> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arcuserp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Vendor Credits > Use Vendor Credits to track money a vendor owes back to your business, then apply that credit during Pay Bills to reduce the cash amount paid. ## What Vendor Credits Are A vendor credit is an AP-side credit from a supplier. Common examples include damaged goods allowances, returned inventory, warranty credits, freight adjustments, or vendor refunds that should reduce future bill payments. * Credits belong to one vendor. * Credits can be open, partially applied, applied, voided, or expired. * Credits reduce the cash portion of a vendor payment. * Credits do not replace the need to select vendor bills in Pay Bills. * Credits only appear for the matching vendor. Vendor Credits page with KPI cards, search, status filter, and rows showing vendor, credit number, amount, remaining amount, source, created date, expiration, and status ## Before You Issue a Credit * Confirm the vendor account is correct and active. * Confirm the credit amount matches the vendor document or return approval. * Record a reason clear enough for later AP review. * Decide whether this credit should expire. * Use a vendor return workflow when the credit comes from returned inventory. **Confirm credit details before saving** The Vendor Credits page does not currently show a self-service void or delete action. If a posted credit application needs correction, work with your accounting administrator before applying more payments. ## Issue a Vendor Credit 1. Go to **Accounting**. 2. Open **Vendor Credits** under Payables. 3. Click **Issue New**. 4. Search for and select the vendor. 5. Enter the credit amount. 6. Add a reason when it helps explain the source. 7. Choose an expiration date when the vendor credit should expire on a specific date. 8. Click **Issue Credit**. Issue Vendor Credit modal with selected vendor, amount field, reason field, expiration field, Cancel, and Issue Credit buttons ## Choose an Expiration The expiration field is optional. If you leave it blank, Arcus uses your entity's vendor-credit expiration default. If that setting is blank, credits do not expire by default. * **Explicit date**: use this when the vendor gave a credit deadline. * **Blank date**: use this when your entity default should control the expiration. * **Never by default**: if no entity default is set, blank credits remain open until applied or otherwise corrected. **Set the default once** Admin users can review vendor-credit expiration defaults in Settings under Purchasing. Use a default when your suppliers usually expire credits after a predictable number of days. ## Understand Statuses Use the status filter to find credits by lifecycle state. The list can be searched by vendor, credit number, or source. Vendor Credits status filter dropdown showing All statuses, Open, Partially applied, Applied, Voided, and Expired * **Open**: available to apply to that vendor's bills. * **Partially applied**: some of the credit has been used, but a remaining balance is still available. * **Applied**: the credit has been fully used. * **Voided**: the credit is no longer usable. * **Expired**: the expiration date passed before the credit was fully used. **The filter is for review, not correction** Filtering to voided or expired helps you research history. It does not mean every status has a visible action available from the list. ## Apply Credits in Pay Bills Vendor credits are applied during the Pay Bills workflow. They appear inside the vendor group only after you select at least one bill for that vendor. 1. Open **Accounting > Pay Bills**. 2. Select one or more bills for the vendor. 3. Select an available vendor credit pill, or click **Apply all**. 4. Review the cash portion shown under the credit row. 5. Click **Pay Selected Bills**. 6. Review the confirmation modal before posting the payment. Pay Bills page with one selected bill, one selected vendor credit, cash portion, amount to pay, and Pay Selected Bills button Confirm Payment modal showing vendor credits applied and final cash outlay before posting ## What Arcus Updates * Issuing a credit adds it to the Vendor Credits list for the selected vendor. * Applying a credit reduces the remaining credit balance. * Applying a credit reduces the cash outlay on the selected Pay Bills payment. * The check amount, if paying by check, is based on the cash portion after credits. * Expired, fully used, voided, or zero-balance credits cannot be applied. **Review posted credit usage carefully** If an AP payment or check needs to be voided after credits were applied, verify the bill and credit balances with accounting before re-paying. Do not assume a posted credit application is automatically available again without review. ## Common Blocks * **Issue Credit is disabled**: select a vendor and enter a positive amount. * **Vendor is not found**: confirm the account is a vendor and active, or use the inactive-account flow if your policy allows it. * **Expiration cannot be selected**: choose today or a future date, or leave the field blank for the entity default. * **Credit does not appear in Pay Bills**: select a bill for that same vendor first. * **Credit is unavailable**: it may be expired, fully applied, voided, zero balance, or tied to a different vendor. * **Cash portion looks wrong**: confirm the selected bill amounts and selected credits before opening the confirmation modal. * **Payment is blocked**: review Pay Bills requirements for bank account, payment date, check setup, ACH setup, or accounting period locks. ## Related Articles Pay open vendor bills by check, ACH, ACH file, wire, or cash. Record vendor bills, approve them, post them, and track AP aging. Send returned or defective stock back to suppliers for credit, warranty review, or replacement inventory. Print, batch print, clear, void, and audit vendor checks. Understand the admin surfaces, settings groups, and workflow impact areas.