Vendor Return Authorizations

A Vendor Return Authorization (vendor RMA) is the first step whenever you need to return merchandise to a vendor: defective items, overages, or items that didn't match the order. In it you record which items you want to return, in what quantity, and from which vendor, without moving inventory or accounting yet. It's a request that must be authorized before it turns into an actual movement: only once it's authorized can you generate the Dispatch that physically ships the merchandise out, and the Credit Note that reduces what you owe the vendor.

Think of it as the purchasing-side equivalent of a Purchase Order: it isn't the final movement itself, it's the authorization that unlocks the documents that actually move inventory and money.

Module: Purchases & Accounts Payable Requires the "Vendor Return Authorization" permission

What is it and what is it for?

Each request states the vendor you're returning merchandise to, the location it will ship out from, the currency, and the item detail with the quantity to return. You can optionally link it to the original Vendor Bill or Vendor Reception that brought in the merchandise you now want to return.

A request starts out with a Pending Authorization status. A user with the authorize privilege must review it and either Authorize or Reject it; they can also send it back to Pending if the review needs to be reopened. When a new request is saved, AdmCloud automatically sends a reminder to users with the authorize privilege so they review it.

Only once the request is Authorized do these buttons become available:

Generate the Dispatch that records the physical shipment of the merchandise out to the vendor and reduces available inventory.
Generate the Vendor Credit Note that reduces the balance you owe the vendor, referencing this request.
Review the Items Pending Dispatch and Items Pending Vendor Bill (Credit Note) reports to see how much of what was authorized is still left to ship or credit.

Screens in this area

Screen	What it does
List	Every request, with customizable columns and filters by date, vendor, location, department and subsidiary. A link toggles between viewing All or only the Pending Authorization ones, without reloading the page.
Create / Edit	A form with the general data (vendor, location, currency, optional source bill) and the table of items to return, with taxes and file attachments.
Details	A read-only view with the authorization status; buttons to Authorize, Reject or send it back to Pending; and, once authorized, to generate the Dispatch, the Credit Note and review what's pending to dispatch/bill. It also allows Edit, Duplicate, Print, Void or Delete depending on your privilege.
Print	A printable or PDF format of the request, with the vendor's data, the item detail and the totals.

How the workflow works, step by step

Create the request. Enter the vendor, the location the merchandise will ship out from, and, if applicable, the original bill or reception it came from. Add each item with the quantity you want to return.
Save it. It's left in Pending Authorization status and AdmCloud automatically notifies users with the authorize privilege.
Authorize or reject it. From its Details, a user with the authorize privilege uses Authorize if the return is valid, or Reject if it isn't. They can also mark it back as Pending if it needs another look. None of these actions are available if the request is voided.
Generate the Dispatch. Once authorized, use Dispatch to create the document that physically takes the merchandise out of your inventory toward the vendor.
Register the Credit Note. Use Register Credit to generate the Vendor Credit Note that reduces the balance you owe, already linked to this request.

Key fields

Field	What it's for
Number	AdmCloud's automatic internal numbering; you can't repeat or change it once the request is created.
Vendor / Related Party	Who you're returning merchandise to; required, and can't be voided.
Location	The warehouse or site the merchandise being returned will ship out from; required, and must belong to the same subsidiary as the request.
Subsidiary	Required only if your plan has subsidiaries enabled.
Currency and Exchange Rate	The currency the return will be valued in; required.
Source Bill / Reception	An optional reference to the original purchase document for the merchandise you're returning; if entered, it must exist, not be voided, and belong to the same vendor and subsidiary.
Authorization Status	Pending, Authorized, Rejected or Partially Authorized; controls which actions (Dispatch, Register Credit) are available.
Items / Services (lines)	Item, quantity to return, unit of measure, price, tax and, depending on your active modules, attributes.
Attachments	Supporting proof for the request (photos of the defective item, the vendor's authorization email, etc.).
Assigned To	Only shown if your company has the Warehouse Management (WMS) module active; the user responsible for following up on the task.

Validations when saving

The vendor is required and can't be voided.
The location is required and must belong to the same subsidiary as the request.
You must add at least one valid item line, with each line's discount between 0% and 100%.
You can't save more lines than the maximum number of items allowed per transaction.
If your company's currency differs from the vendor's, AdmCloud asks you to confirm the difference before saving.
If you link a source Bill or Reception, it can't be voided, and must belong to the same vendor and subsidiary.
You can't authorize, reject or mark as pending a voided request.

Deleting or voiding

You can delete a request only if it has no dependent documents (for example, a Dispatch or a Credit Note already generated from it); in those cases, AdmCloud blocks the deletion and you must void it instead. Voiding keeps the document for audit purposes but marks it as cancelled, and no longer lets you generate a Dispatch or Credit Note from it.

Reports

From the list's Reports menu you can generate a summarized or detailed return-authorization report, filterable by date, vendor(s), subsidiary, location, department and item, and limited to only the ones pending authorization. In addition, from an authorized request's Details you can open its individual Items Pending Dispatch and Items Pending Vendor Bill (Credit Note) reports.

Availability, permissions and conditions

Access is controlled by the "Vendor Return Authorization" permission, with separate levels for browsing, adding, editing, deleting, voiding and authorizing. Rejecting or marking back as pending requires the authorize level or the edit level.
This feature requires your company (Enterprise edition) to have the add-on "Advanced Inventory" module active from the Active Modules screen; if it isn't, you'll see a "not available in your edition" message instead of the list.
The Subsidiary field is only required if your plan has subsidiaries enabled.
The Assigned To field only shows up if your company has the Warehouse Management (WMS) module active.
Item attributes only show up if your company has that module active.

Tips and common pitfalls

💡

Not sure why you can't Dispatch or Register Credit? Those buttons only turn on once the request is Authorized. Check the authorization status at the top of the Details screen.

⚠️

Can't find this screen? Check with an administrator that the "Advanced Inventory" module is active in Active Modules; it's an Enterprise-edition add-on module and isn't turned on by default.

ℹ️

Only returned part of what was authorized? Use the Items Pending Dispatch or Items Pending Vendor Bill report from the request's Details to see exactly how much is still left to ship or credit.