OltranoDeposits and customer credit
Money a customer has already given you is the easiest thing in accounting to lose track of — and the most embarrassing, because they remember.
A deposit on a document
On a quote or an invoice, set a deposit: a percentage or a fixed amount. Oltrano issues a separate deposit invoice for it, linked to the original. When the full invoice is issued, the deposit already paid is applied against it, so the customer is asked for the difference, not the whole thing twice.
The deposit invoice carries the VAT rate of the document it came from, not your organisation default. A deposit on an exempt job must not go out with tax on it — this is the kind of error that is invisible until a VAT inspection.
A retainer with no invoice yet
Record a payment without attaching it to a document. It becomes credit on the customer's account: it shows on their statement as money in their favour, and it reduces what they owe you overall. Later, apply it to an invoice — in full or in part.
Credit from a credit note
A credit note that is not applied to a specific invoice leaves credit on the account. Same mechanism: visible on the statement, available to apply.
Why it shows on the statement
Because the alternative is a customer who sees a smaller balance than they expect and does not know why. Unapplied money appears as its own line, in the negative, with its date and reference — so the balance is explainable without anyone opening a ledger.
Refunding it
Record a negative payment with a reference. The credit drops, the statement shows the movement, and the audit trail keeps who did it and when.
Questions people actually ask
Does a deposit invoice count towards my revenue?
That depends on your country and your accounting basis, and it is a question for your accountant. What Oltrano guarantees is that the deposit, the final invoice and the application between them are all recorded and linked.
What VAT rate goes on a deposit invoice?
The rate from the document it came from. If the source document has several rates, the highest-value one is used, and you can change it before issuing.
Can a customer have credit and overdue invoices at the same time?
Yes, and the statement shows both. Credit is not automatically applied to the oldest invoice, because which invoice it pays is a decision with consequences — you make it.
Next
- Send a customer a statement of accountEverything a customer owes, how old it is, and one button for all of them.
- Charge a saved card automaticallySave a card once, bill it on the due date, and handle the refusals properly.