When you receive a payment from a Hirer you should record it as follows:

1. Click on the Accounts button on the toolbar followed by the Record Receipt link in the task list to display the New Receipt form.

2. Use the Select Name form to select the Hirer who has paid and click the OK button. This displays any outstanding invoices, credit notes and on account payments showing the original value of the item and the amount outstanding.

3. Complete the form as follows:

• Date Received: Enter the date the payment was received
• Reference: Enter any reference information you require (e.g. cheque no, name of person making payment)
• Payment Method: Select the way in which they are paying
• Amount Received: Enter the amount you have received from them

4. Click on the Auto-Allocate link in the task list to automatically allocate the amount received to the outstanding items. This will complete the Allocated column in the list of Transactions.

5. Carefully check the values in the Allocated column to ensure that it has allocated the Amount to the correct items and if it hasn't, change the values by over-typing them with the correct value. Credits and On Account payments are shown as negative values because they result in the amount owing by the Hirer to be reduced and a negative value should be entered in the Allocated column against these lines.
6. Click on Save to save the Receipt and allocate the allocated amounts to the corresponding invoices and credit notes. Any invoices which have been paid in full are then marked as paid on the Accounts page.

What happens when I save a receipt?

When you save a receipt the amount entered in the Allocated column against each line is used to adjust the amount outstanding on the corresponding invoice, credit or on account payment. For example:

• Allocating £45 to an invoice with £45 outstanding will mark the invoice as paid
• Allocating £50 to an invoice with £75 outstanding will leave £25 outstanding.
• Allocating -£70 to a credit or on account payment of -£70 will leave nothing outstanding on that item.

What if a Hirer pays some money in advance or has paid more than the invoices we have raised?

The procedure to follow is exactly as above except that any payment which cannot be allocated to an outstanding item is shown as a single value next to Unallocated. When you click on Save you will be asked to confirm that you want to save the unallocated amount as a "payment on account". When you receive another payment from the Hirer you will be able to allocate the new payment, along with the payment on account, to the outstanding items. Alternatively when you raise an invoice which corresponds to the amount they paid on account you can record a receipt of a zero amount and allocate the payment on account to the invoice you have raised.

What if a Hirer does not pay enough to cover a whole invoice?

If a Hirer pays an invoice in part (e.g. the invoice is for £50 but they only pay £25) enter just the amount paid in the Allocated column. This will leave the unpaid part of the invoice outstanding when you save the receipt such that when you receive another payment from the Hirer you will be able to allocate the amount paid to the part paid invoice.

How do I allocate a payment on account to an invoice raised at a later date?

To allocate a payment on account to one or more invoices use the Record a Receipt task and select the Hirer from the list. Then, leaving the Amount Received as zero, complete the Allocated column as follows:

• In the Allocated column against the payment on account enter the value of the payment on account as a negative value (e.g. -150.00)
• In the Allocated column against the invoice (or invoices), enter the amount of the payment on account to be allocated to the invoice as a positive value (e.g. 150.00)

Then check that the total of all the values entered in the Allocated column is zero before clicking the Save button. Finally, on the Accounts page check that the invoices are marked as Paid. NB. If the Accounts page is set to only show Outstanding Items the invoices will not show and this indicates that they have been paid.

What happens if I delete a receipt?

When you delete a receipt any invoices which were paid using the sum they paid become outstanding again.