Tracking Payments

Keep your books accurate by recording every payment. Tallie tracks what’s been paid, what’s outstanding, and updates invoice status automatically.

What You’ll Learn

• Recording payments from clients
• Understanding payment methods
• Viewing payment history
• Managing partial payments
• Deleting incorrect payments

Online Payments

When a client pays online through Tallie, you don’t need to record anything. Card payments show up on the invoice automatically. Bank (ACH) payments take a few business days to clear, and the invoice updates when they do.

Tips are recorded separately and don’t count toward the invoice balance. See Tips & Card Fees.

Recording a Payment

When a client pays you another way (check, cash, or outside Tallie), record it in Tallie to keep everything in sync.

From the Invoice Detail Page

1. Open the invoice
2. Click Record Payment in the action bar
3. Enter the payment details:
   • Amount - How much they paid
   • Method - How they paid (check, cash, card, etc.)
   • Reference - Check number, transaction ID, etc. (optional)
   • Received Date - When you received payment (optional)
   • Notes - Any additional details (optional)
4. Click Record Payment

The invoice updates immediately with the new payment.

From the Invoices List

1. Go to Invoices
2. Find the invoice
3. Click the three-dot menu
4. Select Record Payment

Payment Methods

Choose how the client paid:

Payment Reference

The reference field helps you match payments to bank records:

• Check: Enter the check number
• Card: Last 4 digits or transaction ID
• ACH: Transfer reference number
• Other: Any identifying information

This is optional but helpful for reconciliation.

Invoice Status Updates

Tallie automatically updates the invoice status based on payments:

When an invoice is Paid, the balance due shows $0.

Viewing Payment History

Every payment is tracked on the invoice:

1. Open the invoice
2. Scroll to Payment History
3. See all recorded payments with:
   • Date received
   • Payment method
   • Reference (if entered)
   • Amount

The history shows a complete record of all payments toward that invoice.

Partial Payments

Clients don’t always pay in full. Tallie handles partial payments gracefully:

Example: Standard Invoice with Partial Payment

1. You send a $10,000 invoice
2. Client pays $6,000 now
3. Record the payment
4. Status changes to Partial
5. Balance due shows $4,000
6. Client pays the remaining $4,000 later
7. Record the payment
8. Status changes to Paid

The Amount Paid card on the invoice shows the running total.

Payment Flow by Invoice Type

Different invoice types have slightly different payment flows:

Deposit Invoices (DEP-)

1. Send the deposit invoice to your client
2. Client pays the deposit amount (full deposit required before work)
3. Status changes to Paid when deposit is received
4. You’re cleared to start work

Important: Deposit invoices require the full deposit amount to be paid. Partial deposits aren’t allowed—this ensures you have the funds to cover materials before beginning.

Standard Invoices (INV-)

1. Send the invoice to your client
2. Client can pay any amount from $1 to the full balance
3. Status updates automatically:
   • Partial payment → Status: Partial
   • Full payment → Status: Paid

Final Invoices (INV-)

Final invoices are created after project completion when a deposit was collected earlier.

1. Complete the project in Tallie
2. Final invoice is created automatically with:
   • All original line items
   • Any approved change orders
   • Credit for the deposit already paid
3. Send to client for the remaining balance
4. Client pays the balance
5. Project is complete!

Example flow:

• Estimate: $10,000 with 50% deposit
• Deposit invoice (DEP-001): $5,000 → Paid ✓
• Change order during work: +$500
• Final invoice (INV-001): $5,500 ($10,000 + $500 - $5,000 deposit)

Understanding Balance Due on Final Invoices

When you view a final invoice, you’ll see how the balance was calculated:

This gives your clients a clear breakdown of what they’re paying for.

Deposits

Deposits work differently than regular payments:

How Deposits Work

1. You set the deposit on the estimate (amount or percentage)
2. Client approves → Deposit invoice (DEP-) is created automatically
3. You send the deposit invoice
4. Client pays the deposit → Invoice status changes to Paid
5. Work begins
6. Project completes → Final invoice is created, crediting the deposit

Deposit Requirements on Payment Links

• Deposit invoice: Client must pay the full deposit amount
• Standard/Final invoice: Client can pay any amount ($1 minimum)

This ensures you collect the full deposit before starting work.

Balance Due

The Balance Due card shows what’s still owed:

Total:       $10,000
Amount Paid:  $5,000
Balance Due:  $5,000

This updates automatically as you record payments.

Deleting a Payment

Made a mistake? You can remove incorrect payments:

1. Open the invoice
2. Find the payment in Payment History
3. Click the delete option (trash icon)
4. Confirm deletion

The invoice totals and status update automatically.

Note: Only delete payments that were entered incorrectly. For refunds, record a negative payment or contact support.

Summary Cards

The invoice detail page shows key payment info at a glance:

Filtering by Payment Status

From the main Invoices page, filter by status:

• All - Every invoice
• Draft - Not yet sent
• Scheduled - Set to send later
• Sent - Awaiting payment
• Partial - Some payment received
• Paid - Paid in full

Use Sent and Partial to see outstanding invoices that need attention.

Dashboard Stats

The Invoices page shows aggregate numbers:

• Outstanding - Sum of all unpaid amounts (Sent + Partial invoices)
• Paid - Sum of all fully paid invoices
• Total Value - Combined value of all invoices

These help you understand your overall accounts receivable at a glance.

Tips

• Record payments promptly - Keep your records current
• Use references - Makes bank reconciliation easier
• Check deposits first - Ensure deposits are paid before starting work
• Follow up on partial - Clients who’ve paid once will pay again
• Review outstanding regularly - Don’t let invoices slip through the cracks

Related Articles

• Creating Invoices
• Sending Invoices
• Payment Links
• Tips & Card Fees