Payment Processing

Summary: Record client bill payments via the Billing & Payments workflow with proper account mappings.

Audience & Prerequisites: Staff with access to client billing; payment methods configured and mapped.

UI Path: Clients → [Select Client] → Billing & Payments → Make Payment

What You'll Learn

How to process payments for client bills
How to select payment methods and amounts
How payment mappings work with your chart of accounts
How to handle partial payments and outstanding balances

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

Active payment methods configured in Settings > Company > Payments
Payment method mappings set up to bank/asset accounts
Outstanding bills that need payment
Access to client billing features

Processing a Payment

Open Billing & Payments

Navigate to Clients, select a client, then open the Billing & Payments tab.
Locate the bill you want to pay and click Make Payment.

Complete Make Payment dialog

Title: Make Payment; description references Bill #[id].
Payment Amount:
- Field labeled Amount; defaults to Outstanding balance.
- Must be positive and ≤ outstanding balance.
Payment Method:
- Choose from listed methods (Cash, Card, etc.).
- If a method lacks a mapping, it shows No mapping and payment will be disabled.
- A Deposit To badge shows the mapped account name when available.
Additional Details:
Payment Date: date picker labeled Payment Date.
- This controls the business payment date (e.g., when the customer handed over cash or authorized a card), stored as a date-only value (YYYY-MM-DD).
- The system uses this business date for payment history, downstream postings (bank transactions, commissions), and reporting. The separate audit timestamp records when the payment was actually entered.
Transaction ID: shown when required for the selected method (non-cash).
Notes: optional notes textarea.

Submit

Buttons: Cancel and Pay $X.
If payment methods are still loading, you’ll see Loading payment methods…
If no active methods, a message indicates No active payment methods available.
On success, you’ll see Payment Successful and the dialog closes.

Payment Methods and Mappings

Payment methods load dynamically; the list may briefly show Setting up payment methods…
A Deposit To badge shows the mapped account or a No account mapped warning.
If no mapping is configured for the selected method, the Pay button is disabled.

Set up mappings:

Go to Settings → Payment Methods to configure active methods and their account mappings.

Handling Different Payment Scenarios

Full Payment

When: Customer pays the entire outstanding balance Process:

Accept default amount (full outstanding balance)
Select payment method
Add transaction details if needed
Process payment
Bill shows as "Paid" with $0.00 balance

Partial Payment

When: Customer pays less than the full amount Process:

Enter partial amount in payment field
Process payment normally
Bill remains open with reduced outstanding balance
Customer can make additional payments later

Multiple Payment Methods

When: Customer uses multiple payment methods for one bill Process:

Process first payment (partial amount)
Click Make Payment again on the same bill
Enter second payment with different method
Repeat until bill is fully paid

Overpayment Protection

Amount cannot exceed Outstanding balance; Pay button is disabled if it does.
You’ll see a helpful error message if the amount is invalid.

Payment Status and Tracking

Bill Status Indicators

Outstanding Balance: $X.XX - Amount still owed
Status: Paid - Bill fully paid
Status: Partial - Some payments made, balance remaining

Payment History

Each bill shows:

All payments made with dates and amounts
Payment methods used
Transaction IDs and notes
Running balance calculations

Financial Integration

All payments automatically create accounting entries and audit records. The payment is posted against the mapped Deposit To account and reduces the client’s receivable on the bill.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Payment Button is Disabled

Possible Causes:

Payment amount is invalid (zero, negative, or too high)
No payment method selected
Selected payment method has no account mapping
Payment methods still loading

Solutions:

Enter valid payment amount
Select a payment method with proper mapping
Wait for payment methods to load
Set up account mappings in company settings

"No account mapped for this method"

Configure a mapping in Settings → Payment Methods, then retry the payment.

Transaction Fails to Process

Problem: Payment processing fails with error message

Common Solutions:

Verify all required fields are completed
Check internet connection
Ensure payment amount is valid
Try refreshing the page and attempting again
Contact support if problem persists

Duplicate Payment Concerns

Prevention:

The system uses an idempotency key behind the scenes when you submit a payment, which prevents the same payment request from being processed twice if the network is flaky or the browser retries.
Payment dialog closes immediately on successful payment
Bill balance updates in real-time

If Duplicate Appears in History:

Use transaction management tools to reverse duplicate
Contact support for assistance with corrections

Best Practices