Understand the credit book and Collections

The Collections sidebar holds two ways of following up what customers owe: the Collections workspace (cases, ageing, disputes, reminder sequences) and the older Credit book (each customer's balance on their account, with its own reminder list). Both read the same customers' money, but they do not count it the same way. This page explains the difference so the numbers do not surprise you.

Before you start

• Collections needs Books set up. The credit book comes with every plan that has Books.
• You need Collections: see cases for the workspace and Credit: who owes, record payments for the credit book.

What each one reads

Steps: record a payment in one place

1. Decide where your team records payments: on the case in Collections, in the credit book, or in Books.
2. Record each payment once, in that place. With Books on, a payment recorded in any of the three becomes one Books receipt: the invoices it pays close in Books, and the balance drops in the credit book and in Collections.
3. Check the customer in Collections → Ageing and in Credit book: both show the lower balance.

Why the numbers can differ

• Different due days. An invoice due in 60 days is "not yet due" in Collections, but the credit book may already count it late if your terms are 30 days. The amount owed on the invoice is the same; the overdue part and the bands are not.
• Which invoice a payment settles. A payment recorded in the credit book or by link pays the oldest due invoices first; on a case you can tick the invoices it pays. Collections shows the invoice-by-invoice result.
• Charges that are not invoices. Amounts on the account without a Books invoice behind them (for example an opening balance brought in as a balance) show in the credit book but not in the Collections ageing.

Good to know

• Remind in one place. The credit book's daily reminders and Collections' sequences run separately. If both are on, a customer can be reminded twice. Choose one: switch off Prepare reminders every day in the credit book settings, or leave Send reminders automatically off in Collections settings.
• Books' own report. Books → Who owes us gives totals per age band only, with no rows per customer; use the Collections ageing when you need names and invoices.
• Without Books, the credit book keeps its own ledger and payments are not Books receipts.