Overview
After creating and sending invoices, you record payments as they come in and apply them to open invoices. SmartMoving supports multiple payment methods and lets you split payments across invoices or hold a balance for future application.
Before You Start
Available to companies with Smart Pro.
You must have Accounts permission.
At least one invoice should exist on the project (though you can record payments without invoices).
How to Record a Payment
Recording a payment is a multi-step process:
Step 1: Select a Payment Method
On the Invoices & Payments tab, click Add Payment.
The payment slideout opens. Methods are grouped into Saved Payment Methods, for cards already stored on the customer, and Payment Options, for everything else.
Use these methods to record a payment your company already took:
Method | What to Use It For |
Cash | Cash payments |
Check | Check payments (captures check number) |
Record Credit Card | Recording a credit/debit card payment made outside SmartMoving (captures last 4 digits, card type, and confirmation code) |
Custom | Any other payment type (captures a transaction description) |
Which other options appear under Payment Options depends on what is set up for your account. Alongside the methods above you may see live card processing and e-check, which take the payment then and there rather than recording one taken elsewhere. E-check collects Name, Routing, Account, and Type.
Note: A card method also offers Store Card On File, which saves the card to the customer so your team can use it on a later payment.
Step 2: Enter Payment Details
Start by selecting a Payment Category. The category prefills the Amount, which you can then change.
Category | What it prefills |
Deposit | The project's deposit amount |
Balance Due | The account's current balance |
Other | Nothing. Enter the amount yourself |
When you choose a card method, an On File category also appears. Use it to store a card without taking a payment.
Then fill in the fields for your selected payment method:
All methods require:
Amount (dollar amount)
Payment Date
Additional fields by method:
Method | Additional Fields |
Check | Check Number |
Record Credit Card | Last 4 of Card, Card Type (for example, "Visa"), Confirmation Code |
Custom | Transaction Description |
Click Next to continue.
How the Credit Card Fee Appears
When your company charges a credit card fee, the slideout adds a fee line showing the fee name and percentage, and includes it in the total before you submit.
Debit card payments carry no fee, so the fee line does not appear.
Select Waive credit card fee? to drop the fee from this one payment. The fee line then reads WAIVED.
Whether the fee applies to a deposit is a company setting, so a deposit may come through without one.
Step 3: Confirm the Payment
Review the payment summary:
Payment method and amount
Payment date and any additional details (card type, check number, etc.)
Click Edit to go back and make changes, or click Pay Now to record the payment.
Step 4: Apply to Invoices
After the payment is recorded, you can immediately apply it to open invoices:
A success message confirms the payment was added.
The Account Balance displays the available amount.
A table shows all open invoices with their due dates and balances.
Check the invoices you want to apply the payment to.
Enter the amount to apply to each selected invoice in the Apply column.
Click Apply to distribute the payment.
Note: The total applied amount must equal the payment amount. Any leftover balance remains on the account and can be applied to future invoices.
If no invoices have open balances, a message indicates the payment has been recorded and can be used for future invoices.
How to Apply a Payment to Invoices Later
If you recorded a payment without applying it, or if the payment has remaining balance:
On the Invoices & Payments tab, find the payment row.
Click the three-dot menu and select Apply to Invoices.
Follow the same apply workflow described in Step 4 above.
Payment Actions
Click the three-dot menu on any payment row:
Action | Description |
Apply to Invoices | Apply the payment balance to open invoices |
Refund | Issue a full or partial refund (available only if the payment has remaining balance) |
Delete | Delete the payment record |
How to Issue a Refund
Click the three-dot menu on a payment row and select Refund.
Select a Refund Date.
Choose a refund type:
Full Refund: Refunds the entire remaining payment amount.
Partial Refund: Enter a specific dollar amount to refund.
Click Refund to process.
To view refund history for a payment, click the payment row. The refund tab shows all refund records with dates, who issued the refund, and amounts.
Best Practices
Apply payments to invoices immediately when possible to keep your outstanding balance accurate.
Set the Payment Category before the amount, since choosing one overwrites what you have typed.
Use the Record Credit Card method to log card payments processed through an external terminal, so your SmartMoving records stay complete.
When a client overpays, the excess stays on the account balance and can be applied to future invoices without re-entering the payment.