Customer Payments: one payment, several invoices

What this does

Record Payment on an invoice takes money against that invoice. Money In → Customer Payments takes one payment and spreads it across a customer's open invoices: a fleet check that pays four jobs, a customer clearing their account. One method, one reference, one date; the app applies it invoice by invoice and posts one ledger entry per line.

Before you start

payment.create. Have the check or transfer in front of you; the amount has to match what you're applying.

Steps

1. Search the customer. Their open invoices list with balances.
2. Enter the payment method, date, reference ("Check #, auth code…"), and the amount to apply to each invoice. The total updates as you go.
3. Save. Every line either applies in full or the whole batch is unwound and you're told why; there's no half-applied state.

What happens in the books

Each invoice line posts Dr Undeposited Funds (or bank) / Cr Accounts Receivable for its amount. If an invoice was still a draft, it's issued first so the revenue exists before the payment lands on it. An invoice absorbs only what it still owes; anything over becomes a customer credit on the account, never a negative balance. Apply that credit to a later invoice or refund it; see Credit memos and customer credits.

Common problems

"Amount exceeds balance." You've put more on one invoice than it's owed. Spread it, or accept the overage as a credit.

The batch failed on one invoice and nothing saved. By design. Read the reason (usually a locked period or a missing revenue account on a draft), fix it, and re-enter.