In this guide, you will learn how to handle payments for sales invoices in Netvisor. The guide explains how to add a new payment, different handling options such as overpayments and partial payments, and how to handle foreign currency payments and cash discount situations.
CONTENTS
For a sales invoice to be marked as paid, a payment must exist on the invoice. If you only change the invoice status to paid, the invoice still remains open in reconciliation and differs from the bookkeeping balance. For sales invoices to be marked as paid automatically, both a bank statement and a machine-readable reference payment material must be received from the bank into Netvisor (agreed with a payments traffic contract). Sometimes a sales invoice is not automatically marked as paid based on the bank statement, or a payment must be added to the sales invoice manually. An invoice is considered paid only when the payments recorded on the invoice equal the invoice amount.
Allocating a payment
The reference number is allocated primarily to the oldest sales invoice or sales order with a matching reference number, provided that the sales order has not been archived. If the sales order with the matching reference number has already been invoiced, the system attempts to allocate the payment to the invoice created from that order.
Arrival of payments
To receive machine-readable reference payments from the bank to Netvisor, you must agree on this with the bank in the payments traffic contract. Reference payments may arrive at a different time than the bank statement, and payments may already be visible in the payments list even if the bank statement has not yet arrived. Reference payments are imported from the bank into Netvisor once a day. The material for the previous day normally arrives on the morning of the next banking day.
Creating a new payment
You can add a payment to a sales invoice
By creating a new payment directly from the sales invoice
Via the bank statement editing view using the function add new sales transaction
By creating a new payment via the payments view
From the unallocated reference payments view (on the front page under exceptions and notifications)
1. Directly via the sales invoice
Open the view by selecting Sales > Sales invoices > select an open invoice.
Find the desired open invoice in accounts receivable and open the invoice.
In the sales invoice functions, select Add payment.
The Add payment function opens the new payment view.
In the new payment view:
Select the bank account to which the payment has been received (To account).
Select the payment date.
If necessary, change the payment amount (for example, instalments).
Select a different payment method if the payment was not received in a bank account.
If necessary, create an entirely new payment method via sales basic data.
The handling types are described in more detail later in this guide.
Save creates the payment on the invoice and a voucher in bookkeeping.
Finally, you can link the voucher to the bank statement in the bank statement editing view.
2. Via the bank statement
Open the function by selecting Financials > Bank statements > select a bank statement > Edit.
In the bank statement editing view, select the bank statement row for which you want to record a payment to an open invoice.
Select Other transaction > Add new sales transaction.
Use the link to go to the sales invoice list.
Find the invoice related to the payment.
At the end of the correct invoice row, in the drop-down triangle, select new payment.
This instruction does not apply to machine-readable reference material, which is described later in this guide.
When you allocate the payment to the desired invoice:
A sales transaction (MS voucher) is created in bookkeeping.
The payment is displayed under payments in the sales invoice.
The number of the created MS voucher is also shown on the bank statement.
3. Via the payments view
Sales > Payments > New payment.
Open Sales > Payments > New payment.
Enter the payment details and save.
After saving the new payment, the program opens the payment allocating view, where you can allocate the payment to an existing invoice.
If you do not allocate the payment to any invoice, select Do not allocate as handling type from the menu.
When you allocate the payment to the desired invoice, a sales transaction (MS voucher) is created in bookkeeping and the payment appears under payments on the sales invoice.
If the sales invoice did not have a sales invoice (ML) voucher before adding the payment, an ML voucher is automatically created when you add the sales transaction.
4. Via the unallocated reference payments view (on the front page under exceptions and notifications)
Open the view by selecting Sales > Payments > Unallocated reference payments or from the front page under exceptions and notifications via the unallocated reference payments widget.
Check that the payment has been received from the bank as a machine-readable reference payment and has not been allocated to any invoice.
In the unallocated reference payments widget or on the Sales > Payments page, on the payment row, select the Allocate link.
Select the invoice to be allocated and the appropriate handling type.
If you do not allocate the payment to any invoice, select Do not allocate as handling type.
The front page widget shows unallocated reference payments from the open financial period. When you close the financial period, the unallocated reference payments disappear from the front page. When you reopen the period, the unallocated reference payments reappear if they have not been allocated. If the payment has a voucher, releasing the allocation does not update the invoice status.
Note If you change the invoice status to paid and a machine-readable reference later arrives for the invoice, the payment will remain in unallocated reference payments and you must handle it manually.
Machine-readable reference material cannot be handled via the bank statement view.
Payment methods and handling types
Payment methods (1) can be used instead of bank accounts when recording a manual payment (To account).
You can use payment methods, for example, to record credit card payments instead of a bank account.
You can add new payment methods and their default receivable accounts (credit cards, etc.).
You can add a payment method by selecting Sales > Basic data and settings > Payment methods > New payment method.
Handling type (2)
The bookkeeping accounts for all handling types can be defined in default accounts in bookkeeping. Handling types cannot be added, edited or deleted.
Normal
Records the payment normally according to the payment account and the default accounts receivable account.
Rounding difference
Records the difference between the payment and invoice amounts on the rounding differences default account.
Example: The invoice amount is 100 €, and the payment is 100.01 €. When you use the rounding difference handling type, the entire payment of 100.01 € is recorded so that 100 € is posted to the default account for sales transactions and 0.01 € to the default account for rounding differences.
This handling type cannot be used to record only the rounding difference; instead, it handles the entire incoming payment.
Discount
Use this when the payment is less than the original invoice amount.
Select discount as handling type for the entire payment.
The unpaid part is recorded to the default account for sales discounts.
The change in VAT liability is taken into account on the voucher.
Partial payment
Records a partial payment normally according to the payment account and the default accounts receivable account.
Overpayment to be clarified
Records the overpayment to the account defined for overpayment posting.
The payer information for the payment is recorded as Overpayment adjustment (visible on the payments page).
If you want the overpayment to appear in the Overpayments view (Sales > Overpayments), select Normal as handling type.
You can find the instructions regarding overpayments here.
Collection
Use this when a collection charge has been added to the invoice and the customer pays the invoice including collection charges.
The collection charge is posted to the collection account defined in system default accounts.
The payer information for the payment is recorded as Collection charge paid by customer (visible on the payments page).
In Netvisor, the collection charge is not added to the invoice principal, but this handling type corrects both accounts receivable and bookkeeping and posts the collection charges to bookkeeping.
You can also use this posting method when the customer pays only the collection charge separately.
Do not allocate
Use this when the payment is not intended to be allocated to any invoice.
The payment is recorded normally according to the payment account and the default accounts receivable account.
The description for the payment is recorded as Payment not allocated to invoice, [payer name].
Credit loss
Updates the invoice status to credit loss.
Records the payment as a credit loss.
Foreign currency payment
If the invoice is in a currency other than euro and the payment is made in a foreign currency, add the payment manually from the sales invoice functions via Add payment.
Open the sales invoice that is in a currency other than euro.
In the sales invoice functions, select Add payment.
Enter the original invoice amount in the currency amount field.
Enter the euro amount received on the bank statement in the amount field.
The foreign exchange difference is automatically posted to the exchange differences account. For the automatic posting of exchange differences to work, an account for sales foreign exchange differences must be saved in default accounts in bookkeeping: accounts used in default posting.
If a cent or two remains open on the invoice in either the euro or currency amount and the other currency amount is zero, this can be corrected by entering the payment manually on the invoice. In the example below, one cent remained open on the invoice in euros, while the currency amount matched. Enter a payment on the invoice with the desired payment method, such as foreign exchange difference.
This creates payment rows in which the program attempts to correct this difference. Open the payments and delete the exchange difference payment by clicking it and selecting delete. After this, the open amount on the invoice should be zero.
Using the payments view
Sales > Payments > Payments
Basic search
In the search field in the payments view, you can search payments by reference number or payer name.
You can refine the basic search by using the drop-down menu on the right side of the search field.
Open the drop-down menu on the right side of the search field.
Select one or more search terms.
Payments are listed according to the selected search criteria while the search window is open.
If the search window is closed, the basic search works without separate search criteria.
If you do not restrict the search criteria at all, you can list all payments by clicking the Search button. In this case, all recorded and reference-based payments are listed.
You can allocate, edit, delete or mass post the searched payments. Allocation and mass posting are performed in the payments list view.
Editing a payment
Editing a payment requires edit rights to payment management, which are set in function-specific rights. You can access payment editing either directly from the sales invoice or via the Sales > Payments view.
On the sales invoice, proceed as follows:
On the sales invoice, click the Payments link.
Drill down to the invoice payments via the reference number.
Click the payer name.
Edit the payment details and save.
If the payment has been received as a machine-readable reference payment, you can edit only the name, payment date and amount.
Note If you change the payment date when editing the allocation, the payment will appear on the bank statement of the selected payment date instead of the original bank statement.
A manual payment and a machine-readable reference payment differ in that a manual payment can be deleted but a machine-readable payment cannot. The allocation of a machine-readable payment can be released and handled or reallocated if necessary (see section releasing the allocation of a machine-readable reference payment).
Deleting a payment
Deleting an allocated payment requires bookkeeping (KP) rights.
Deleting a single payment
A payment is deleted in the Sales > Payments > Payments view.
Open Sales > Payments > Payments.
In the payments list, click the payer name to open detailed payment information.
In the view that opens, select the delete payment function.
It is not possible to delete a machine-readable reference payment. If necessary, you can release its allocation or edit the amount (see section releasing the allocation of a machine-readable reference payment).
Note Changes made to a payment via editing are not automatically updated to the bookkeeping voucher; you must update the payment voucher manually.
Deleting a payment invalidates the related sales transaction voucher if no other payments are recorded on that voucher. Deleting the payment does not change the invoice status back to open; you must update the invoice status via the sales invoice list using the Update status function.
Deleting payments in bulk
You can delete payments in bulk in the Sales > Payments > Payments view.
Open Sales > Payments > Payments.
In the list, select the desired payments using the checkboxes.
At the bottom right of the view, click the Delete payments button.
Machine-readable reference payments cannot be deleted in bulk, nor can their allocations be released in bulk.
Note Changes made to a payment via editing are not automatically updated to the bookkeeping voucher; you must ensure that the payment voucher is updated manually.
Deleting a payment invalidates the related sales transaction voucher if no other payments are recorded on that voucher. Deleting the payment does not change the invoice status back to open; you must change it via the sales invoice list using the Update status function.
If you want to handle a payment without allocating it, proceed as follows:
Open Sales > Payments > Payments.
Next to the payment, click the blue allocate link.
On the next page, select Do not allocate as handling type.
If you handle a payment without allocating it to any invoice, it does not affect accounts receivable balances. The MS voucher created by this function must be invalidated if you do not want it to remain in bookkeeping.
Releasing the allocation of a machine-readable reference payment
You can release the allocation of an incorrectly allocated machine-readable reference payment in the Sales > Payments view.
Open Sales > Payments > Payments.
In the search, set processing status to All because the payment is allocated.
Using suitable search criteria, find the desired payment.
From the view that opens after the search, you can click either the payer name or the edit button at the end of the row.
Releasing the allocation also invalidates the payment voucher. The payment is moved back to unallocated reference payments, where you can handle it again. Note If you change the payment date when editing the allocation, the payment will appear on the bank statement of the selected payment date instead of the original bank statement.
Handling batch payments
Batch payment with reference (customer pays multiple invoices with one reference)
A payment cannot be allocated directly to multiple invoices. In this situation, proceed as follows:
First allocate the incoming reference payment to one invoice.
Then find this payment in the Sales > Payments list.
Edit the payment amount to match the invoice to which the payment was allocated.
Also edit the payment voucher to reflect the new payment amount.
Find the remaining invoices covered by the batch payment in the sales invoice list.
For these invoices, record manual payments with the batch payment date and bank account (Sales invoice functions > Add payment).
When you have recorded manual payments for all invoices, the bank statement matches for these items.
Batch payment without reference (customer pays multiple invoices as an account transfer, no reference)
A batch payment without reference is handled with small differences compared to the previous case:
Find the invoices that were paid with the batch payment.
For these invoices, record manual payments using the batch payment date.
Note the numbers of the created MS vouchers.
Go to the bank statement editing view.
In bank statement editing, select Other transaction and then Link voucher.
Link all the above vouchers to the bank statement batch payment row one by one.
Mass posting of payments
Mass posting of payments is found at the bottom of the payments view.
Mass posting requires a posting rule to be created for the company. Instructions for posting rules can be found here.
Open Sales > Payments > Payments.
In the list, select the payments to be posted.
Select an appropriate posting rule.
Enter the necessary posting details to record the payments in bookkeeping.
Click Mass post selected payments.
When mass posting, you can select whether the selected rows are posted on the same voucher or each on its own voucher.
If posted on separate vouchers, the voucher date will be the payment date.
If posted on a single voucher, the voucher date will be the current date.
Unallocated reference payments
In unallocated reference payments (under exceptions and notifications on the front page) you can allocate payments to invoices, post payments using a pre-created posting rule or select that the payment is handled without allocating.
The payer name is received from the bank and can be a maximum of 12 characters (this limit is set by the bank).
Allocation is started via the Allocate link in the view.
By default, the view filters invoices by reference number, but you can also filter payments by, for example, customer name.
In the unallocated reference payments view, select the payment to be allocated.
Select the Allocate link.
Select the invoice to be allocated.
Select the appropriate handling type (see section payment methods and handling types).
Click Process.
If you do not allocate the payment to any invoice, select Do not allocate as handling type from the menu. If you handle a payment without allocating it to any invoice, it does not affect accounts receivable balances. The MS voucher created by this function must be invalidated if you do not want it to remain in bookkeeping.
If necessary, you can also post unallocated reference payments individually or in bulk using a posting rule.
Tick the desired payment or payments.
Select an appropriate posting rule.
Select the posting method:
If posted on separate vouchers, the voucher date will be the payment date.
If posted on a single voucher, the voucher date will be the current date.
Click Mass post selected payments.
In the unallocated reference payments view, payments can only be handled for an open VAT period. If necessary, the VAT lock must be opened so that you can handle the payment.
Reference payments
For reference payments to be automatically allocated to sales invoices, the following conditions must be met:
The reference on the payment matches the reference on the sales invoice.
The payment amount matches the invoice amount.
The program attempts allocation only once.
A fixed reference may not be allocated because the program always tries to allocate to the oldest invoice. If the payment arrives before the invoice is created, the allocation will not take place automatically. Allocation also does not occur if the payment amount differs from the invoice amount.
Machine-readable reference material must be agreed in the payments traffic contract so that reference payments are allocated directly to the invoice.
At the time the payment arrives, the relevant financial period must be created.
If a payment has not been automatically allocated, you can check the reason in the payments view.
Select Sales > Payments > Show columns > Import message > Update selections.
Cash discount on sales invoice
Sales transactions received as reference payments are handled automatically if the cash-discounted payment has been made within the limits of the tolerances defined in company basic data (Company menu > company basic data and settings > basic data > cash discount tolerances).
The default account comes from bookkeeping settings under accounts used in default posting, from the sales discounts account.
If the cash-discounted amount is recorded on the invoice manually, use the discount handling type. In this case, the unpaid part is recorded to the default sales discounts account and the change in VAT liability is taken into account on the voucher.
Partial payment has not been allocated even though the reference matches
This may be due to the following:
If the invoice was created manually, in the Sales > Basic data and settings > sales basic data view, check that Allocate partial payments by default is selected.
This setting must be selected before the invoice is created so that it affects the payment for that invoice.
If the invoice was created via the API, the invoice message must have value 1 in the expectpartialpayments field.
Frequently asked questions
Question: How do I add a new payment to a sales invoice?
You can add a payment to a sales invoice directly from the sales invoice, via the bank statement editing view, via the payments view or from the unallocated reference payments view. Select the appropriate method for your situation and follow the steps in the section “creating a new payment”.
Question: Why is the sales invoice not marked as paid even though I changed its status to paid?
An invoice is marked as paid only when payments recorded on the invoice equal the invoice amount. Changing the status to paid alone is not sufficient; a payment must be recorded on the invoice.
Question: What should I do if a reference payment is not automatically allocated to an invoice?
Check that the payment reference and amount match the invoice information and that the financial period has been created. You can review the reason in the payments view by adding the “import message” column. If necessary, you can allocate the payment manually in the payments or unallocated reference payments view.
Question: Can I delete a machine-readable reference payment?
A machine-readable reference payment cannot be deleted. However, you can release its allocation in the Sales > Payments view, after which the payment is moved back to unallocated reference payments and you can handle it again.
Question: How do I handle an overpayment?
You can handle an overpayment by selecting either Overpayment to be clarified or Normal as handling type. Overpayment to be clarified posts the overpayment to the account defined for overpayment posting, and the payer information becomes “Overpayment adjustment”. If you want the overpayment to appear in the Overpayments view, select Normal as handling type.
Question: How do I record a foreign currency payment?
Add the payment from the sales invoice functions via Add payment. Enter the original invoice currency amount in the currency amount field, and the euro amount received on the bank statement in the amount field. The foreign exchange difference is automatically posted to the exchange differences account if an account for sales foreign exchange differences has been defined in default accounts in bookkeeping.
Question: Why is a partial payment not allocated even though the reference matches?
If the invoice was created manually, check in the sales basic data that Allocate partial payments by default was selected before the invoice was created. If the invoice was imported via the API, check that the expectpartialpayments field in the invoice message has value 1.
Question: How do I handle a batch payment that covers several invoices?
For a batch payment with reference, you first allocate the payment to one invoice, edit the payment amount and voucher to match this invoice, and record manual payments for the remaining invoices. For a batch payment without reference, you first record manual payments for the invoices and then link the created MS vouchers to the batch payment bank statement row using the Link voucher function.
Question: How do I mass post payments?
Open Sales > Payments > Payments, select the payments to be posted and an appropriate posting rule, and click Mass post selected payments. You can choose whether to post the rows on a single voucher or on separate vouchers.
Keywords: sales invoice, new payment, reference payment, handling types, foreign currency payment
*This article has been translated using an AI-based translation tool. The contents or wording of these instructions may differ from those in other instructions or in the software.
*