Collecting Deposits on Invoices

Deposits are upfront partial payments collected from customers before work begins on their order. Many businesses require deposits to ensure financial commitment before allocating resources, ordering materials, or scheduling labor. AccuArk provides a built-in deposit system that calculates the deposit amount, presents a collection dialog when a new invoice is saved, tracks deposit status on the invoice, and integrates with the order status workflow through deposit gating.

What Deposits Are

A deposit is a partial payment collected at the time an invoice is created, before the order moves into production or fulfillment. Unlike a regular payment that can be recorded at any time, a deposit is specifically tied to the start of the order lifecycle. It serves as the customer's financial commitment to the order.

Deposits are tracked separately from regular payments on the invoice. While both deposits and regular payments contribute to the total amount paid, AccuArk maintains distinct fields for deposit tracking so that you can see at a glance whether the required deposit has been collected, how much was required, and when it was paid.

Location-Level Default Deposit Percentage

Each location in AccuArk can have a default deposit percentage configured in its location settings via the DefaultDepositPercent field. This percentage determines the standard deposit amount for invoices created at that location.

For example, if a location's default deposit percentage is set to 50%, every new invoice at that location will default to requiring a deposit of 50% of the invoice total. A $1,000 invoice would require a $500 deposit.

The default percentage can be set anywhere from 0% to 100%. Setting it to 0% effectively disables deposits for that location. Different locations can have different default percentages, allowing you to tailor deposit requirements by branch, department, or business unit.

To configure the default deposit percentage, go to Business > Locations, edit the location, and set the Default Deposit Percent field.

How Deposits Are Triggered

When a new invoice is saved and the invoice has its DepositRequired flag set to true, AccuArk automatically opens the deposit collection dialog after the save completes. This happens only on the first save of a new invoice — subsequent saves of the same invoice do not re-trigger the deposit dialog.

The DepositRequired flag is typically set based on the location's deposit configuration, but it can also be toggled manually on the invoice before saving.

The Deposit Collection Dialog

The FrmCollectDeposit dialog is a focused form that guides the user through collecting the deposit. It presents the following information and controls:

Invoice Total Display

The dialog prominently displays the invoice total at the top so the user can see the full order value when determining the deposit amount.

Default Deposit Percentage

The location's default deposit percentage is shown and used to auto-calculate the deposit amount. For example, if the location default is 50% and the invoice total is $2,000, the deposit amount is automatically set to $1,000.

Override Checkbox

If the standard deposit percentage does not apply to this particular order, the user can check the Override checkbox to enter a manual deposit amount. When the override is checked, the percentage-based calculation is disabled and the user can type any dollar amount into the deposit amount field.

This is useful for situations where a customer has negotiated a different deposit amount, where the order involves special terms, or where the manager has approved a reduced deposit.

Deposit Amount

The deposit amount field shows the calculated deposit (from the percentage) or the manually entered amount (if override is checked). This is the amount that will be collected from the customer.

Collect Button

Clicking Collect opens the payment method selection, allowing the user to choose how the customer is paying the deposit — Cash, Credit Card, Check, Store Credit, Gift Card, or Other. After selecting the payment method and confirming, the deposit payment is recorded and linked to the invoice.

Skip Button

Clicking Skip bypasses deposit collection for this invoice. The invoice is saved without collecting a deposit. The DepositRequired flag remains true, which means deposit gating rules will still apply — the system will block certain status transitions until the deposit is eventually collected. Skipping is intended for situations where the deposit will be collected later (e.g., the customer will call back with a credit card number).

Deposit Fields on the Invoice

AccuArk tracks deposit information through several fields on the invoice record:

• DepositRequired — A boolean flag indicating whether this invoice requires a deposit. When true, deposit gating rules are active.
• DepositPercent — The deposit percentage used to calculate the deposit amount. This is initially set from the location default but can be overridden.
• DepositAmount — The dollar amount of the required deposit. Calculated from DepositPercent times the invoice total, or set manually if the override was used.
• DepositCollected — The actual dollar amount of the deposit that has been collected. This is zero until the deposit is paid, then equals the collected amount.
• DepositCollectedAt — The date and time when the deposit was collected. Null until the deposit is paid.
• DepositPaymentId — The ID of the payment record created when the deposit was collected. This links the deposit to its corresponding payment transaction for audit purposes.

These fields provide a complete picture of the deposit lifecycle: what was required, what was collected, when it was collected, and which payment record represents it.

What Happens After Collection

When the deposit is collected through the FrmCollectDeposit dialog, several things happen:

1. A payment record is created with the deposit amount and the selected payment method.
2. The invoice's DepositCollected field is updated to reflect the collected amount.
3. The DepositCollectedAt timestamp is set to the current date and time.
4. The DepositPaymentId is set to the ID of the new payment record.
5. The invoice's InvoicePaid total is updated to include the deposit payment.
6. The invoice balance is recalculated to reflect the deposit payment.

The deposit payment appears in the invoice's payment history alongside any regular payments. It is a standard payment record — the only difference is that it is also linked through the DepositPaymentId field for deposit tracking purposes.

After the deposit is collected, deposit gating is satisfied and the invoice can advance to any order status, including those that reserve or subtract inventory. See the How Deposit Gating Works article for details on how gating interacts with the order status workflow.

What to Read Next

• How Deposit Gating Works — Understand how uncollected deposits block status transitions and protect your inventory commitment.
• Recording Payments on an Invoice — Learn about the standard payment recording process for regular (non-deposit) payments.
• Processing Refunds — Understand how to handle refunds if a deposit needs to be returned.