Payments and balances

A visit creates an invoice; a payment settles some or all of it. The two are kept separate, because one payment often covers several visits — a shop that has been paying later settles the lot at once.

A shop's outstanding balance is everything invoiced minus everything paid. It shows on the shop page and is carried onto the next delivery, so the amount to collect includes what was left over.

Part payments are normal. Take what the shop can pay and the rest stays outstanding; the visit shows as partly paid with the figures.

Transfers are treated differently from cash and card. Money arrives by transfer before it is confirmed at the bank, so a visit paid by transfer shows as awaiting bank until someone reconciles it. Reconciling is the step that says the money genuinely landed.

The Payments page lists what is outstanding and what is still waiting on the bank.

How money changes hands

Cash	Collected at the shop. Settled the moment it is recorded.
Card	Taken by card. Settled the moment it is recorded.
Transfer	Sent by bank transfer. Shows as awaiting bank until someone confirms it arrived.