When the customers haven’t paid the invoice, disputes, or liquidation, you must write off an invoice. The credit note posting to the bad dept’s nominal ledger account helps to write off the customer’s invoice. It offsets the bad debt against the profit for the active financial year. You may qualify for bad debt relief if using the standard VAT Scheme. With AccountsPro expert users can get all details of Bad Debt of Sage 50 Invoices and also explore How To Dispute Invoices Sage 50 when the company did not receive any payments.

Write Off Bad Debt Relief Conditions In Sage 50

You are eligible for bad debt relief to reclaim already paid VAT to HMRC. In case you using the VAT Cash Accounting scheme, the VAT calculation depends upon the payments you made and received. Here is the list of the conditions you need to meet before a VAT reclaim:

  • You have accounted for the supplies VAT and paid it to HMRC
  • If you have written off the debt in the basic accounts and moved it to an individual bad debt account then you can do it while creating the credit note
  • The debt is larger than six months older however less than 4 years & 6 months.

Find out Sage 50 Wages Journal Entry process which is not only very easy but also helps the employer to calculate right salary and proper tax deduction.

How to Write Off Bad Debts in Sage 50?

In most scenarios, the customers failed to pay the owed money and the account receivable opts to be written off to bad debt. There are mainly two techniques to write off the bad debts in Sage 50:

Step 1: Write off Bad Debts

  1. Open your accounting software and navigate to the Home window.
  2. On the navigation pane, locate and click on “Customers & Sales.”
  3. From the dropdown options, select “Sales Invoices,” then “Invoice,” and finally “Create Invoice.”
  4. Choose the customer whose debt will not be paid from the customer list.
  5. In the Invoice Number box, enter the original number of the unpaid invoice, followed by the letters “WRTOFF.”
  6. Enter the amount owed as a negative number in the Amount column.
  7. Click the list button in the Account column to access the account options. Ensure that the “All Accounts” button is selected.
  8. Select the “Bad Debts” account from the list. If your accountant has set up the “Allowance for Doubtful Accounts” to handle bad debts, choose this account instead.
  9. Enter the tax code used in the original unpaid invoice in the Tax column.
  10. To review the transaction, go to the Report menu and select “Display Sales Transaction Detail.”
  11. If you are satisfied with the entries, click on “Process” to finalize the credit note.

Step 2: Offset both invoices in the Receipts window

  1. Open your accounting software and navigate to the Home window.
  2. On the navigation pane, click on “Customers & Sales.”
  3. From the dropdown options, select “Receipts.”
  4. Select the same customer from the “Received From” dropdown list as mentioned in the previous set of instructions. The original invoice and the created invoice from the first set of instructions will automatically appear in the table.
  5. In the “Amount Received” column, click to view the amounts of both invoices.
  6. To verify the transaction, go to the Report menu and select “Display Receipt Transaction Detail.” Ensure that the debit and credit balances are zero.
  7. If you are satisfied with the entries, click on “Process” to complete the offsetting process.

How to Write Off a Customer Bad Debt in Sage 50?

Majority of the scenarios the customers failed to pay the owed money and the account receivable opts to be written off to bad debt. There are mainly two techniques to write off the bad debts in Sage 50:

Direct Method: Upon identification of bad debts, each invoice is posted to the bad debts expense account (an expense account).

Allowance Method: Periodically or at the end of each fiscal year, a certain percentage of your accounts receivables is written off. The specific amount written off is determined based on the estimated percentage of bad debt your company experiences throughout the year. Typically, you would record a General Journal entry that impacts an accounts receivable account used as a contra-asset, known as “Allowance for Doubtful Accounts,” as well as the expense account “Bad Debt Expense.” Subsequently, each invoice is written off by recognizing it as bad debt and associating it with the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts.

Unpaid Or Half Paid Invoice Bad Debt Write Off in Sage 50

How to Write off an Invoice in a Partially Paid/Not Paid Invoice in Accounts Receivable as a bad debt?

Here is the list of steps to write off invoices:

  1. Firstly select the method you need to use to write off the bad debts
  2. Determine the invoice and customer number be written off as a bad debt
  3. Locate the Tasks option then choose to Receive Money button
  4. It will appear on the Receipt Page
  5. Fill or choose the customer ID linked with the invoice you need to write off as the bad debts. To appear a list with existing customers entered? In the box choose the button named lookup
  6. It will display outstanding invoices
  7. Write the reference or check number to discover the write-off
  8. Click the list named Cash Account, find or choose a Bad Debt expense account /an Allowance on the account named Doubtful. It will make a debit to the account
  9. Click on the tab named Apply to invoices, and choose the check box named Pay next to the invoice you need to write off as bad debts. It will credit the Accounts receivable account that was related to the invoice

Find out what essential steps to Reverse Unpaid Invoice Sage 50, which also helps when the user paid an amount in cash mode based card or bank transfer .

Verify the Bad Dept Nominal Ledger Account in Sage 50

Before creating a credit note with the bad debts nominal ledger account you need to verify whether it’s visible for sales. Follow the below steps:

  • Click the More button then hit the Settings tab
  • Select Business Settings then in the section named Financial settings
  • Hit the Chart of Accounts button
  • Find the name box or code then fill in 8100
  • Choose a nominal ledger account named Bad Debts
  • Click on the Visibility option choose the checkbox named Sales-Invoice/Credit or Customer defaults
  • Hit Save button

Due to the unwanted situation of sometimes Sage 50 Won’t Delete Transactions in such cases what the user can do , the team of AccountsPro explains the entire process step by step .

How to Write off the Sales Invoice-Standard Vat in Sage 50?

  • Locate the Sales button
  • Hit the desired invoice
  • In case you failed to discover the invoice then verify the date range in the form and to fields with an invoice date
  • Choose tabs named All or outstanding
  • Hit the More button then choose Create Credit Note
  • Next, complete the below information
Customer *This field populates automatically.
Credit Date *Enter the date you want to use for the write-off.
Reference *Enter a reference of your choice. For example, Bad debt.
Address *This field populates automatically.
Description *Enter any additional details. For example, Bad debt write-off.
Ledger Account *Choose Bad Debts (8100).
Price/RateEnter the full amount of the invoice.
VAT RateChoose the relevant VAT rate.
| Notes
*These details are compulsory.
  • Make sure the VAT rate is the same as the original invoice. If not then you will not be allowed to allot the credit note to the invoice. Filling in these details is compulsory
  • Hit the Save Credit Note tab

Assistance for Entering Bad Debt Sage 50 Cash Accounting

Hopefully, the write-up helped you to Write Off Bad Debt invoices in Sage 50. To explore more you can connect with a professional team of Sage 50 Support through a live chat, phone number, or email address.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Would I Reclaim VAT In Sage 50?

✅ Click on the More button
✅ Hit Journals
✅ Choose a New Journal
✅ Write the Reference & date
✅ Fill in the required additional details in the description field
✅ Fill in the desired data to reclaim the VAT
✅ Hit the Save button
✅ For more details, users can directly get help from the Sage 50 Chat team now.

What If I Have Activated The Hide The General Ledger Accounts Option?

Sage 50 will not display the account named bad debt in the window to view the active list of cash accounts.

How do you write off bad debt in Sage Accounting?

To create a credit note for writing off an invoice without reclaiming the VAT, follow these steps:
✅ Select the appropriate Ledger Account as “Bad Debts” (8100) in your accounting software.
✅ Enter the net value of the invoices you want to write off.
✅ Since there is no VAT on the credit note, make sure that the entire value is written off, including the VAT component.

How do you write off a Bad invoice?

If the invoice you need to write off consists entirely of taxable or nontaxable items, you can simplify the credit memo by using just one line with the article “bad debt.” Enter the total amount of the invoice (before tax) on this line. If the original invoice included tax, you should apply sales tax to the credit memo accordingly.

Address

600 3rd Avenue 2nd Floor, Unit 267 New York NY, USA 10016
Call Now : +1800-983-3087

Location

Disclaimer: AccountsPro.co is an independent support provider for accounting and bookkeeping software, with no affiliation to any software owners, developers, or manufacturers. All trademarks, logos, and product names belong to their respective owners and are used for identification only. We offer assistance with software-related queries, troubleshooting, and technical support but do not sell, license, or distribute proprietary software. The mention of third-party brands does not imply endorsement or partnership. While we strive for accuracy, we are not responsible for errors, omissions, or software issues, and users should contact official support channels for direct assistance. By using our services, you acknowledge that AccountsPro.co operates independently and agree to our terms and conditions.

© 2025 AccountsPro.co | All Rights Reserved.

Exit Modal

Stop Struggling with Accounting Software – We Can Help!

Still facing problems with QuickBooks or Sage? Our certified pros are just a click away.

  • Fast fixes for install & update errors
  • Protect your financial data
  • Instant live chat with professionals
Start a Live Chat Now!
Accountspro Popup