RMA
The RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) is where a return starts if you want it tracked and authorized before anything physically comes back. On its own, an RMA doesn't touch inventory or accounting — it's purely a record of what a customer is allowed to send back, and why.
Where to Access
Service → RMA (list / Add New). You can also start one directly from a Shipment's tracking screen, which pre-fills the customer and items for you.
An RMA is not required before a Credit Memo or Refund — those can be raised directly from an Invoice or Shipment. Use an RMA when you specifically want the authorization and tracking it provides.
Header Fields
- Date/Time – Issue timestamp of the RMA.
- Customer (required) – Customer requesting the return.
- RMA Number (auto-numbered or entered manually).
- Sales Rep / External Channel – Only shown if your company has these enabled.
- Due Date – Defaults from your company's RMA due-date setting, but can be overridden per RMA.
- Location – Where returned goods will be received.
- Customer Address / Shipping Address – For labels and printouts.
- Department / Project Code – If your company tracks these.
- Custom Fields – If configured for RMAs.
There's no dedicated "return reason" field. Use the line Description, or Internal Notes, to record why an item is being returned.
Line Fields
- Item – SKU approved for return.
- Description – Detail that prints on the RMA.
- Quantity – Quantity authorized to come back.
- UOM – Unit of measure.
- Unit Price / Amount / Tax – Reference values for the expected credit. Tax is calculated once, when the RMA line is created, and stays fixed after that — it isn't recalculated later even if tax rules change.
- Bin / Lot / Serial – Shown only if your company tracks these.
- Class – If enabled.
- Returned and Repaired – Running quantities that update automatically as Restocks and Repairs are recorded against this line. You don't set these yourself.
Notes & Files
- Message from Customer – Stated reason/notes from the customer.
- Message to Customer – Instructions or approval text.
- Internal Notes, Attachments – Staff-only context and evidence (photos, etc.).
How Status Works
An RMA's overall status isn't something you set on the header — it's worked out automatically from the status of its individual lines. Each line can be:
- Awaiting Return – authorized, nothing received yet
- Partially Received – some but not all of the line's quantity has come back
- Overdue – past the RMA's due date and still not fully received
- Received – fully received
- Repairing / Repaired – sent to, then finished, a Repair
- Discarded – received but not sellable, and discarded rather than restocked
- Closed, Cancelled
If every line agrees, the RMA header shows that status. If lines disagree — say, one line was received while another is still awaiting return — the header shows Mixed instead of picking one line's status to represent the whole document.
What You Can Do, By Status
- Awaiting Return – Cancel, start a Restock, issue a Credit Memo or Refund, or delete the RMA.
- Partially Received / Overdue – Restock more (this action is labeled Receive more once something has already come in), Mark as Received, issue a Credit Memo or Refund.
- Received – Discard, send to Repair, Replace, Close, issue a Credit Memo or Refund.
- Discarded – Close, issue a Credit Memo or Refund.
Deleting an RMA only works while it's still Awaiting Return, or after it's been Cancelled — once anything has been received against it, it can no longer be deleted, only cancelled or closed out. Most of these actions also work on several selected RMAs at once, from the list view.
The Replace Action
Replace isn't a form — it's a single action available on a Received RMA line. Using it creates a new Sales Order for the replacement item, priced at zero (unit price, amount, and tax are all set to 0, since the customer already paid for the original item). A few things to know:
- It requires Sales Orders to be enabled for your company.
- If you use Replace on several RMAs at once, they must all belong to the same customer.
- Once used, the action becomes a shortcut that takes you straight to the Sales Order it created.
Common Problems
- "An RMA line's status won't move past Awaiting Return." Nothing has been received against it yet — create a Restock (or send it to Repair) referencing that RMA line.
- "The RMA shows Mixed and I don't know why." Its lines are in different states — open the RMA and check each line's individual status rather than relying on the header.
- "I can't delete this RMA." Deletion is only available while it's Awaiting Return or after it's Cancelled. If something has already been received, cancel or close it instead.
- "The tax amount on an old RMA line looks wrong now." RMA line tax is fixed at the amount calculated when the line was created — it won't reflect later tax rate or rule changes.
Best Practices
- Set a realistic Due Date so Overdue tracking actually reflects your return policy window.
- Use Message to Customer to communicate what's approved and any instructions (labels, packaging, etc.).
- Attach photos or notes as evidence if you need them for quality tracking or disputes.
- Check line-level status rather than just the header status when an RMA shows Mixed.