Split lets a customer pay one invoice in more than one way — $200 in cash and the rest by cheque, a deposit by e-Transfer with the balance on account — while you save the invoice. Each part (a leg) is recorded as its own payment, with its own method, amount, reference and, if your company uses it, its own Deposit To account. Whatever is not paid can be left owing on the customer's account.
Opening Split
On a new invoice with at least one line, click Split under the main save button. The Split Payment dialog opens, showing the invoice total at the top.
Step by step
- Check the REMAINING figure — at first, the whole invoice.
- In This payment — blank = remaining $…, type the amount of the first part, or leave it blank to pay everything that remains.
- In Reference — cheque no., card approval, e-transfer ref (optional), type the cheque number, the approval code from a standalone card machine, or the e-Transfer reference.
- If Deposit To is shown, leave it empty to send this part to the account its method posts to — cash to your cash account, a debit or credit card, cheque or e-Transfer to the bank account set for that method — or choose another account for this part only.
- Click the method button: Cash, Debit, Credit, e-Transfer or Cheque. Each button shows the amount it will record, for example Cheque $300.00.
- The part appears as a chip showing the account it goes to (for example "Cheque $300.00 → Chequing" or "Cash $100.00 → Cash") and REMAINING goes down. Deposit To empties again for the next part. Repeat for the next part.
- When REMAINING reaches zero, the invoice is saved and paid.
- To leave the rest owing, click On Account $… instead — it appears once at least one part is recorded and something remains.
SeroBooks then saves the invoice, records each part as a payment and carries out the When this is saved choices (print, email) as for any invoice.
The Split Payment dialog
| Item | What it is / what it does |
|---|---|
| Total | The invoice's grand total, at the top right. |
| REMAINING | What is still to be paid. Amber while money remains; green when fully paid. |
| Recorded parts | One chip per part: method, amount and, if chosen, the Deposit To account. Click a chip to undo that part. |
| This payment — blank = remaining $… | The amount of the next part. Left blank (or 0), it is whatever remains. More than what remains is reduced to what remains. |
| Reference — cheque no., card approval, e-transfer ref (optional) | The reference for the next part. It is stored on that payment. |
| Deposit To | Where the next part is deposited. Left empty (Left empty, each payment goes to the account its method posts to.), the part goes to its method's account: cash to the cash account, a card to the bank. An account you choose applies to the next part only. Shown only when your company chooses a Deposit To account per payment; when the company preference sends payments to Undeposited Funds, it is not shown and every part goes there. See Undeposited Funds and the Deposit To account. |
| Cash, Debit, Credit, e-Transfer, Cheque | Record the next part by that method. |
| On Account $… | Finishes the split, leaving the remaining amount owing on the customer's account. |
| Cancel | Closes the dialog and discards every part recorded in it; the invoice is not saved. |
The line at the bottom reads Tap a recorded leg to undo it.
Where the references appear
The reference typed for each part is kept on that payment, exactly as for a single payment. It shows:
- on the invoice's Payments on this invoice card (Ref …);
- on the printed invoice and on that part's payment receipt;
- in the customer's ledger, where each part is its own line with its own method (for example one line for Debit 65.00 and one for Cash 100.00);
- on the customer's statement.
Each part is its own payment
As in QuickBooks, a split of $65 by debit card and $100 in cash is two payments, not one. Each opens as its own Receipt with its own Method, Deposit to and Change link: the cash part shows your cash account, the debit part your bank account, and changing one does not move the other. The receipt says what it was paid with — Paid together with and the other parts (and any change handed back) — and clicking one opens that payment. Delete receipt… on one part removes that part only; the invoice then shows the rest as still owing.
What posts
Each part is a separate payment: debit its own Deposit To account (or Undeposited Funds), credit Accounts Receivable. A $65 debit and $100 cash split posts $65 to the bank and $100 to the cash account. The invoice itself posts as any invoice does (see Create Invoices). If you finished with On Account, the remainder stays in Accounts Receivable and ages by the invoice's terms until you receive the payment.
Card payments through a connected terminal
If your company has a card terminal connected, a Debit or Credit part is charged on the terminal before it is recorded. A declined or cancelled card shows Card declined / cancelled — leg not added. A card part that the terminal charged cannot be undone in the dialog, and Cancel is then unavailable (Card legs are locked in — cancel is unavailable.): finish the split, or refund the card on the terminal first. Debit and credit parts keyed from a standalone machine are not locked.
Tips
- Leave the amount blank for the last part — it takes exactly what remains.
- For a deposit on a large job, record the deposit and click On Account for the balance.
- Put cash and cheques in their own Deposit To accounts (or in Undeposited Funds) so each bank deposit matches your bank statement.
Common problems
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Split is grey. | Add at least one line to the invoice. |
| A part went to the wrong method. | Click its chip to undo it and record it again (not possible for a part charged on a connected terminal). |
| A part went to the wrong account. | Open that part's receipt from the invoice or the customer's ledger and click Change next to Deposit to. Only that part moves. |
| On Account is not shown. | Record at least one part first; it appears while something remains. |
| The customer will pay the rest later. | Use On Account $…, then take the rest in Receive Payments. |