The Payments screen is used to record customer payments against invoices, apply available customer credit, and record customer payments that do not yet have an invoice.
What this screen is for
Use Payments when customer money has been received and needs to be recorded in PAX.
The Payments screen opens the invoice list in payment mode. It looks similar to Invoicing, but the main action is Log Payment instead of invoice document work.
Use this screen for:
- Logging payment against an open or partially paid invoice.
- Applying available customer credit to an invoice.
- Recording a payment without an invoice so it becomes customer credit.
Do not use Payments to edit invoice lines, ship inventory, create Sales Orders, or maintain customer master data. Use the related Sales screens for those workflows.
Screen path
Dashboard > Sales > Payments
Who can record payments
The Sales section appears for users with Sales access. Payment recording is permission-restricted. In normal operation, payment posting is intended for users such as admin, executive, and csr.
If you can open the Payments screen but receive a permission error when opening or recording a payment, ask an admin to review your role.
Key areas
Search
The search box appears at the top of the screen with this placeholder:
Search invoices (number, order, customer PO, customer code, customer name)...
When the search box is empty, PAX shows recent invoices from the last 6 months for performance. To find older invoices, enter a search term.
Search checks invoice number, Sales Order number, customer PO, customer code, and customer name.
Invoice list
The invoice table shows the same core invoice information used by Invoicing.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Expand arrow | Opens or closes invoice detail inside the list. |
Invoice # |
Invoice number. |
Order # / Customer PO |
Sales Order number and customer PO. |
Customer Code |
Customer code. Selecting it opens customer detail. |
Customer Name |
Customer name. |
Invoice Date |
Invoice date. |
Due Date |
Due date from the invoice terms. |
Total Amount |
Invoice total less completed returns shown in the list. |
Status |
Invoice status. |
Actions |
Shows Log Payment or Paid. |
PAX shows the first 50 invoices in the list, then loads more as you scroll.
Expanded invoice details
Select the expand arrow on a row to review invoice header details, invoice lines, and totals before recording payment.
In payment mode, expanded invoice detail is for review. Invoice document buttons such as Print Invoice, Print Packing List, and Email Invoice are not shown from this screen.
Log Payment modal
Selecting Log Payment opens the payment form for that invoice.
The modal shows:
| Area | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Header | Log Payment - Invoice {invoice_id} and a PREPAID ORDER or NET TERMS badge when payment information is available. |
| Invoice summary | Customer, order number, invoice or order total, returns, total paid, and balance due. |
| Early payment discount | Discount terms and eligibility when the terms code supports early payment discount syntax. |
| Manual discount | Optional percent or amount discount applied to invoice subtotal excluding shipping. |
| Customer credit | Available customer credit and an option to apply it to the invoice. |
| GL preview | Expected payment, fee, prepayment, receivable, and discount entries. |
| Payment form | Amount, payment date, method, reference, and optional fee fields. |
Payment methods are:
CheckACHEFTWireCredit CardCashOther
Check requires a check number. ACH, EFT, Wire, Credit Card, Cash, and Other allow an optional reference.
When Credit Card, Wire, or EFT is selected, PAX shows an optional fee field and net amount received.
Log Payment Without Invoice
The Log Payment Without Invoice button opens a customer-credit payment workflow. Use it when money has been received from a customer but should not be applied to a specific invoice yet.
This workflow requires a customer, amount, payment date, payment method, and check number when the method is Check.
Main actions
- Search for an invoice by invoice number, order number, customer PO, customer code, or customer name.
- Expand an invoice to review line details and totals.
- Select a customer code to open Customer Detail.
- Select
Log Paymentto record a payment against an invoice. - Select
Apply customer credit to this invoicewhen existing customer credit should be used instead of recording new cash. - Select
Log Payment Without Invoiceto create customer credit when no invoice should be selected.
Important fields and statuses
| Field or status | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Open |
Invoice has an unpaid balance. | Use Log Payment when payment has been received. |
Partially Paid |
One or more payments have been applied, but the invoice is not fully paid. | Additional payments can be recorded if balance remains. |
Paid |
Invoice is fully paid. | The action button shows Paid and is disabled. |
Void |
Invoice has been voided. | Do not record payment against a void invoice unless your company has confirmed the correction path. |
Payment Amount |
Amount being recorded or applied. | Must be greater than zero for new payment entries. |
Payment Date |
Date of the payment. | Defaults to the current date when the modal opens. |
Payment Method |
How payment was received. | Controls the reference label and fee field availability. |
Reference |
Check number, ACH reference, EFT reference, wire confirmation, or other payment reference. | Check payments require a check number. |
Fee |
Credit card, wire, or EFT fee. | PAX shows net amount received when a fee is entered. |
Customer Credit Balance |
Available customer credit for the invoice customer. | Can be applied from the payment modal when credit exists. |
What happens behind the scenes
Opening Payments loads invoice data and shipment status data for display. Searching, expanding rows, and reviewing invoice detail do not change invoices, payments, accounting, or customer credit.
When a payment is recorded against an invoice, PAX validates the invoice and payment amount, creates a payment record, and updates invoice status to Partially Paid or Paid when the payment and discount totals cover the invoice balance.
PAX handles payment accounting through the configured payment posting logic. The GL preview shows the expected accounting direction before the payment is recorded:
| Situation | Previewed accounting direction |
|---|---|
| Net-terms invoice payment | Debit cash, credit accounts receivable. |
| Prepaid order payment | Debit cash, credit customer prepayments. |
| Payment without invoice | Debit cash, credit customer prepayments. |
| Credit card, wire, or EFT fee | Debit cash for the net amount, debit the fee account, and credit receivables or prepayments for the full payment amount. |
| Early or manual discount | Debit sales discounts and credit receivables or prepayments. |
When existing customer credit is applied to an invoice, PAX links available unallocated payment records to the invoice in FIFO order. If the last available payment is larger than the remaining invoice balance, PAX splits that payment so only the needed amount is linked to the invoice and the remainder stays available as customer credit.
Recording a payment without an invoice creates an unlinked prepayment for the customer. It increases available customer credit and does not create an invoice, Sales Order, shipment, or customer master change.
Troubleshooting
The invoice is not listed
Likely cause: The default list only shows recent invoices from the last 6 months, or the search term does not match the invoice.
Safe fix: Search by exact invoice number, order number, customer PO, customer code, or customer name.
Contact support if: The invoice exists but cannot be found by exact invoice number.
The action button says Paid
Likely cause: The invoice status is already Paid.
Safe fix: Do not record another payment against the invoice. Review customer payment history or Customer Detail if the customer says another payment was sent.
Contact support if: The invoice should still have a balance but is marked Paid.
Payment information fails to load
Likely cause: Your role may not allow payment posting, or PAX could not load the selected invoice's payment information.
Safe fix: Reopen Payments and try again. If the issue repeats, ask an admin to review your role and the invoice status.
Contact support if: Your role is correct and payment information still fails to load.
A payment was recorded incorrectly
Likely cause: The wrong invoice, customer, amount, date, method, discount, fee, or reference was entered.
Safe fix: Do not enter a second payment just to offset the first one unless your company has an approved correction process. Contact the finance owner or support so the correction preserves receivables, customer credit, and accounting history.
Contact support if: The payment has already affected invoice status, customer credit, or GL reporting.