Using Customer RMA (Returns)｜Sales Management Manual

📖 Overview: See the Sales Management business-flow overview as well.

A Customer RMA (Return Material Authorization) accepts and manages customer returns. With an RMA you can systematically manage the return receipt and the creation of a credit memo.

What you can do

• Accept and record customer return requests
• Auto-create return lines by referencing a Shipment
• Generate a Customer Return receipt
• Generate a credit memo (reduction of the sales invoice)
• Manage return reasons and return types

Window layout

graph TD
    T1["Customer RMA (M_RMA) - 17 fields"]
    T2["RMA Line (M_RMALine) - 15 fields"]
    T3["Tax (M_RMATax) - read only"]
    T1 --> T2
    T1 --> T3

Customer RMA (M_RMA) - 17 fields RMA Line (M_RMALine) - 15 fields Tax (M_RMATax) - read only

Tab	Table	Role	Key fields
Customer RMA	M_RMA	Header (return source, source shipment, etc.)	Doc Type, Shipment, Business Partner
RMA Line	M_RMALine	Returned product / quantity lines	Product, Quantity, Amount
Tax	M_RMATax	Auto-calculated tax	Tax Rate, Tax Amount

Basic procedure

graph TD
    S1["1. New RMA"] --> S2["2. Enter header: shipment, RMA Type"]
    S2 --> S3["3. Save"]
    S3 --> S4["4. Create lines from shipment (or enter manually)"]
    S4 --> S5["5. Complete (Process RMA)"]
    S5 --> S6["6. Create Customer Return receipt"]
    S6 --> S7["7. Complete receipt (stock returns)"]
    S5 --> S8["8. Create credit memo (Create Order From RMA)"]
    S8 --> S9["Reduce receivable"]

1. New RMA 2. Enter header: shipment, RMA Type 3. Save 4. Create lines from shipment (or enter manually) 5. Complete (Process RMA) 6. Create Customer Return receipt 7. Complete receipt (stock returns) 8. Create credit memo (Create Order From RMA) Reduce receivable

How to access

Open Return Management > Customer RMA from the menu.

Creating a new RMA

1. Click New.
2. Enter the header:
   • Document Type: Customer RMA.
   • RMA Type: return type (exchange, refund, repair, etc.).
   • Shipment: the original shipment (partner auto-fills).
   • Name / Description: subject and reason for the return.
3. Click Save.
4. Use Create lines from to import lines from the shipment, or enter manually.
5. Use Process RMA → Complete.

📌 Note: Importing from the original shipment via Create lines from auto-fills product, quantity and price. For partial returns, adjust the quantity after importing.

Creating the return receipt

After completing the RMA:

1. Open Return Management > Customer Return.
2. Reference the completed RMA to create a return receipt.
3. Complete it to return the stock.

Creating the credit memo

1. On the RMA window, click Create Order From RMA.
2. A (return) Sales Order is generated automatically.
3. Create a sales credit memo to reduce the customer’s receivable.

Field reference

Field	Type	Description
Document Type	Select	Customer RMA
RMA Type	Select	Return type (exchange, refund, repair, etc.)
Shipment	Search	Original shipment being returned
Business Partner	Search	Returning customer
Sales Rep	Search	Responsible sales representative
Order	Search	Original sales order (reference)
Amount	Amount	Return amount
Document Status	List	Drafted, Completed, etc.

FAQ

Q. Can I process a return without an RMA?

You can create a Customer Return directly, but going through an RMA lets you manage an approval flow and improves traceability.

💡 Tip: With RMAs you can enforce “no physical return until the RMA is approved.” Recommended where an approval flow is required.

Q. Are partial returns possible?

Yes. Set the RMA-line return quantity lower than the shipped quantity.

Q. What happens to inventory on return?

Stock returns to the warehouse when the Customer Return receipt is completed.

⚠️ Note: Completing the RMA alone does not return stock — you must separately create and complete a Customer Return receipt. Reducing the receivable also requires creating a credit memo.

Position in the business flow

graph TD
    A[Shipment] -->|return request| B[RMA]
    B -->|return receipt| C[Customer Return]
    B -->|reduce| D[Credit Memo]
    C -->|stock back| E[Inventory Ledger]
    D -->|allocate| F[Payment]

return request return receipt stock back Customer Return Credit Memo Inventory Ledger

Related pages

• Sales Order
• Shipment
• Sales Invoice

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