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Payment Processing - Applying Payments to Invoices

Payment Processing - Applying Payments to Invoices

The Payment tool applies payments to unpaid invoices using multiple payment sources. It supports cash, checks, credit cards (entered manually, through Stripe Checkout, or from cards on file), deposits, and gift cards.

There are two ways to access the Payment tool:

  1. Navigate to Tools > Payment in the Ecommerce portal
  2. Open an account and click the Payment button on the Account Details tab (this pre-selects the account)

Step 1: Select the Account

Choose the Account from the dropdown. Only open accounts are listed. If you accessed the tool from an account's Details tab, the account is pre-selected.

Step 2: Select the Source of Funds

After selecting an account, choose the Source of Funds from the available options:

Cash

For cash payments:

  • Cash Amount — enter the amount received
  • Memo — optional text added to the payment transaction. The help text reads: "Optional. This message will be added to the payment transaction and can be seen in the account history. It is not visible to the customer."

Check

For check payments:

  • Check Number — the check number for reference
  • Check Amount — the amount of the check

Credit Card Form

For entering new credit card details directly:

  • Credit Card Number — the full card number
  • Card Expiration — month and year dropdowns
  • Name on Card — the cardholder name
  • Card Security Code — the CVV. The help text reads: "(optional) 3-digit code found on the back of the card. It should never be saved so it signals the card is in-hand."
  • Card Billing Zipcode — the billing zip. The help text reads: "(optional) The zipcode of the credit card billing address. The payment processor charge may be lower if this is provided."
  • Card Amount — the amount to charge to this card

This option is available when the site supports direct card entry through the payment processor.

Credit Card Stripe Checkout

For processing through Stripe's hosted checkout page:

  • The system redirects to Stripe's secure checkout page
  • After the customer completes (or cancels) the checkout, they are returned to the Payment tool
  • The payment result is processed automatically on return

This option is available when Stripe Checkout is enabled in the site's payment processor configuration.

Credit Card On File

For using a saved payment method:

  • The account's saved credit cards are displayed as radio button options showing the last four digits and expiration date
  • If only one card is on file, it is auto-selected
  • Card Amount — the amount to charge to the selected card

This option is available when the account has one or more saved credit cards.

Deposits, Gift Cards

For applying existing account deposits and gift cards:

  • This option appears when the account has unapplied deposits or gift cards with remaining balances

Step 3: Select Invoices to Pay

The Invoices To Pay section lists all unpaid invoices for the account. Each invoice shows:

  • Selection checkbox
  • Invoice number and name
  • Created date
  • Due date
  • Balance

Check the invoices you want to pay with this payment. The total of checked invoices determines the amount needed.

Step 4: Apply Deposits (If Available)

If the account has unapplied deposits, the Deposits To Apply section lists them. Each deposit shows the amount, name, and date. Check the deposits you want to apply to the selected invoices.

Step 5: Apply Gift Cards (If Available)

If the account has gift cards with remaining balances, the Gift Cards To Apply section lists them. Each gift card shows the card name and remaining balance. Check the gift cards you want to apply.

The help text for deposits notes: "Check to deposit this amount. The deposit amount is the total of payments and deposits less the amount of invoices to pay. Gift cards are only applied as needed and cannot have excess to deposit."

Additional Options

Create Deposit

Check the Create Deposit checkbox to convert any excess payment into a deposit for future use. The deposit amount is calculated as the total of all payment sources minus the total of selected invoices.

Gift cards cannot contribute to deposits — they are only applied up to the amount needed for the selected invoices.

No Receipt

Check the No Receipt checkbox to suppress the receipt notification that would normally be sent to the customer. The help text reads: "If checked, no receipt will be sent to the customer after the payment."

Transaction Date

The Transaction Date defaults to today's date. You can set it to a different date, but it may be restricted based on GL export periods. The help text displays the earliest allowed date.

Processing the Payment

Click Process Payment to submit. The system:

  1. Validates the payment sources against the selected invoices
  2. Processes the payment through the appropriate gateway (Stripe, Authorize.Net, or test mode)
  3. Creates account transactions for each payment component
  4. Applies payments to the selected invoices
  5. Creates GL debit/credit entries
  6. Sends a receipt to the customer (unless "No Receipt" is checked)
  7. Fulfills orders that are now fully paid (if the account's charge method triggers fulfillment on payment)
  8. Creates a deposit if excess payment exists and "Create Deposit" is checked

On success, the system displays: "Payment successful for account [account name]" with a link to the account details.

Multi-Source Payments

You can combine multiple payment sources in a single payment. For example:

  • Apply a gift card balance plus a credit card charge to cover multiple invoices
  • Apply an existing deposit plus a check to pay off outstanding invoices
  • Use a gift card for part of the amount and cash for the remainder

The system calculates the total from all sources and applies them to the selected invoices.

Stripe Checkout Flow

When using Credit Card Stripe Checkout, the payment follows a two-phase process:

  1. Phase 1: You submit the payment form, and the system redirects to Stripe's hosted checkout page
  2. Phase 2: After the customer completes checkout on Stripe, they are returned to the Payment tool. The system automatically processes the result and displays the success or error message.

Tips

  • Use the "No Receipt" option when recording internal adjustments that the customer does not need to know about
  • The Transaction Date restriction prevents backdating payments into already-exported GL periods
  • When processing payments for accounts with multiple unpaid invoices, you can selectively pay specific invoices rather than paying them all at once
  • If a payment fails, the error message provides details about the failure reason from the payment processor
  • Deposits remain on the account until explicitly applied to future invoices through the Payment tool