The Upcoming payments subtab lets admins view and update the payment method for subscription and installment payment(s) within a client's account, edit the date and amount for future installments, as well as manage post-dated checks.
Before getting started, make sure you've got the right administrator permissions!
In this article, we'll review:
1. Navigate Upcoming Payments
In the client's file, click on the Upcoming payments subtab:
Select to view upcoming Subscription or Installment payments.
Search with letter and/or number characters for matching results.
Click on Columns to display additional information.
Click on Filters (Installments only) to filter by installment status.
Click on Actions to edit the payment method for a subscription or installment. Additional actions for installments allow you to edit a payment date, edit an amount and/or cancel a payment.
2. Edit the Payment Method for a Subscription or Installment
To view a group of payments, click on Subscriptions or Installments.
Click on the '...' icon beneath the Actions column to edit the payment method for a specific payment;
or
Select multiple records under the first column and click the '...' icon above the Actions column to edit all their payment methods simultaneously.
After clicking on Edit payment method, a new table appears:
The selected payment(s) appear at the top.
Choose a payment type (credit card/eCheck). The client must already have the payment type saved in their user account in order for an admin to choose it.
Select an existing credit card or eCheck saved in the client's user account to swap the payment method; or
Use a different card or eCheck and manually input the payment details.
If necessary, add comments (visible to admins only).
Save.
3. Edit an Installment's Date, the Amount, or Cancel it Entirely
You can edit the date or amount of an installment payment at any time or cancel it if necessary. Changes are limited to the payment(s) you select and won't affect other planned payments, other clients or your organization's installment plans.
Click here to learn how to edit subscription payments in the Memberships tab.
📆 Edit an Installment's Planned Date
Select the installment payment(s) and click Edit planned date. A new table appears. The new date will apply to the payment(s) shown in the table.
💸 Edit an Installment Amount
Select the installment payment(s) and click Edit amount. A new table appears. The new amount will apply to the payment(s) shown in the table.
Before editing the amount of an installment, we recommend searching for the applicable invoice number to double-check which installments (and how much) are already planned.
You can enter any amount, whether the value is lower or higher than what is required to pay the invoice item eligible for installments.
If you enter a value that is higher than what needs to be paid, the client will have an account deposit credit type on their account. Click here to see an example.
If you enter a value that is lower than what needs to be paid, an expected balance will remain on the account.
🔴 Cancel an Installment Payment
Select the installment payment(s) and click Cancel payment(s). A new table appears. The payments in the table will be canceled.
Click Cancel payment. A success message will appear when it is canceled.
👉 You can view canceled installments in the Upcoming payments subtab by filtering for Canceled installments.
4. View and Deposit Physical Post-Dated Checks
After accepting a client's physical, post-dated check as payment, a new section for Checks appears in the Upcoming payments. Post-dated checks are not automatically recorded under client billing on the specified date. An admin must manually deposit the post-dated check when the date rolls around. Click under the Actions column to:
Deposit check: The payment is applied in the client's billing, and the record disappears from the Checks section. Your organization must still manually deposit the check at the bank.
Cancel payment: If it's no longer required. A record of the canceled post-dated check can be viewed by filtering for canceled post-dated checks.
👉 Click here to learn how to mass deposit post-dated checks for multiple clients.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
1) Which permissions are required to access the Upcoming payment subtab?
Administrators will require the 'Payment processing' permission which is in the Clients group of permissions.
2) Which reports are useful in regards to upcoming payments?
In the Reports>Standard subtab (in the Payments section) you'll find:
Installment status: This report includes a summary (and the sum) by installment status (Accepted, Cancelled, Refused, etc), broken down by payment method.
eCheck payment status: This report pulls all eChecks that were processed during the defined period. It includes the client's name, the payment amount and the status of the eCheck, which allows you to track if any eChecks failed.
The Payment Action Center is also a useful tool to track, retry and/or dismiss failed payments. It can be found in the Accounting and finance tab.
3) Can I update subscription/installment payments simultaneously using different payment methods?
No. Apply a different payment method to one subscription or installment payment at a time by selecting it and clicking Edit payment method under the Actions column.
or
Select multiple subscriptions or multiple installments and click on the ... icon above the Actions column and select Edit payment method to apply the same payment method to every planned payment you selected.
4) When I try to update a payment method, I'm only offered to choose credit card. Why can't I choose from 2 payment types: credit card or eCheck?
If a client saved their credit card(s) only, you can only choose credit card.
If a client saved their eCheck(s) only, you can only choose eCheck.
If a client saved their credit card(s) and eCheck(s), both options are available.
5) Can a client edit a planned payment?
When a client pays at checkout using a saved credit card or eCheck, they can edit the payment method on planned payments via their user account, which also updates the details on the organization's end.
If a client's payment information wasn't saved at checkout at the time of purchase, they must contact your organization so an admin can update the payment method in the Upcoming payments subtab.
Clients cannot edit a subscription/installment amount, nor can they cancel a planned payment without contacting your organization.
6) I updated a payment method by clicking on 'Use a different card'. Can the client still track this payment from their user account?
Clients track planned payments on a saved credit card or eCheck from the Payment Method tab in their user account.
If an admin updates the payment method on a subscription payment using a different card or eCheck, clients can check the Purchases tab in their user account to track the upcoming subscription payment.
If an admin updates the payment method on an installment payment using a different card or eCheck, clients can check the Billing tab in their user account to track postdated installment payments.
7) I want to filter installments by Status. What does each one mean?
Planned: The payment is planned for a future date.
Canceled: The planned payment was canceled.
Processing: Waiting for the eCheck payment confirmation.
Canceling: Waiting for cancellation confirmation.
Accepted: The payment was successful.
Refused: The payment did not work.
Uncertain/Organization closed: Unused statuses which will be removed.
8) What if I edit an installment amount so that more money is paid than is needed to resolve the invoice?
You can edit an installment amount to any value, even if it exceeds the amount of the invoice item, or the client's overall balance.
For example, a client purchases for $500. At checkout, they pay $50 and 3 installments of $150 are planned. At this point, they have a current balance of $450, and an expected balance of $0 (once all the installments have passed).
Below are the three installment payments in the Upcoming payments subtab.
The client asks to increase their last installment on Nov 1st to a total of $250.00.
This is $100 more than needed! At this point, the client has a current balance of $450 and an expected balance of ($100.00).
Let's see what happens when all the installment payments have occurred.
Notice how the last installment (the same one that was increased) is partially reconciled? Since the planned payment was more than what was required to pay the invoice, there is an unreconciled account deposit of $100 remaining in the account. The extra money can be used towards a future purchase, at which point you will then reconcile the remainder of the payment to the new invoice.
9) What's the difference between an account deposit and a credit?
An account deposit is specific to storing funds you received (cash advances, bursaries, etc.) for future use. An account deposit type credit can exist in a client's account even if there's an outstanding balance to be paid.
A credit is used to the reduce the current balance on a client's account. It is not a transaction that affects real money. Creating a credit can be used to make corrections to a client's balance. It can be given as a 'gift' to a client towards their next purchase. You may also want to create a credit in order to refund a client if you don't want to cancel the original invoice, as it is required to add a credit before refunding a client if their account balance is at $0.
10) Can I be notified if an upcoming payment fails?
Yes! In the Account>Email preferences subtab, you may opt-in to receive email notifications when a payment fails.
Failed upcoming payments also appear in the Payment Action Center.
* Last updated in March 2022