Since SFE became mandatory, many SMEs reach for the only correction tool they know: annulling the invoice. But annulment is for invoices that should never have existed in the form they were issued. When a real sale is later reversed, in full or in part, the SFE has a different document for it: the Nota Fiscal de Crédito-Débito.
1. Annulment vs. credit-debit note
The test is simple: was the original invoice right on the day you issued it? If yes, don't touch it. Document the reversal with a note.
2. Why it's called "credit-debit"
The same document has opposite effects on each side, in the period the return happens:
- For you (the seller): it's a credit. You recover the IVA you already declared as débito fiscal on the returned portion.
- For your customer: it's a debit. They give back the crédito fiscal they took on that portion.
The September invoice and the September return stay exactly as filed. The adjustment lives in October, when the return happened.
3. The rules that trip people up
It must reference a validated invoice
The note is tied to a specific invoice already validated by the SIN. You can't issue a "general" credit note against a customer's balance, and the note can't exceed what the original invoice covered.
The 18-month limit
A credit-debit note issued more than 18 months after the original invoice isn't admitted by the tax administration. There's an extended 60-month period for certain products covered by specific regulations, but it requires a justified prior request through SIAT. For most SMEs, 18 months is the line.
Returns and rescissions, not after-the-fact discounts
The note exists for returns of goods and total or partial rescission of services. A price reduction negotiated weeks later, or a volume rebate, isn't automatically a basis for one. Discounts known at the time of sale belong on the invoice itself. If you give rebates regularly, agree with your accountant how to document them before you promise them to customers.
No need to collect the original invoice
For invoices issued under an online modality, you don't need the customer to hand back the original invoice before issuing the note. You do still need your own evidence of the return: a delivery note, a return slip, a signed rescission.
4. Step by step
This article is general information for Bolivian businesses, not tax or legal advice. Rules and rates change; confirm how they apply to your business with your accountant or the SIN before acting.
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