Free Debit Note Template — PDF & Word
A blank debit note you can download and use right now — the document that increases what the other side owes after an invoice has already been issued. Same form in two formats: a print-ready PDF and an editable Word file. Every field is listed below, so you know exactly what you are downloading.
Download the debit note template
Free for personal and commercial use. No signup, no email, no attribution required.
Files generated on from the same template configuration described on this page, and regenerated whenever the layout is revised — so the file you download always matches the field list below. There is no Excel version of the debit note: the totals lines are completed by hand.
What's inside this template
The document is headed DEBIT NOTE on A4, and lays out in this order:
- Three reference fields at the top — Debit note no., Date issued and Original invoice no., the field that ties the charge back to the invoice it corrects.
- Two party blocks — From (issuer) and To (counterparty), four blank lines each for name, address and contact details. The wording is neutral on purpose, because a debit note can be raised by either side of the transaction.
- A Reason for debit field — free-text space for the cause (an undercharge on the original invoice, freight or handling agreed later, rework, a surcharge) so the adjustment explains itself months from now.
- An item table with four columns — DESCRIPTION, QTY, UNIT PRICE and DEBIT. Blank rows come ready to fill: six in the PDF and seven in the Word file.
- Three totals lines — Subtotal, Tax adjustment and TOTAL DEBIT, right-aligned under the table. No tax rate is pre-filled — the correct one depends on the original invoice and your jurisdiction.
- A Notes area — two blank lines for anything the reason field could not hold, such as how and when the extra amount should be settled.
- A printed reminder at the bottom — "A debit note INCREASES what the counterparty owes (undercharge, agreed extra costs) — the mirror image of a credit note."
The only branding in the file is one grey footer line pointing back to our template library. There is no logo, no watermark and no locked region, so you can replace it in the Word version.
Which format should you pick
- PDF — when you are printing the debit note, completing it by hand, or sending a layout that must not shift. It opens anywhere and nobody can nudge the fields out of place.
- Word (DOCX) — when you want this to become your debit note. Add a logo, change the wording, save it as your house version and reuse it. Opens in Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice Writer, and it is the only one of the two you can type into before printing.
- Either way, send it as a PDF. Fill in the Word file, then export or print to PDF before it goes out. The recipient sees a fixed document, and you keep an unaltered copy of exactly what you charged — which matters more than usual on a document that raises an amount already invoiced.
Debit note vs credit note
The two documents are mirror images: both reference an existing invoice, both explain themselves in a reason field, and both are corrections rather than replacements. They differ in which way the balance moves — and, in these templates, in a handful of concrete field names.
| Feature | Credit note | Debit note |
|---|---|---|
| Effect on the balance | Reduces what the recipient owes on the referenced invoice. | Increases what the recipient owes on the referenced invoice. |
| Typical trigger | A return, damaged goods, an overcharge, or a discount agreed after the invoice went out. | An undercharge on the original invoice, or extra costs both sides agreed to afterwards. |
| Party blocks in the file | From (seller) and Credit to (customer) — a seller-issued document. | From (issuer) and To (counterparty) — deliberately neutral, because either side can raise one. |
| Reason field | Reason for credit | Reason for debit |
| Fourth table column | CREDIT | DEBIT |
| Totals lines | Subtotal · Tax reversal · TOTAL CREDIT | Subtotal · Tax adjustment · TOTAL DEBIT |
| Formats on this site | PDF, Word and Excel, plus an online generator. | PDF and Word. |
Need the other direction? The credit note template has the same layout with the totals reversed.
When to use a debit note
A debit note is raised after an invoice has already gone out, to increase the amount owed on it. The usual triggers are an undercharge on the original invoice — a wrong unit price, a missed line, too few units billed — or extra costs both sides agreed to afterwards, such as freight, handling, rework or a surcharge. It names the original invoice rather than replacing it, so the account still reads in order: invoice first, then the adjustment that points at it.
Either party can issue one. A seller sends a debit note to collect what was under-billed. A buyer sends one to tell a supplier that an amount is being claimed back, and the supplier normally responds by issuing a credit note of their own. Whoever raises it, the direction is the same: the recipient owes the issuer more than the original invoice said.
A debit note is not a second invoice, and on its own it is not a payment. It records the adjustment and the reason for it; collecting or settling the money is a separate step you record separately.
For the accounting side — debit memo versus credit memo versus refund, journal entries from both the seller's and the buyer's perspective, and the mistakes that break an audit trail — read the Guide to Credit Memos.
Frequently asked questions
Is this debit note template really free?
Yes. Both files are free for personal and commercial use. There is no signup, no email wall, no watermark and no attribution requirement, and you can issue as many debit notes from them as you need.
Who issues a debit note — the seller or the buyer?
Either side can, which is why this template names the parties neutrally: From (issuer) and To (counterparty). A seller raises one to collect an undercharge or agreed extra costs on an invoice that has already gone out. A buyer raises one to notify a supplier of an amount being claimed back, and the supplier normally answers it with a credit note. In both directions the document does the same thing: it increases what the recipient owes the issuer, and it names the original invoice it relates to.
Is there an Excel version with working formulas?
Not for the debit note — it ships as a PDF and a Word file only, so the Subtotal, Tax adjustment and TOTAL DEBIT lines are filled in by hand. The DOCX is an ordinary unlocked Word document, so you can open it in Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice Writer, add your logo, change the wording or the column headings, and save it as your own house version.
These templates are a general-purpose business document, not legal, accounting or tax advice. Debit note and tax-adjustment rules differ by country, and some jurisdictions require an invoice rather than a debit note to collect an additional charge — check the requirements that apply to you, or ask a qualified professional, before issuing one.