To apply a customer credit (Receive Payments window)

Note: Before you can apply a customer credit, you must first create the credit. (Entering customer credits and returns)

1. This alert should appear: "You have $XX in outstanding credit memos on file with this customer." You have three choices:

Note:  The alert message may be different if you have only open orders

• Click Apply Credits if you want to settle the customer credit against any open invoices for this customer. The outstanding credit memos will be automatically applied to the oldest invoices first. This transaction will be automatically created. You're done!

• Click Open Register if you'd like to use the Sales Register to choose how the customer credit will be settled. Proceed to step 2.

• Click Cancel if you don't want to settle the customer credit at this time. You're done!

2. The Returns & Credits view of the Sales Register appears. You can view credits for all or just one of your customers.

To view sales for one customer, select Customer in the Search by field, then enter the customer's name in the second field.

3. A list of the customer's credits appears. Highlight the credit you wish to apply.

Note:  Categories assigned to credits must match the categories for the invoices or orders to which the credits are applied

4. Click the Apply to Sale button. The Settle Returns & Credits window appears, listing all open sales assigned to the customer.



5. Depending on your selections in the Preferences window, amounts may appear automatically in a scrolling list in the Amount Applied column. Use this column to designate the sales to which you want to apply the customer credit. If amounts appear here, take a moment to review them.

If you marked "Apply Receive Payments Automatically to Oldest Invoice First" in the Sales view of the Preferences window, amounts will appear next to the oldest invoices at the top of the scrolling list in the Settle Returns & Credits window. You will usually apply credits to your customers' oldest open sales. However, you can apply a credit to any one or more transactions in the list. Keep in mind that the total amount you apply in the Amount Applied column must equal the amount that appears in the Credit Amount field.

6. Enter the amount you want to apply in the appropriate field in the Amount Applied column.



7. If you want to apply a customer credit to any unpaid finance charges the customer has accrued, enter the customer credit amount in the Finance Charge field.



8. If you wish to give a discount to the customer for a particular sale, enter a discount amount in the sale's Discount column.



9. Click Record. At this point, one of these events will occur:

• If the Settle Returns & Credits window closes, you successfully applied the customer credit, and you're done!

• If the total amount entered in the Amount Applied column doesn't equal the amount displayed in the Credit Amount field at the top of the window, an alert message will appear, explaining that an unbalanced transaction can't be recorded. Click OK to close the message, then continue to step 10.

10. To balance the transaction, you can change either the total amount in the Amount Applied column or the amount that's displayed in the Credit Amount field.

If you change the Credit Amount field amount, keep in mind that you can enter only an amount that is less than the original customer credit amount. If you choose to do this, the credit won't be fully applied; the remaining amount will continue to appear as a customer credit.

11. Click Record to apply the customer credit.

Related topic

• Entering customer credits and returns