Return Order
A Salesforce object (part of Order Management) that represents a customer's request to return purchased products, containing details about which items are being returned, the reason, and the expected refund or exchange.
Definition
A Salesforce object (part of Order Management) that represents a customer's request to return purchased products, containing details about which items are being returned, the reason, and the expected refund or exchange.
In plain English
“A Return Order in Salesforce Order Management is an object representing a customer's request to return purchased products. It contains details about which items are being returned, the reason, and the expected refund or exchange. It's how you track returns through the process.”
Worked example
A customer of Ridgemont Retail emails to return a damaged dining table from an order shipped two weeks earlier. The service rep opens the original Order in Salesforce Order Management and creates a Return Order - a record that captures which line item is being returned, the reason ("damaged in transit"), the requested resolution ("refund"), and a return shipping label issued by the WMS. The Return Order's status moves through Authorized → Received → Refunded as the warehouse processes it; the original Order, the Return Order, and the refund ledger entry stay linked so finance can reconcile the transaction at month-end without anyone reconstructing what happened.
Why Return Order matters
A Return Order is a Salesforce object (part of Order Management) that represents a customer's request to return purchased products, containing details about which items are being returned, the reason, and the expected refund or exchange. Return Orders are linked to the original order and carry the information needed to process the return: product details, quantities, reasons, condition, and financial handling.
Return management is a significant part of order operations, particularly in retail and consumer products. Without proper return tracking, return handling becomes chaotic: lost returns, incorrect refunds, inventory discrepancies. With Return Orders in Salesforce Order Management, returns flow through a defined process with clear status tracking, inventory impact, and financial handling. Mature order operations treat return management as core infrastructure.
How to create Return Order
Return Orders track returns from customers — what's coming back, why, and what's been refunded or restocked. They're the inverse of an Order, used in industries with formal return/replacement workflows. Field Service feature must be enabled for the object to appear.
- Make sure Order Management is enabled and Returns are turned on
Setup → Order Settings → Enable Orders → Enable Return Orders. Without these, the related list and tab don't appear.
- Open the original Order being returned
Most Return Orders are created from a parent Order via the Return Orders related list.
- Click New on the Return Orders related list
Or App Launcher → Return Orders → New if you'll link the Order later.
- Set Account and link the Original Order
Account is required. Original Order links the return back to what was sold.
- Set Status to Draft
Statuses: Draft / Submitted / Approved / Cancelled. Draft is editable; Submitted starts the return workflow.
- Save
Return Order header is created. Now add line items for the specific products being returned.
- Add Return Order Line Items
Return Order Line Items related list → New. Each line references an Order Product on the parent Order, with the quantity being returned.
Required. The customer returning the product.
Required. Draft is the default.
- Order Management + Return Orders must both be enabled in Setup → Order Settings. New orgs sometimes have one on without the other.
- Return Order Line Items must reference an Order Product on the original Order. You can't return a quantity larger than what was on the original line.
- Submitting a Return Order doesn't automatically refund the customer or restock inventory — those are downstream automations you build via Flow or your ERP integration.
How organizations use Return Order
Uses Return Orders to track customer returns through receipt, inspection, refund, and inventory restocking.
Integrates Return Orders with their fulfillment system for unified return processing.
Treats return management as foundational to customer experience and operational efficiency.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Return Order?
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