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Deposits & Credit Notes

Everything you need to know about taking deposits, applying them to invoices, and issuing credit notes with clean accounting history.

Overview​

The Deposits & Credits page is designed for real workshop finance operations where money often arrives before job completion and corrections are needed after payment.

Why it matters:

  • Lets you collect funds before starting work while keeping job-level traceability
  • Avoids manual spreadsheet tracking for deposit balances
  • Maintains clean accounting history when corrections are required
  • Ensures customer-facing documentation is stored with the customer record

Here is what you can do:

  • Create deposit invoices for jobs
  • Record deposit payments as money is received
  • Apply deposit balances to target invoices later
  • Issue credit notes against paid/partially paid invoices
  • Keep full auditability across invoice, deposit, and credit movements

Important current behavior:

  • Deposit creation now requires a booking (all garages)
  • Booking must belong to the selected garage
  • Deposit invoice is auto-numbered if missing (INV-<last6>)
  • Deposit invoice PDF is auto-created and attached to the customer record
  • If attachment generation/upload fails, deposit creation is rolled back

How to Access​

  1. Open your garage dashboard.
  2. Click Deposits & Credits.
  3. Use tabs:
    • Deposits
    • Apply Deposit
    • Credit Notes

Key Features at a Glance​

FeatureWhat It Does
Create DepositCreates invoiceType=deposit linked to booking + customer
Record Deposit PaymentIncreases paid amount and updates deposit invoice status
Apply DepositMoves paid deposit value onto a target invoice
Credit NotesCreates line-item credits against eligible invoices
Customer Attachment RecordSaves deposit invoice PDF under customer attachments
Resolution ControlsSupports credit balance and refund

Step-by-Step Guide​

1. Creating a Deposit​

  1. Go to Deposits tab.
  2. Select Booking (mandatory).
  3. Enter Amount.
  4. Confirm Currency.
  5. Add Description (optional).
  6. Click Create Deposit.

What is created:

  • Deposit invoice linked to booking + customer
  • Invoice number (if missing) generated automatically
  • Customer attachment record with deposit invoice PDF

Good to know: Deposit creation is intentionally strict. If document attachment fails, the deposit is rolled back so you do not end up with incomplete records.

2. Recording Deposit Payment​

  1. Select the deposit invoice.
  2. Enter payment amount.
  3. Choose method (cash/card/bank/etc.).
  4. Add reference if needed.
  5. Save.

Status progression:

  • open -> partially_paid -> paid

3. Applying Deposit to an Invoice​

  1. Open Apply Deposit tab.
  2. Select a deposit invoice with available paid balance.
  3. Select target invoice.
  4. Enter amount to apply.
  5. Save.

Financial effects:

  • Target invoice amountPaid increases
  • Target outstanding balance decreases
  • Deposit’s available balance decreases
  • Allocation/payment records are appended for traceability

What you will see after apply:

  • updated paid/due values on the target invoice
  • deposit utilization reflected in ledger/allocation history

Credit Notes​

When to Use​

Use credit notes when a paid or partially paid invoice needs adjustment (returns, overcharge correction, goodwill credit, etc.).

Eligible Invoice States​

Allowed:

  • paid
  • partially_paid

Not allowed:

  • draft
  • open
  • void

Resolution Options​

Supported:

  • credit balance
  • refund

Not active yet:

  • offset future invoice (hidden/blocked until full allocation flow is completed)

Good to know: If your team asks for future-invoice offset behavior, do not use workarounds. Keep using credit balance/refund until the dedicated flow is released.

Relationship Between Deposits, Invoices, and Credit Notes​

  • A deposit is an invoice record (invoiceType=deposit) that can be paid and later applied.
  • Applying deposit value increases payment on another invoice.
  • A credit note is a separate financial document linked to an invoice.
  • Credit notes adjust settlement and due values via ledger/credit totals, rather than editing paid invoices directly.

Best Practices​

  • Always tie deposits to the exact booking.
  • Record payment as soon as funds are received.
  • Apply only the needed amount and keep remaining balance for later.
  • For paid invoice changes, use credit notes instead of direct edits.
  • Keep reasons/references clear for reconciliation and audits.

Troubleshooting​

Create Deposit fails with booking validation message.
Expected. Booking is mandatory now.

Deposit not visible in Apply tab.
Record payment first; unpaid deposits have no available balance.

Credit note option unavailable.
Check invoice status. It must be paid or partially_paid.

Need to offset a future invoice with credit.
That resolution is not currently active. Use credit balance or refund for now.