In this guide 6 sections
Keep a claim register with one row per scheme per invoice. Link each row to the retailer discount you gave and to the company credit note that settles it. Sort by company and month, and the claims unpaid for a quarter stand out at once.
Why claims sit unsettled for months
A scheme starts with a circular from the company. The stockist gives the retailer a free case or a trade discount, then claims the cost back, and the credit note arrives weeks later, if it arrives at all.
Between the discount and the credit note, three records must agree: the scheme terms, the retailer invoice and the company statement. They live in three places. That is where money disappears.
A stockist supplying chemists and general stores across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal may run dozens of schemes in one month, with different slabs and cut-off dates. Memory cannot carry that. Neither can a drawer of photocopied circulars.
Build the register in four blocks
Start with the scheme block: company, scheme name, start date, end date, product, slab and how the company wants the claim submitted. Copy these from the circular on the day it arrives.
Next comes the sales block, where each retailer invoice carries its number, the quantity sold under the scheme and the discount or free goods you gave.
Then the claim block holds the date sent, the claim number, the amount and the documents attached. Last is the settlement block. It carries the credit note number, date and amount received.
- Scheme: company, slab, dates, claim method
- Sales: invoice, retailer, quantity, discount given
- Claim: date sent, claim number, documents
- Settlement: credit note, date, amount received
Matching credit notes to claims
A company credit note rarely matches one claim. It may cover three schemes and deduct a rejected line, so record the note once and then split it across the claims it settles.
Any gap becomes a short-paid line. Log it at once. Write down the reason the company gave, such as an expired scheme or a missing stock statement, and decide whether to dispute it.
Your accountant will also want each note posted against the right company ledger. A register that holds the note number makes that posting quick and keeps the books and the claims in step. Month-end then stops being a hunt through email attachments and old stock statements.
- Claims submitted and not yet settled
- Claims short-paid, with the reason
- Claims rejected and disputed
- Credit notes received with no claim attached
The ageing view that exposes old claims
Once the register is filled, one view does most of the work: unsettled claims by company and month. Any company with claims older than three months deserves a call from the owner, not the clerk.
Bring this view to every meeting with the area sales manager, because a printed list of claim numbers and dates is hard to argue with.
Watch the cut-off dates too. Many companies reject claims sent after the window, and a register can raise a flag a week before that window shuts.
Moving the register into software
A spreadsheet is a fair start for a month or two. It cracks once several people post to it. Billing software that flags scheme sales at invoice time removes the double entry between the counter and the claims clerk.
Ask your billing vendor whether scheme and claim fields can sit on each invoice line, then test it with one company for one month before bringing in the rest.
Settle one habit early. Whoever receives a credit note enters it that same day, with the note number and the company name, so the register never trails behind the cash book by weeks. The clerk signs off each entry.
Scheme claim register template
A one-page register with four blocks across the sheet. The scheme block lists company, scheme, slab and dates, while the sales block lists invoice number, retailer, quantity and the discount given under each scheme. The claim block lists date sent and amount. The settlement block lists credit note, date and short-paid reason. A footer totals unsettled claims by company.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How often should a stockist submit scheme claims?
Follow each company’s calendar, which is usually monthly, and submit as soon as the scheme period closes, since late claims are the easiest for a company to reject.
What documents usually support a claim?
Typically the retailer invoices, a stock statement and a copy of the scheme circular. Each company has its own list, so keep a note of what each one asks for beside the scheme. Check it monthly.
What if the company short-pays a claim?
Record the shortfall and the stated reason in the register. Raise it with the area sales manager, with the claim number and the invoice list in hand, before the next scheme cycle begins.
Can a spreadsheet do this job?
For a handful of schemes, yes. When several people enter data or schemes overlap, software that links invoices to claims saves repeated typing, lost papers and missed deadlines at month-end.