BrightBooks has no dedicated gift voucher feature. You record the sale of a voucher and its later redemption using a dedicated nominal code, a non-customer receipt and a credit note, so the sale is not counted as income twice.

Before you start: create a dedicated nominal code for vouchers. Go to General Ledger > Chart of Accounts > Add and create a new nominal code, for example "Gift Vouchers". You use this code for both the sale and the redemption.

1. When you sell a voucher

The money is received before you have provided the goods or service, so it is not recorded as sales income.

1. Go to Banking > Receipts and click New to create a non-customer receipt.
2. Enter the details in the Paid by field, the amount, the bank account the money went into and the date.
3. In Nom. Code, select your dedicated voucher nominal code (this field is mandatory). 
4. Click Save.

If the VAT box is greyed out on a non-customer receipt, go to Settings > Accounts > Setup and untick "Don't allow VAT on non-customer receipts".

VAT: VAT treatment depends on the type of voucher; check with your accountant or tax authority.

2. When a customer redeems a voucher

1. Create the sales invoice for the full sale as you normally would. Go to Sales > Invoices & Credit Notes and add the invoice with the correct VAT code and Sales nominal code.
2. Create a credit note for the voucher amount for the same customer, in Sales > Invoices & Credit Notes, and post it to your dedicated voucher nominal code.
3. Allocate the credit note to the sales invoice. This reduces what the customer owes without creating a bank receipt. For the steps, see Sales Invoice Allocation.

If the voucher only covers part of the bill

Create the credit note for the amount of the voucher used, and allocate it to the invoice. Record the rest of the payment (for example by card) as a normal customer receipt against the same invoice. Only credit note the amount used, so any unused balance stays in your voucher nominal code.

This guide is general guidance, not accounting or tax advice. Please confirm the treatment for your business with your accountant.

Also known as: gift card, gift voucher, voucher sale, voucher redemption, deferred income, prepayment, store credit.