Record a payment

When a customer pays, record the payment so their invoices show the right balance and the money shows in the right account. One payment can pay one invoice, part of one, or several at once. It gets a receipt number and is posted to your books as soon as you record it.

Who can do this

Owners, and Staff whose Team has Record own payments. Without it, Record payment is hidden.

1. Open the dialog — Press Record payment on the Payments list, on an invoice, or on an invoice’s row in Receivables. It’s the same Record a payment dialog everywhere. From an invoice, the customer is already chosen and that invoice is ticked with its balance.

2. Choose the customer — Under Customer, pick who paid. Their open invoices are listed under What it pays, oldest due first, each with its number, due date (or how many days late), balance and a tick box. A deposit invoice says Deposit.

3. Say what it pays — Either tick the invoices first (the Amount becomes their total, and Pay all ticks every invoice), or type the Amount first and Spine spreads it oldest first, ticking invoices as it goes. You can change any line, up to that invoice’s balance.

4. Fill in the details — Set the Date, the Method (Cash, Bank transfer, Cheque, Card, UPI or Other), Paid into (the account the money went into) and an optional Reference, such as a cheque number or transaction ID.

5. Check the total line — Above the button, Spine says what happens, for example “$4,000.00 goes on 2 invoices; nothing becomes credit.” This line is your confirmation.

6. Record it — Press Record payment. The toast reads, for example, RCP-0029 recorded.

Screenshot: The Record a payment dialog with a customer chosen and their open invoices listed under What it pays

The Record a payment dialog with a customer chosen and their open invoices listed under What it pays

What happens next

Each ticked invoice’s balance drops by what the payment put on it. A part-paid invoice stays open and shows what’s left; one paid in full reads Paid. The invoice lists the payment under Payments.

If the customer has an email address and email is set up, Email a receipt to … is on, and the receipt goes out when you record the payment. Turn it off to send nothing. See Send a receipt.

Is it already recorded?

If the same customer paid the same amount within 3 days, or a payment has the same reference, the dialog warns “This looks like RCP-0028” with a link to open it. If it really is a second payment, press Record payment anyway.

Tip

Paying more than the ticked invoices? The rest becomes credit for the customer. See Take a deposit or overpayment as credit.

The invoices can’t add up to more than the payment. If they do, Spine says so: lower a line or raise the amount.