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Entering a Project - Down Payments Card

This page describes the fields on the 'Down Payments' card of the Project record. Please follow the links below for descriptions of the other cards:
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If you are using iOS or Android, tap the 'Items' tab at the top of the Project window to go to the 'Down Payments' card.

Broadly speaking, you can use the following two methods when issuing Invoices for Projects:

  1. You can issue Down Payment Invoices, which will be useful when you need a Customer to pay a deposit and when you need a Customer to pay for a Project in instalments.

  2. You can issue Project Invoices. Project Invoices themselves fall into two types:

    1. You can create Project Invoices on an "Actual" basis. These Invoices will be created from the invoiceable records in the Project Transaction register (i.e. those without Invoice Numbers) and therefore they will charge for the work that was actually carried out and for the Items that were actually supplied. You will be able to create more than one Invoice from a particular Project: each new Invoice will include the Project Transactions that were created since the last Invoice for the Project was raised.

    2. You can create Project Invoices on an "As Budgeted" basis. These Invoices will be created from Project Budgets and therefore will be useful when you set the price of a Project in advance. Project Transactions relating to the Project will not be used in the invoicing process in this case.
You can use Down Payment Invoices and Project Invoices exclusively, or you can use them in combination (e.g. you can charge for an initial deposit and then for the work carried out, in which case the first Project Invoice will include a deduction for the deposit).

If you will need to issue Down Payment Invoices for a Project, use the 'Down Payments' card in the Project record to schedule those Down Payment Invoices and to specify their value.

To issue a single Invoice for the full Project amount or for a deposit, enter the amount in the first line of the grid on the 'Down Payments' card, together with the earliest date on which the Invoice can be issued. If the Project will be invoiced in instalments, enter each instalment to the grid with appropriate amounts and dates as shown in the illustration below. Then, select 'Down Payment Invoice' from the Create menu (Windows/macOS) or + menu (iOS/Android) to create a Down Payment Invoice in the Invoice register. This Invoice will not be marked as OK. Alternatively, if you want to create Down Payment Invoices for several Projects at once, use the 'Create Project Invoices' Maintenance function and choose the Down Payment Invoices option.

If you are intending to raise a single Invoice for the full Project amount or will be using an instalment scheme, it is recommended that you select the Do Not Invoice option on the 'Invoicing' card of the Project. This will prevent unwanted Project Invoices being created from Project Transactions. If you are using the 'Down Payments' card to issue an initial deposit Invoice, do not select the Do Not Invoice option, so that future Project Invoices for time, materials and purchases can be issued when necessary.

Type
Paste Special    Choices of possible entries
Set the Type to "Down payment" in each row that will cause a Down Payment Invoice to be created.

Date
Paste Special    Choose date
Specify here the earliest date when the Down Payment Invoice can be raised.

If you are invoicing a Project in instalments, use this field to control when the instalment Invoices are created. When you run the 'Down Payment Invoice' function from the Create or + menu, the new Invoice will be constructed from the previously uninvoiced rows in the grid whose Date is earlier than the current date. For example, referring to the illustration above, if the function is run on 14/8/2019, an Invoice for 200.00 + VAT will be created, but if the function is run for the first time on 14/10/2019, an Invoice for 400.00 will be created. This allows you to plan the instalment amounts in advance.

The Invoice Date of any Invoices raised will be the date when you run the 'Down Payment Invoice' function.

Inv. No
The Invoice Number of the Down Payment Invoice will be placed here automatically when the Invoice is created.

Sum/Retn. %
Enter the amount to be invoiced (excluding VAT).

Sign
Paste Special    Person register, System module
The Signature of the Person issuing the Invoice will be placed here automatically when the Invoice is created.

Comment
The comment that you enter here will be used as the text in the row in the Down Payment Invoice that represents the Down Payment. The default is the Description of the Down Payment Item specified in the Project Settings setting.

Inv. Status
Paste Special    Choices of possible entries
You can use this field to prevent the raising of an Invoice for a particular row. This might be necessary if you have already issued an Invoice for the deposit from the Sales Ledger before you entered the Project. If this is the case, choose "Already Invoiced" from the 'Paste Special' list. To have an Invoice raised by the 'Create Down Payment Invoice' function as described above, leave the field with its default value of "Not Invoiced": the function will change the Inv. Status to "Already Invoiced" automatically.

Crediting a Down Payment Invoice

If you need to issue a Credit Note against a Down Payment Invoice, you must do so by opening the original Down Payment Invoice and selecting 'Credit Note' from the Create menu (Windows/macOS) or + menu (iOS/Android). This method will ensure that the credited Down Payment will not be deducted from the next Project Invoice and that the Downpay Invoiceable and Downpay Invoiced figures in the Project Invoicing report will be updated. You can change the value in the Credit Note if the credit is partial.

If you create the Credit Note using another method (e.g. creating a new Invoice and entering a Payment Term whose Type is "Credit Note"), the credited Down Payment will still be deducted from the next Project Invoice and the Downpay Invoiceable and Downpay Invoiced figures in the Project Invoicing report will not be updated.

After crediting a Down Payment Invoice, the relevant row on the 'Down Payments' card of the Project will be re-opened (this will not be visible on screen), and the uncredited value of that row will be included in the Downpay Invoiceable figure in the Project Invoicing report. The row will therefore be included in the next Down Payment Invoice that you create from the Project. If you do not want the row to be included in the next Down Payment Invoice, add a new row with a negative amount.

For example, if the original Down Payment value was 100.00 and you create and mark as OK a Down Payment Invoice, the Project Invoicing report will show 100.00 as the Downpay Invoiced figure and 0.00 as the Downpay Invoiceable figure. If you then create a Credit Note for 65.00, the Project Invoicing report will show 35.00 as the Downpay Invoiced figure and 65.00 as the Downpay Invoiceable figure. 65.00 will be invoiced again in the next Down Payment Invoice. If you do not want 65.00 to be invoiced again, add a second row to the 'Down Payments' card of the Project with -65.00 in the Sum/Retn % field.

If you credit a Down Payment Invoice whose value has already been deducted from a Project Invoice, the credited value will be added to the next Project Invoice.

Invalidating a Down Payment Invoice

If you need to invalidate a Down Payment Invoice, you can do so in the usual way (by selecting 'Invalidate' from the Record menu (which has a 'cog' icon if you are using iOS or Android)). In the Project, the Invoice Number will automatically be removed from the relevant row of the grid on the 'Down Payments' card. This means you can change the row if necessary (you may need to change the Inv. Status to "Not Invoiced") and then issue another Down Payment Invoice. You will also be able to remove the row.

If you need to cancel a Down Payment Invoice whose value has already been deducted from a Project Invoice, it is recommended that you credit it rather than invalidate it.

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