How can I record an offline or manual payment on an invoice?

Who is this article for?

Your client paid you outside Colib: cash, cheque, Interac e-Transfer, your own card terminal, or a payment made by an insurer or another payer. You record this payment by marking the invoice as Paid. Colib keeps the payment date and the payment method, and the invoice becomes a receipt you can send to your client.

Before you start: you need permission to edit financial information. Two options in Settings > Invoices (www.colib.io/settings?show=invoices) change what happens when you mark an invoice as paid: Require a payment method information when selecting the “Paid” status for an invoice. and Automatically send receipt when a payment has been recorded. (see Good to know).

1Mark the invoice as paid from the list

1. Go to www.colib.io/invoices and find the invoice.
2. In the Status column, choose Paid.
3. If your practice requires a payment method, a window opens: choose the payment method (Card, e-Transfer, Cash, Third party or Other). With Other, describe the payment in the Details field (for example, Cheque).
4. Tick or untick Send receipt to client depending on whether you want Colib to email the receipt to your client now.
5. Click Confirm.

If your practice does not require a payment method, no window opens: the invoice is marked as paid right away, dated today.

2Or mark it as paid from the invoice

Use this method to enter a payment date in the past or to describe the payment.

1. Open the invoice (click its title in the list).
2. In Status, choose Paid. The Payment date and Payment method fields appear.
3. Enter the Payment date (today by default if you leave it empty).
4. Choose the Payment method: Card, Interac e-Transfer, Cash, Gift Certificate or Other. With Other, describe the payment in Payment method details.
5. Click Save at the bottom of the page.

3Check the result and send the receipt

In the list, the Left to pay column shows $0.00 and a Send receipt link appears on the row.

• The document is now a receipt: it shows a Paid stamp, the payment date and the payment method.
• To email it to your client, click Send receipt in the list, or Send at the top of the invoice page. Download gives you the PDF.

Good to know

• Require a payment method — when this option is on in www.colib.io/settings?show=invoices, the payment method window opens from the list, and on the invoice page you cannot save a paid invoice without a payment method (Please enter a payment method.). It helps you reconcile your payments for your accounting.
• Automatic receipts — when Automatically send receipt when a payment has been recorded. is on, the receipt is emailed to your client as soon as you mark the invoice as paid (from the list, the Send receipt to client box is then ticked by default and you can untick it).
• Paid by an insurer or another payer — choose Third party (from the list) or Other with details, and untick Send receipt to client if your client did not pay (when you choose Third party, Colib unticks it for you).
• Only part of the amount was paid? — use the Partially paid status instead: see How to record a partial payment on an invoice.
• Made a mistake? — change the status back (for example, to Not Paid in the list, or Unpaid on the invoice page): the payment date and the payment method are removed.
• Online payments — when your client pays by card through Colib, the invoice is marked as paid automatically. Its status can then no longer be changed (to cancel such a payment, refund it from the Payments section of the invoice).

Related articles: How to change the status of an invoice and How to create and send an invoice or a receipt.

Still have a question?

Write to us at support@colib.io, we will be happy to help.