Recording Payments on a Bill

Recording payments is how you track money sent to vendors for their bills. Each payment reduces the bill's balance and updates the bill's status automatically. This guide explains how to open the payment form, enter payment details, and review payment history.

Opening the Payment Form from a Bill

To record a payment against a bill:

1. Open the bill from the Bills Browser by double-clicking it
2. Click the New Payment button in the Payments section of the bill form
3. The Payment Transaction form opens, pre-loaded with the bill's vendor and outstanding balance

The New Payment button is only visible if you have the FIN_PAY_BILLS permission. The button is also disabled when the bill has a zero balance (fully paid) or when the bill has been cancelled.

Entering Payment Details

The Payment Transaction form contains the following fields:

Payee

The payee is pre-populated with the vendor from the bill. The payee type dropdown lets you select between Vendor, Employee, and Other payee types. For bill payments, this is typically set to Vendor.

Payment Amount

Enter the amount you are paying. This can be the full remaining balance for a complete payment, or a partial amount if you are making an installment. The system does not prevent you from entering an amount larger than the remaining balance, but doing so will result in the bill showing an Overpaid status.

Payment Date

The payment date defaults to today. You can change it to the actual date the payment was made or processed. This date is recorded in the payment history and used in reports.

Payment Method

Select the method used to make the payment. Common options include Check, Cash, Credit Card, Bank Transfer, and ACH. The available payment methods are configured in your system settings.

Account

Select the general ledger account that the payment should be posted against. The account dropdown shows all available accounts. Choosing the correct account is important for accurate financial reporting.

Reference Number

Enter a check number, transaction ID, or other reference for the payment. This is optional but helps with reconciliation.

Memo

Add any notes about the payment. Memos are saved with the payment record and visible in the payment history.

Saving the Payment

Click the Save or Post button to record the payment. The payment is saved immediately to the database. After saving:

• The bill's Total Payments amount increases
• The bill's Balance decreases by the payment amount
• If the balance reaches zero, the bill status changes to Paid
• The payment appears in the bill's payment history grid

Viewing Payment History

The bill form includes a Payments section with a grid that shows all payments recorded against the bill. Each row displays:

• The payment amount
• The payment date
• The payment method
• The account it was posted to
• The reference number

The Payments section also shows summary totals:

• Total Payments — The sum of all payments made
• Credits and Refunds — The total of any credits or refunds applied
• Balance — The remaining amount due

These totals update in real time as payments are added or removed.

What to Read Next

• Payment Methods and Account Mapping — Understand how payment methods relate to accounts
• Split Payments Across Multiple Accounts — Distribute a payment across multiple GL accounts
• Vendor Credits and Refunds — Record credits that reduce the amount owed
• Deleting Payments from a Bill — Remove an incorrect payment