The EDI 812 may be used by a seller to inform its customer of an increase or decrease in the amount the customer is being charged, relative to a previously transmitted Invoice or a purchase order. A buyer can use the 812 to request an adjustment from a supplier. This transaction does not address the details of returns, only the accounting effects as a result of the return.
The reasons a partner might send a debit/credit memo include:
- Item was defective;
- Item ordered was not received;
- Goods were or are being returned;
- Actual quantity delivered was greater or less than that ordered;
- There was an error in the pricing of the item in the original PO or invoice.
Some retailers, such as Loblaws, also use the 812 as an incoming credit note from their DSD suppliers.