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Partial payments and payment plans

Not every customer pays the full amount at once. Maybe a dealer-to-dealer buyer is paying half now and half on delivery. Maybe a customer put down a deposit on a special order. CloudFFL OS handles partial payments without any extra setup.

Recording a partial payment

  1. Open the invoice and click Register Payment.
  2. In the payment dialog, change the Amount to the amount the customer is actually paying. For example, if the invoice is $1,099.98 and the customer is paying $500 now, enter 500.00.
  3. Select the correct Journal (bank account or cash).
  4. Click Create Payment.

The invoice now shows Partial status with the remaining balance displayed. The amount due drops from $1,099.98 to $599.98.

Recording the next payment

When the customer pays more against the same invoice:

  1. Open the same invoice (it still shows as partially paid with an open balance).
  2. Click Register Payment again.
  3. Enter the new payment amount.
  4. Click Create Payment.

You can record as many partial payments as needed. Each one reduces the remaining balance. When the total payments equal the invoice amount, the status moves to In Payment or Paid.

Using payment terms for installments

If you regularly offer payment plans — like 50% on order, 50% on delivery — you can set up payment terms to handle this automatically:

  1. Go to Accounting → Configuration → Payment Terms.
  2. Click New.
  3. Give it a name like "50/50 - Half Now, Half on Delivery."
  4. Add two lines:
    • 50% — Due immediately
    • 50% — Due in 30 days (or whenever you expect the second payment)
  5. Click Save.

When you use this payment term on an invoice, CloudFFL OS splits the amount due into two installments with separate due dates. This makes it easy to track what's been paid and what's still outstanding.

You can set default payment terms per customer. If a specific dealer always pays Net 30, go to their contact record, click the Sales & Purchase tab, and set their Payment Terms. Every new invoice for that customer will use those terms automatically.

Tracking what's owed

To see a quick view of all outstanding balances:

  • Aged Receivable report — Go to Accounting → Reporting → Aged Receivable to see who owes you money and how long it's been outstanding. This groups balances by 30/60/90 day buckets so you can spot slow payers.
  • Customer statements — CloudFFL OS can generate a statement showing all of a customer's invoices, payments, and outstanding balance. Useful for dealer-to-dealer accounts where you want to send a monthly summary.
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