Collect a customer payment

Version 2026.11 Reading time: 5 min Permission required: Record a payment

A collection is a payment received from the customer, entered once and then allocated to their open invoices. Any amount not allocated becomes a customer credit.

Where to collect a payment

In the customer's history: New collection or Collect payment.
In the customer account: New collection, or the Collect a payment for this invoice icon on an open invoice. The invoice is then selected automatically.

You need the Record a payment permission. Without it, CAPPS refuses to save.

Enter the collection

Enter the Amount received. From an invoice, it is prefilled with the balance due.
Check the Receipt date (today by default).
Choose the Payment method: Cash, Transfer, Card, Cheque or Bill of exchange. The method used last time for this customer is suggested, with the marker “last used”.

Complete the fields for the method:

Method	Fields
Cash	None
Transfer	Transfer reference (optional), Bank
Card	Transaction reference (optional)
Cheque	Cheque no. (required), Bank, Due date
Bill of exchange	Bill no. (required), Bank, Due date

Under Allocation, select the invoices paid and adjust the amount for each one, or click Allocate automatically: CAPPS pays from the oldest due date to the most recent. Clear removes the allocation.
Check the Received, Allocated and Customer credit summary, then click Collect payment.

The unallocated amount stays an unallocated collection: it is a customer credit. You can allocate it later (Allocate a collection icon in the customer account, or Allocate in the history) or refund it.

What CAPPS refuses or flags

Check or bill of exchange without a number, or a due date before the receipt date.
Amount allocated to an invoice higher than its balance due, or an allocation higher than the amount received.
Receipt date in the future (unless your branch allows future-dated collections), outside an open fiscal year, in a closed fiscal year or in a locked period.
Cash payment above the branch limit: “Cash payment refused: … exceeds the branch's cash limit”. Use another method (check, transfer, card). By default, there is no limit. Only the owner and administrators can set one.

Old date (more than 30 days by default): enter the Reason for the backdated entry, at least 5 characters.
If your company checks the cash total per customer, CAPPS may ask for a Reason for exceeding the limit or refuse the operation, depending on the chosen setting.
Same collection entered twice in less than 2 minutes: CAPPS warns you. Check the list, then click Save anyway only if it really is a second payment.
Invoice dated after the payment: just a warning, the allocation is made.

Use an existing credit

If the customer already has a credit, the Customer credit available banner shows it. From an invoice, the Use credit button pays the invoice without a new collection. In the customer account, use Allocate or Assign in Available credits, or Allocate all.

Settle a small balance

If an invoice keeps a balance that will not be paid, click the Settle the balance: difference, discount or loss icon in Open invoices. Choose Payment difference, Discount granted or Write-off, enter the amount and the Reason (required), then click Settle. The amount cannot exceed the balance due.