Currently, it is not possible to issue a Credit Note linked to a Sales Return until the goods have been officially marked as "received" in the system.
In our business, we often need to issue a credit note to our clients immediately upon the initiation of a return process. Our clients expect this level of service (similar to the standards set by major platforms like Amazon). In our specific case, just as we invoice our clients before they receive their goods, we need to credit our clients as soon as they send back their items, without waiting for the physical items to arrive and be processed at our warehouse.
While we can use "standalone" credit notes, this is not a viable long-term solution because these notes are not linked to the original Sales Order. This creates significant issues for traceability, reporting, and follow-up on our sales orders.
Please allow the option to create and issue a Credit Note against a Sales Return at the moment the return is opened, rather than forcing us to wait until the "received" stage.