Part payments
Part payments: record what came in, chase the balance
Not every client pays in one go. Record the amount that came in and the invoice shows Part paid with the balance still owing. The PDF prints both, your payment reminders chase the balance instead of the original total, and you can send a receipt for what’s been paid so far.
What is a part payment?
A part payment is when a client pays some of an invoice now and the rest later. Half this week, half when the next pay run comes through. If your records still say they owe the full amount, your reminders ask for money they’ve already paid, and nobody likes getting that email.
In Sammy the invoice keeps count. It shows what’s been paid and what’s left, and everything that goes to your client follows the balance.
How it works
- Open the invoice, tap Actions, then Record payment. On a computer, Actions is in the bottom-right corner.
- Type the amount that came in. The full balance is filled in for you, so type a smaller figure for a part payment.
- Check the date and how they paid. Today is filled in. The method is optional: bank transfer, cash, card, cheque or other.
- Send a receipt if you like. Turn on Email a receipt and the receipt email opens as soon as you confirm, ready to check and send.
- Record the rest when it lands. Tap Record payment again. The balance is filled in, and the invoice turns Paid.
What changes on the invoice
- Its status. The invoice shows Part paid, with the balance still owing.
- The PDF. It prints the amount paid and the balance due.
- Your reminders. A part payment doesn’t stop them. Sammy keeps politely chasing the rest, and each reminder shows the balance still owing, not the original total. See payment reminders.
- Your receipts. The receipt shows the amount received so far and the balance still owing. A second part payment adds to that figure, so it always reads as a receipt to date.
Invoices remember who they go to. Pick the person in To when you send, say the client’s accounts person, and the reminders and receipts go to them too.
Using Xero or QuickBooks?
Record the payment in Xero or QuickBooks, not in Sammy. Sammy picks it up within the hour, or straight away when you open the invoice: it shows Part paid with the amount still owing, the reminders ask for what’s left, and it turns Paid once it’s paid in full there.
While an invoice is synced, Record payment in Sammy is locked, so the same payment can’t be counted twice. A credit note isn’t a payment: it lowers what your client owes, but no money came in, so Sammy doesn’t count it as paid.
Questions tradies ask
I recorded a payment by mistake. How do I fix it?
Open the invoice, tap Actions, then Remove payment and confirm. The payment comes off, a paid invoice goes back to Sent, and the full amount shows as owing again. If a part payment was the wrong amount, remove it and record the right one.
Does Remove payment refund my client?
No. It only fixes your records in Sammy.
Can I just tell Sammy the invoice is paid?
For a payment in full, yes. A part payment is recorded on the invoice itself, with Record payment.
What about deposits and progress claims?
Each claim is its own invoice, so it can be part paid, chased and receipted like any other. See payment schedules and progress claims.
Is the receipt another tax invoice?
No. It’s a one-page payment receipt that references the invoice by number, with the invoice total, the GST included, the amount received and the balance remaining. Your client already has the tax invoice. Send the receipt as many times as you need.