How to show a customer pre-payment on an invoice.

If you accept deposits or prepayment from your customers and wish to reflect those payments and show only the outstanding balance due on your invoices, a simple customized invoice will do the trick.  Read here to find out how you can record these prepayments.

 Once the invoice has been created you can choose the Apply Credits button at the bottom of the invoice screen.

Any available credits for this customer will appear in a pop-up.  Choose the pre-payment that you recorded for this invoice.  Select Done.  In the lower right portion of your invoice screen you will see the payment amount that has been applied and the balance due on the invoice.

Your next step will be to create a customized invoice form to show this same information on your printed or e-mailed invoice.  From the invoice screen choose Customize from the invoice menu bar.  If you have a newer version of Quickbooks a pop-up window will appear asking if you want to create your own form or customize an existing form.  Choose the Customize Data Layout option.

In the customization screen choose the Footer Tab, and click the Print box for Payments/Credits and for Balance Due.

New versions of Quickbooks will automatically adjust the layout to fit these extra fields at the bottom of the invoice.  If you have an older version of Quickbooks you will need to manually adjust the layout so that your lines and boxes do not overlap.  To make the manual adjustments click on the Layout Designer button at the bottom of the customization window.

In the Layout Designer window you can click on various boxes and drag the field indicator buttons to make the box smaller.  You can also click and drag various boxes to relocate them on the invoice.  When you click on a box there will be a message in the lower left corner of the Layout Designer screen telling you what box you have clicked on...whether it is a text box, a data box, etc.  Adjust the main body of the invoice to allow room for your new footers at the bottom of the invoice.

When you are done click OK and you will see a preview window of what your invoice will look like when printed.  You can hop right back into the Layout Designer if you need to make further adjustments.   This is what your customized invoice will look like...

 Another great feature is that once you customize this invoice you don't have to repeat the process.  It remains stored in your Quickbooks.  You can even rename it so it's easier to use later.  From the Additional Customization window choose the Basic Customization tab,

...then select Manage Templates,

 

 The invoice you are customizing will appear highlighted in the Manage Templates window.  Click on the Template name in the upper right and change the name as desired.  The next time you create an invoice you simply click the Template drop down in the upper right corner and choose the invoice you wish to use.   

Again, please post comments so that answers to your questions can be addressed on the blog.  Happy Bookkeeping!

This material is for informational purposes only and not intended and financial, legal or tax advice. Please consult your finance, legal or tax professional to confirm the accuracy of all information. Quickbooks is a registered product of Intuit.

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