Apply credit to an order

While building or editing an order, the supplier can put some of the customer's store credit on it. The credit comes out of the customer's balance straight away and shows on the invoice as a Store Credits deduction. The credit counts as paid, so the order is already Partially paid (or Paid) before any money arrives. This works until the order is Ready for Delivery; after that, credit is applied as a payment instead.

Who uses it

• Supplier staff with full order access, when creating an order in the New Order dialog or editing it in Promotions & Fees while it's Pending or Packing.
• Restaurants see the result: a lower balance due and a Store Credits line on the invoice.

How it works

On a new order

1. In the New Order dialog, open the Promo/Discount/Store Credit (Optional) section (open by default).
2. Tick Apply Store Credits. An amount field appears, starting at $0.00, with "Store Credit" beside it and the deduction on the right, e.g. -$60.00.
3. Under it: "$80.00 available" (the customer's balance).
4. Type the amount. The order summary updates (after a short pause) and shows a Store Credits line.
5. Place the order. The credit leaves the customer's balance at that moment, in the same save as the order.

Unticking Apply Store Credits sends $0.00 and clears the field's errors.

On an existing order

1. Open the order and click the summary to open the side panel Promotions & Fees.
2. Click Edit. (Edit shows only while the order is Pending or Packing and you have full order access.)
3. Apply Store Credits is already ticked if the order holds credit, and the field shows that amount. The line reads e.g. "$20.00 available (+$60.00 already on this order)".
4. Change the amount, click Done, then save the order.
5. On save, only the difference moves:
   • more credit: the difference is taken from the balance;
   • less credit: the difference goes back to the balance, with a Credit Issued record.

Clearing the box (unticking) sets the order's credit to $0.00 and returns all of it.

Validation and errors

Situation	Message
Amount is more than the order total after discounts and fees	"Amount must be less than or equal to total order amount ($90.00)" (the total before credit)
Amount is more than the balance plus what's already on this order	"Amount must be less than or equal to available store credits ($80.00)"
Negative amount	"Amount cannot be negative" (the field doesn't accept a minus sign anyway)
Balance fell between opening the form and saving (someone spent it)	The save is refused: "This customer now has only $10.00 of store credit available; this update needs $30.00 more (the invoice would then apply $50.00)". Nothing changes. Reload and enter a smaller amount
A raised amount is more than the order still owes (server check)	"Store credit of $60.00 is more than the $40.00 owed on invoice INV-1001."

Done stays disabled while the amount is more than the customer's balance plus the credit already on this order.

Calculations

Credit is a payment on the order, not part of its total. The order's total stays at its full value; the credit is deducted from what's still owed:

Balance due = total (items + fees − discounts − promotions) − money paid − store credit, never below $0.00.

Line	Amount
Subtotal (items)	$100.00
One Time Discount	−$10.00
Store Credits	−$60.00
Total / Balance Due	$30.00

The credit can't exceed $90.00 here, the total before credit.

Changing the amount later: only the difference moves

Order INV-1001 holds $60.00. The customer's balance is $20.00.

Change	Difference	Balance after	Record written
$60.00 → $70.00	+$10.00 taken	$10.00	None
$70.00 → $25.00	−$45.00 returned	$55.00	Credit Issued, $45.00, "Store credit returned because less of it is applied to order INV-1001."
$25.00 → $0.00 (untick)	−$25.00 returned	$80.00	Credit Issued, $25.00, same wording
$60.00 → $60.00	none	unchanged	None

Why only the return writes a Credit Issued record

Credit going back is money handed to the customer, so it must be visible and undoable. Credit being spent is already visible on the invoice as the Store Credits line.

Knock-on effects

Create INV-1001 for $100.00 with $60.00 store credit. Joe's Diner holds $80.00.

What	Before	After
Store credit balance	$80.00	$20.00
Invoice total	—	$100.00
Invoice balance due	—	$40.00
Payment status	—	Partially paid (credit counts as paid)
Invoices list → Invoice Total	—	$100.00
Invoice Records	—	Nothing. The order's own credit isn't listed there; change it in Promotions & Fees
Customer Payment History	—	A Payment, Store Credit, $60.00 row for the invoice, recorded by you
Bookkeeping	—	Nothing
Messages	—	The normal new-order messages; nothing about credit

Later: Ready for Delivery, then the customer pays the $40.00 in cash.

What	Before	After
Payment status	Partially paid	Paid
Records	—	+ Payment, Cash, $40.00
Bookkeeping	—	+ Order Payment Received, Cash Payment, +$40.00 only

If the credit covers the whole order (balance due $0.00), the order reads Paid from the moment it's created, with no cash payment recorded.

Edge cases

• Order already has payments: credit can't be changed here any more, because the panel locks at Ready for Delivery and payments can only be recorded from then on. Use Pay with store credit.
• Items removed or returned later: if the total falls below the credit, the excess goes back automatically. See Returns.
• Cancelled order: all its credit goes back. See Cancellations.
• Discount added after the credit: the field re-checks against the new total when it changes.
• Draft orders: credit can't be changed on a draft. It is applied when the order is placed.

Where it shows up

• New Order summary and the order's summary: "Store Credits −$60.00".
• Invoice preview: a Store Credits row (shown when above $0.00).
• Invoice PDF: "Store Credits" in the discounts block.
• Order emails' price table: "Store Credits".
• Invoices list and the customer's orders table: Invoice Total is the order's full value ($100.00, not $40.00).
• Customer → View Payment History: the credit as a Payment, Store Credit row.
• Restaurant app order page: a "Store Credits" line.

Permissions

• Edit in Promotions & Fees: full order access, and the order must be Pending or Packing. Default roles with full order access: Admin, Clerk, Driver, Warehouse, Salesperson.
• New Order: anyone who can create orders (verify the exact check on the New Order button).

Decisions

• The order save and the credit movement are one write. Before, the order saved and the credit moved afterwards; a failure left the customer billed less while the credit never moved. (#2321)
• A shortfall refuses the save and names the numbers. Before, the order saved with credit the customer didn't have. (#2321)
• Credit going back writes a record. Credit returned with no record was invisible and impossible to undo. (#2321, #2314)
• Credit counts as paid from the moment it's applied. The order's status and balance due agree with each other. (#2540)
• Show the real balance and the credit already on the order separately. (#2499)

Known limitations

• The order's own credit isn't listed in the invoice's Records tab. It shows as the Store Credits line and in the customer's Payment History. Credit recorded later from Manage Payments is listed in Records.
• The customer page's payment summary and orders table haven't moved to the new orders yet, so its "Store Credits Applied" figure and orders list don't include them. The new orders show on Orders and Invoices.

FAQ

I put $60 of credit on the order but the invoices list says $100. Invoice Total is the order's full value. The balance due on the invoice is $40.00.

Why is the invoice "Partially paid" before anyone paid? Credit counts as paid, so $60.00 of credit on a $100.00 invoice reads Partially paid with $40.00 due. See Pay with store credit → status.

I removed the credit from an order. Where did it go? Back to the customer's balance, with a Credit Issued record "Store credit returned because less of it is applied to order …".