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ckokaram
February 10, 2022
Question

How can I apply customer invoice payment to specific invoice line items?

  • February 10, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views

Using QuickBooks Desktop Pro, we create invoices with several items on them. If a customer makes a partial payment (or specifies how their payment is to be applied against the invoice's items), how can we apply that payment to a specific item on the invoice and not just toward the overall total of the invoice? Does using cash vs accrual method make a difference?

    2 replies

    MaryLandT
    MaryLandT
    February 10, 2022

    Hi there, ckokaram.

     

    In QuickBooks, payments are applied to the overall total of an invoice, not per line item. Here's how to record the partial payment.

     

    1. From the Customers menu, select Receive Payment.
    2. From the Received From drop-down, select the customer's name.
    3. Enter the Amount received.
    4. Make sure the date is correct, then choose a payment method.
    5. Select the invoice or invoices you'd like to pay.
    6. To add a discount or credit, select Discounts and Credits.
    7. Click Save & Close.

     

    When a customer pays you for an open invoice, you need to enter the payment in QuickBooks. Recording invoices is part of the Accounts Receivable workflow. 

     

    Also, cash and accrual are two methods of reporting income and expenses. The same report can paint a different picture depending on the method you pick. Here's a link to learn how these two methods work in QuickBooks: Differentiate Cash and Accrual basis.

     

    Keep me posted if there's anything else you need about applying a partial payment to an invoice. I'm always around to help you.

    C
    ckokaramAuthor
    February 10, 2022

    Thank you, I understand all the above. Is there the capability, though, to apply payments to invoice line items? Is this perhaps possible in Enterprises as opposed to Pro?

      G
      Giovann_G
      February 10, 2022

      Welcome back, ckokaram.

       

      I can share additional information about applying invoice payment to specific line items.

       

      Currently, it isn't possible yet to apply the payment to invoice line items. For now, it will automatically be applied to the overall total as stated by my colleague above. 

       

      I understand how important it is for you to have these features in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise or Pro. The addition of this feature is a fantastic idea for future development. I recommend submitting your product suggestion. Our Product Development team will review your request. Once approved, they might include it in future updates.

       

      Here's how:

       

      1. Go to the Help menu.
      2. Select Send Feedback Online.
      3. Choose Product Suggestion.
      4. Enter your feedback and suggestions.
      5. Once done, hit Send Feedback.

       

      In addition, I've added this article to learn how to filter your report to display only the information you need: Customize reports in QuickBooks Desktop

       

      Please don't hesitate to add any details below if you have further questions about applying for payments. We're always here to help you.

      T
      Teresa 5
      December 13, 2022

      This has been a problem for years.  It should be corrected.  One should be able to apply payments by line item, to reflect the actual intended payment from a customer and not have pro-rata percentage balances.  This is confusing and incorrect accounting.  I hope to hear that this will be looked at by the team that does the programming for this.  I tried to send in a request online and as we have a desktop version I do not have that option in the help area.  

      K
      Kurt_M
      December 13, 2022

      I appreciate you for joining the thread, @Teresa 5. I'll help you with this so you can send a feature request to our Product Development Team in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

       

      You'll want to navigate to your Help menu inside your QuickBooks Desktop company. I'll gladly input the steps below with a screenshot to guide you in sending your request. To begin, here's how:

       

      1. Access your QuickBooks Desktop company.
      2. Go to the Help menu.
      3. Select Send Feedback Online.
      4. Choose Product Suggestion, and then enter a brief description of your feature request.
      5. Once done, click Send Feedback.

       

      For visual reference, see the photo attached below:

       

       

       

       

      Additionally, here's an article in case you'd like to create custom templates for your forms: Use and customize form templates.

       

      You can also check this page about modifying a report and adding other details to it in QBDT: Customize reports in QuickBooks Desktop.

       

      I'll be here in the Community space in case you have any additional QuickBooks-related concerns, @Teresa 5. Take care, and have nice day! 

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