To track work on retainer using a customer credit

If you haven’t already read the Sales Overview, see Tracking work on retainer for more information.

Recording the retainer amount

The Sales window should be displayed.

  1. Create a blank invoice for the customer who paid you the retainer amount. Click the arrow in the upper left corner of the Sales window and select Invoice, if necessary.
  2. Enter the customer’s name in the Customer field. Don’t make any additional entries, other than the ones described in the following steps.
  3. Enter the retainer amount paid to you by the customer in the Paid Today field of the sale.
  4. Click Record. A message will appear asking if you want to record a transaction with so little information.
  5. Click OK.
  6. When you’ve performed activities for the customer and you’re ready to bill the customer, use the Sales window to record an invoice as you usually do.
Applying the customer credit to the customer’s balance
  1. Click Settle Returns & Credits in the Sales Command Center. The Returns & Credits tab of the Sales Register appears.
  2. Select the customer credit you created in step 5, then click Apply to Sale. The retainer amount you entered on the invoice in step 3 appears in the Credit Amount field.
  3. In the scrolling list, click the Amount Applied field for the invoice you created in step 6. The amount displayed in the Total Due field appears, or if the amount in the Total Due field is greater than the retainer amount, the retainer amount appears.

If you’re applying an amount less than the full retainer amount, click the Credit Amount field to adjust the total amount being credited.

  1. Click Record. The customer’s retainer amount is reduced. If any amount remains, the customer’s credit isn’t fully applied; the remaining amount can be applied to other invoices, now or at some other time in the future.
  2. If the customer credit still exists, follow steps 6 through 9 each time you want to bill the customer.

To track sales on retainer using a customer credit