Applying Payments to Invoices

Overview

When your customer pays you for invoiced work, you need to record that payment in Aspire. Use the Receivables tab in the Invoicing module to apply payments to outstanding invoices. This process updates the customer's balance and keeps your accounts receivable accurate. Watch the following video or keep reading to learn more!

Training Video

Things to know

The Receivables tab displays properties and companies with an outstanding balance.
Selecting Credit Card or EFT as a payment method doesn't process an electronic payment in Aspire. It only records the payment type.
- If you have electronic payments enabled for your system, the available options are different. Read our article about electronic payments for more information!
Payment notes are internal and only display on the payment itself.
Collection notes display on the property and in other accounts receivable reports within Aspire.
- Use collection notes when you need broader visibility.
If your customer overpays, the remaining credit balance is saved to the account or property. If a customer underpays, the invoice keeps an open balance for the remaining amount owed.

Requirements

To access the Payments tab in the Invoicing module, you need View Accounts Receivable added to your user role.
To access other tabs in the Invoicing module, you need View Invoice added to your user role.

Steps

Applying a payment to an outstanding invoice

Follow these steps to record a payment and apply it to one or more invoices:

Go to Invoicing > Receivables.
Find the property or company with the outstanding balance.
On the line for the property or company, select the three-dot icon.
Select Add Payment.
1. The Payment screen displays. The Company, Regarding, and Contact fields are filled in based on the Opportunity and contact setup.

Tip:
Check the Credits section for unapplied credits before entering a new payment to avoid duplicate entries.

Receivables tab showing company balances due, with the three dot icon and options to apply payments to the customers balance.

In the Branch field, select the branch the payment should be applied to.
From the Payment Methods dropdown, select how the customer is paying. Options include Check, Credit Card, Cash, and EFT (typically an ACH payment).
In the Reference Number field, enter a unique number to identify the payment (for example, the check number).
In the Payment Date field, enter the date the payment received from your customer.
In the Invoices section, select the checkbox next to each invoice the payment should be applied to. You can select multiple invoices.
Verify that the Payment Summary panel on the right displays the correct payment total. If the payment amount matches the total of the selected invoices, continue to step 13. If not, see the following sections on handling overpayments and underpayments.
(Optional) In the Payment Notes field, enter an internal note to associate with this payment. This note only displays on the payment record itself.
(Optional) In the Collection Notes field, enter a note that displays on the property and in accounts receivable reports for broader visibility.
Select Save and the payment applies to your customer’s balance.

Payment screen including invoices due, payment methods, and payment summary.

Applying a credit to a payment

If your customer has previous unapplied payments (credits), they display in the Credits section of the Payment screen.

In the Credits section, select the checkbox next to any credit you want to apply to the current balance due. You can do this at any time, regardless if a payment source is used for the payment.
Verify the updated total in the Payment Summary panel.
Select Save.

You can also leave credits unapplied and save them for a later payment.

Payment screen with a call out on the credits section.

Tips

Use a unique, identifiable reference number for every payment — such as the check number — so you can find payments quickly in the future.
Use collection notes instead of payment notes when you need the information to display on the property and in accounts receivable reports.
If a customer has unapplied credits, review the Credits section before entering a new payment to avoid duplicate entries.

Expected results

After saving, the payment displays as applied to the selected invoices. Your customer's outstanding balance on the Receivables tab updates to reflect the payment. If the customer overpaid, the remaining credit balance is stored on the account or property for future use. If the customer underpaid, the invoice shows a remaining open balance.

Troubleshooting

The property or company doesn't display on the Receivables tab. Why?

This is expected when your customer doesn't have any outstanding invoices. Verify that their invoice has been completed and batched. For more information, visit the Using Invoice Batches article.

What do I do when the Payment Summary total doesn't match the expected amount?

Multiple invoices or credits may be selected, or the payment amount on an invoice line was adjusted. Review the selected checkboxes in the Invoices and Credits sections. Clear any that shouldn't be included, and verify the payment amounts on each invoice line.

I can’t find a previously applied payment. How do I find the applied payment?

This can happen when your payment was saved without a recognizable reference number. Use the search and filter tools in the Invoicing module to locate the payment by date, property, or amount. Going forward, always enter a unique reference number (such as the check number) for every payment.

What happens when I have a customer that overpays on an invoice? Can I add their overage to their account to be used at a later time?

We love that! Yes, you can do this. Simply record the overpayment to the invoice, and in the Payment Summary panel, adjust the payment total to match the actual amount the customer paid. The remaining credit balance is saved to the account or property (if the Regarding field is filled out) and can be applied to future invoices.

What happens when I have a customer that underpays on an invoice? Can I record the underpayment to the invoice they are paying towards? What happens next?

If your customer paid less than the invoice total, apply the payment to the invoice, and on the invoice line, adjust the payment amount to match the actual amount the customer paid. Save to apply the payment. The invoice you recording the payment for keeps the remaining open balance due for the amount they still owe.