V8 - Return merchandise authorizations and the RMAs list

A return merchandise authorization (RMA) is a form you provide to a customer authorizing them to return an item or items. The RMA includes information such as the names of the items they are returning, the address where they should ship the items, and an expiration date (the date by which goods must be returned in order to obtain a refund). You can also place additional conditions for the return in the comment block.

An RMA is very similar to a purchase order. It is a non-posting transaction, so it does not affect your inventory directly. However, it does provide a record of inbound inventory, and you can track that number via the On RMA column of the Items list. RMAs are optional. You do not need an RMA to process returned merchandise from a customer.

RMAs list

The RMAs list contains the transaction records granting a customer the authorization to return goods sold.

Adding and editing an RMA

To add an RMA, use any of the following methods:

• Generate an RMA from another transaction (such as a sales order, invoice, sales receipt, or shipment). Locate the parent transaction record on its appropriate list, then select Create RMA from its Actions menu.
• Go to the Quick add > Misc > RMA.
• Go to Operations menu > More transactions > RMAs, then select Add new.

An existing RMA can be opened for editing by selecting the Edit button for the RMA record on the RMAs list. Be sure to save your changes.

RMA field descriptions

Custom fields may appear on RMA transactions, depending on how each field has been defined. If present, a section containing custom fields is below the standard SOS data fields. The fields will be of the input format and value that you have defined.

Add lines. Click to add additional lines to the transaction. The number of lines to be added by default can be specified on the Company settings page.

Channel.  Sales channel from which this sale was initiated (such as Web Order).

Class. QuickBooks Online class for this line item. This field is enabled only if class tracking is enabled in QuickBooks Online.

Clear lines. Clears all data entered in the line-item block.

Comment. An internal note on a transaction.

Customer. Customer for whom the sales transaction applies. 

Customer address. A block of fields that specify the customer's address. Fields include Company, Contact, up to five lines for the street address, post office box, attention line, etc., along with City, State/province, Postal code, Country, Phone, and Email fields.

Customer message. A message to the customer that is displayed on the transaction. This field can be expanded if needed, or a standardized customer message that your organization has defined in SOS Inventory can be inserted by selecting a predefined message from the dropdown list. This field is limited to 1000 characters.

Customer notes. Internal notes from the customer definition.

Date/time. Transaction date with timestamp.

Department. Department for this transaction.

Description. The sales description for the item.

Expiration date. The date that the RMA expires.

Item. Enter or select the desired item. New items can also be created.

Job. Job to which this line item belongs. This box is available only on the Pro plan and if Job tracking is enabled in Inventory Settings (Settings > Inventory settings).

Multitool. The Multitool icon is located in the far-left column of a line item. The Insert tool, the blue triangle in the top left corner, inserts a blank line above the icon. The Copy tool, the encircled down arrow in the bottom right corner, copies a line and pastes the duplicate on the line immediately below the icon. The Move tool, a box containing three lines, moves and reorders line items. When your cursor moves inside the box, a four-pronged white arrow appears. Click, hold, and drag the arrow to move and reorder the line.

Quantity. The number of item units authorized for return.

Received. Indicates the number of item units received to date from the customer.

Remove. Click the trash can icon to remove a line from the transaction.

RMA number. Reference number used to identify a return merchandise authorization. This field is searchable. The system will attempt to number the transaction automatically, depending on your settings located under the RMAs tab on the Sales settings page.

Sales rep.  Sales representative assigned to this transaction.

Shipping address. Address of the location to which the customer will ship returned merchandise. 

Fields include Company, Contact, up to five lines for the street address, post office box, attention line, etc., along with City, State/province, Postal code, Country, Phone, and Email fields.

Ship method. The carrier used to ship the returned merchandise.

Tracking #. The number assigned to a shipped order by a carrier.

UOM. The unit of measure of an item authorized for return.

Vol. The volume of the item as specified in its definition.

Wgt. The weight of the item as specified in its definition.