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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