Record a payment on a proforma invoice
A proforma invoice isn't a real invoice, so a payment is never recorded against it directly. Instead, Sales Scribe gives you a guided Record Payment flow: it converts the proforma into a real invoice, issues that invoice, and then takes you straight to record the payment against it.
Before you begin
- The proforma must be Sent (and not already converted).
- Your Accounting Settings need to be complete enough to issue an invoice — issuing posts to your ledger, so the accounts it needs (such as your AR control, sales and output VAT accounts) must be configured. See Configure your accounting settings.
Steps
- Open the proforma from Sales → Proforma Invoices.
- In the Actions panel, select Record Payment….
- Sales Scribe converts the proforma, issues the new invoice, and takes you to the record-payment screen. A message tells you the invoice number and the amount to record.
- Record the customer's payment and allocate it to that invoice — see Record a payment against an invoice.
[Screenshot required: Proforma details page showing the Record Payment action in the Actions panel]
What happens next
- The proforma's status becomes Converted, and a real, issued invoice now exists in your records.
- This is the point your accounts are affected — issuing the invoice records the sale, the VAT and the amount the customer owes. Recording and allocating the payment then clears that balance.
Note: No payment is ever attached to the proforma itself. The proforma's only job here is to become the invoice; everything financial happens on the invoice.
Troubleshooting
- Issuing the invoice failed (for example, your accounting settings are incomplete). The draft invoice was still created from the proforma — you're taken to it so you can put the problem right, issue it, and then record the payment. See Why can't I issue this invoice?.
- You only want the invoice, not to take payment yet. Use Convert to Invoice instead, which creates the draft invoice without issuing it or moving on to payment.