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Payments & refunds

FSM Navigator lets you record payments against invoices, handle partial payments, and process full or partial refunds — all with a complete audit trail.

Record a payment

When a customer pays an invoice, record the payment to keep your books accurate.

  1. Go to Invoicing and open the invoice.
  2. Click Record Payment.
  3. Fill in the payment details:
Field Required Description
Amount Yes The payment amount (pre-filled with the balance due)
Payment method Yes How the customer paid — see options below
Payment date Yes Date the payment was received (defaults to today)
Reference / Note No Check number, transaction ID, or any memo
  1. Click Save Payment.

The invoice balance updates automatically. If the full amount is paid, the invoice status changes to Paid.

Payment methods

Choose the method that matches how the customer paid:

Method When to use
Cash Customer paid in cash on-site or at your office
Check Customer mailed or handed you a check — enter the check number in the reference field
Credit / Debit Card Card payment processed outside FSM Navigator
Bank Transfer Wire transfer, ACH, or direct deposit
Other Any method not listed above

Manual payment recording

The payment methods above are for manually recording payments that you receive offline — such as cash, checks, or card payments processed through your own terminal. FSM Navigator logs these for your records.

For Pro subscribers and above, customers can also pay invoices directly through the Customer Portal using Stripe-powered secure checkout. Portal payments are recorded and reconciled automatically — no manual entry needed. Standard Stripe processing fees apply to portal payments — see Portal payments for details.

Partial payments

Customers sometimes pay in installments. FSM Navigator handles this automatically.

  1. Open the invoice and click Record Payment.
  2. Change the Amount to the partial amount received (e.g., $500 of a $1,200 invoice).
  3. Click Save Payment.

The invoice status changes to Partially Paid and the remaining balance is displayed. You can record additional payments until the full amount is covered.

Example: two-installment payment

Event Amount Invoice balance Status
Invoice created — $1,200.00 Generated
First payment $500.00 $700.00 Partially Paid
Second payment $700.00 $0.00 Paid

Mark an invoice as paid

When you record a payment that covers the full remaining balance, FSM Navigator automatically marks the invoice as Paid. There is no separate "Mark as Paid" button — the status updates based on the recorded payment amount.

Quick full payment

When you click Record Payment, the amount field is pre-filled with the outstanding balance. If the customer paid in full, just confirm the details and save.

Process a refund

If you need to return money to a customer — whether for a billing error, a cancelled job, or a customer dispute — you can process a refund.

  1. Open the paid or partially paid invoice.
  2. Click Process Refund.
  3. Enter the refund details:
Field Required Description
Refund amount Yes Full invoice amount (pre-filled) or a partial amount
Reason Yes Why the refund is being issued
  1. Click Confirm Refund.

The refund is recorded and the invoice status updates:

Refund type Resulting status
Full refund (entire invoice amount) Refunded
Partial refund Partially Paid or Refunded depending on remaining balance

Refunds are permanent

Once a refund is recorded, it cannot be reversed. Double-check the amount and reason before confirming.

Refund audit trail

Every refund is logged with a complete audit trail for accountability:

  • Who processed the refund (user name and role)
  • When it was processed (date and time)
  • How much was refunded
  • Why — the reason entered during processing

This information is visible in the invoice's payment history and your company's audit log.

View payment history

You can see every payment and refund for an invoice in one place.

  1. Open the invoice.
  2. Scroll to the Payment History section.

The history shows all transactions in chronological order:

Date Type Method Amount Recorded by
Jan 15, 2026 Payment Check (#4521) $500.00 Sarah M.
Feb 01, 2026 Payment Bank Transfer $700.00 Sarah M.
Feb 10, 2026 Refund — -$200.00 Mike R.

Tips

  • Record payments promptly — logging payments as soon as they are received keeps your invoice dashboard accurate and helps you spot overdue accounts.
  • Use the reference field — entering check numbers, transaction IDs, or confirmation codes makes it easy to reconcile with your bank statement later.
  • Partial payments are tracked automatically — you don't need to create a new invoice for the remaining balance. Just record each payment as it comes in.
  • Document refund reasons clearly — a detailed reason helps during audits and protects your business if a refund is questioned.

Frequently asked questions

Can I delete a recorded payment?

No. Payments cannot be deleted to maintain an accurate audit trail. If a payment was recorded in error, process a refund for the incorrect amount and record the correct payment.

What happens to the invoice status after a partial refund?

It depends on the remaining balance. If the customer has still paid more than $0 after the refund, the status remains Partially Paid. If the entire amount has been refunded, the status changes to Refunded.

Can I record a payment on a Draft invoice?

No. Payments can only be recorded on invoices in Generated, Sent, Partially Paid, or Overdue status. Finalize the invoice first — see Invoice workflow.

Is there a report of all payments received?

Yes. The Invoicing dashboard shows payment status for all invoices. You can filter by status to see paid, partially paid, and overdue invoices at a glance.

Next steps