Function #49: Manage varying installment payments using Zoho Books

.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series!

Last week, we discussed automating the collection of fixed installment payments in Zoho Books. But what if your payment structure involves charging varying percentages of the invoice total as installments? We've got you covered with a solution—a Custom Button that simplifies the process.

Let's consider an example where Mr. John Hector is availing the services of Zylker Designs to build a website for his new business. The total project cost is $5,000 and is divided into the following milestones:

Initial Discussion: 10%

Design Phase: 30%

Development Phase: 40%

Final Delivery and Testing: 20%

Let's see how this payment structure can be handled in Zoho Books using a Custom Button.

First, Zylker Designs should create a sale invoice of $5,000 in their Zoho Books organization. When it's time to bill for a milestone, they can click the Custom Button and input the percentage of the invoice total to be charged. Then, a retainer invoice is automatically created and sent to the client. Once the payment for this installment is recorded, another custom function will apply it to the sale invoice, reducing the balance accordingly. This process can be repeated for each milestone until the invoice is fully paid.

But wait, there's more!

In addition to the Custom Button, we are also sharing a Related List script. This script displays information about the installment payments, such as the associated Retainer Invoice number, amounts paid, and the invoice balance both in amount and percentage.

Prerequisites: 

1. Create a Connection named "zbooks" to successfully execute the scheduler. You can watch the GIF attached below to know how to create the connection.

2. Create a Decimal-type custom field called "Installments" for the Invoices. This field will dynamically reflect the percentage of the invoice total that has been billed. 

3. Create a new Retainer Invoice template with the document title "Installment Payment". Then, copy the template ID (You can get the ID from the URL of the webpage) and substitute it in line 19 of the custom button script. This ensures that all the retainers sent for collecting installment amounts are correctly labeled.



(1) Custom Button to create Retainer Invoices:

Go to Settings -> Sales -> Invoices -> Custom Buttons -> Click +New -> Populate the details as mentioned below:

1. Name - Give a suitable name (e.g., Send Installment Invoices).

2. Visibility - Select the option that aligns with your preference for granting users access to the custom button.

3. Location - Choose "Details Page Menu".

Once done, add the script from this GitHub link -> Click "Edit Arguments" > Input the Param name as "Percentage" and Param type as "String" -> Save. 

Note: Input only "Percentage" as the Param name. 

(2) Custom Function to apply installment payments to the sale invoice:

Navigate to Settings -> Automation -> Workflow Actions -> Custom Functions -> +New Custom Function- > Module -> Select Retainer Invoice -> Add the function code from this GitHub Link -> Save. 

(3) Workflow Rule to apply instalment payments:

Go to Settings -> Automation -> Workflow Rules -> +New Workflow Rule and set up the workflow rule as shown below:-

In the final step of this workflow rule, associate the custom function you created and then hit Save.

(4) Related List:

Navigate to Settings -> Sales -> Invoices -> Related Lists -> +New Related List. Provide a suitable name, select view preferences, and then paste the script from this GitHub link. Save the changes.

Here's how to access the Custom button:

Go to Sales -> Invoices -> Click on the invoice for which you need to generate installment invoices -> Click the custom button "Send Installment invoices" -> Input the percentage to be charged -> Execute. 

Do give this a try and let us know how you liked it. If you need any help with setting up this automation, feel free to contact our support team at support[at]zohobooks[dot]com. We're here to assist you every step of the way.

Regards,

Shireen Farhana

Zoho Books

• Topic Participants

• Shireen Farhana

  

• Agustin Gomez

• Steven Kelty

• Recent Topics

• Need a way to secure Prefill URLs in Zoho Forms (hide or encrypt prefilled values)

  Hi everyone, I often use Zoho Forms with prefilled URLs to simplify the user experience — for example: https://forms.zohopublic.com/.../form?Name=David&Amount=300 However, the problem is that all prefilled values are visible and editable in the link.

• How to sync from Zoho Projects into an existing Sprint in Zoho Sprints?

  Hi I have managed to integrate Zoho Projects with Zoho Sprints and I can see that the integration works as a project was created in Zoho Sprints. But, what I would like to do is to sync into an existing Zoho Sprints project. Is there a way to make that

• Experience effortless record management in CRM For Everyone with the all-new Grid View!

  Hello Everyone, Hope you are well! As part of our ongoing series of feature announcements for Zoho CRM For Everyone, we’re excited to bring you another type of module view : Grid View. In addition to Kanban view, List view, Canvas view, Chart view and

• What's New in Zoho Analytics - October 2025

  Hello Users! We're are back with a fresh set of updates and enhancements to make data analysis faster and more insightful. Take a quick look at what’s new and see how these updates can power up your reports and dashboards. Explore What's New! Extreme

• Is CRM On Premise available

  Hi Zoho team, Can you please let me know that CRM Zoho is available for On Premise as well? Thanks, Devashish

• Tip of the Week #73– Automate workflow with Make integration.

  Make is a no-code workflow automation platform designed to connect your favorite apps and automate repetitive tasks across services. By integrating Make with Zoho TeamInbox, you can streamline everyday inbox management and save valuable time. With this

• Viewing attachments

  I'm using a Web Form integrated in my web site to collect Leads several info, including a image upload. In order to to approve each lead, we have to view the image uploaded. Unfortunately, in the Leads view, the Attachments can only be downloaded, not

• How to Export PDF with a custom Template

  I need to export Sales Order with a Custom Template I have created How can I do it? I see an API to export the PDF but how can I choose which template to choose to generate the PDF

• Kaizen #89 - Color Coding using Client Script

  Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. Today let us see how you can apply color codes to the List and Detail Pages of Zoho CRM using Client Script. Need for color code in Zoho CRM When you mark things with different colors as a

• Instant Sync of Zoho CRM Data?

  With how valuable Zoho Analytics is to actually creating data driven dashboards/reports, we are surprised that there is no instant or near instant sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics. Waiting 3 hours is okay for most of our reports, but there are

• Is it possibly to directly set the tax amount on order instead of indirectly via tax rates?

  We own an eCommerce application and want to funnel submitted orders from that system into Zoho. We're already calculating tax in our application and just need a way to set it in Zoho. We tried to use Zoho's tax objects for tax by setting the rates to

• Multi-Page Forms in Zoho Creator!

  Let’s make long applications easier to handle by dividing them into pages, adding a progress bar, and guiding users step by step through complex data entry. This would be a total game-changer for the user experience and could significantly boost completion

• Account in Quick View Filter

  I have a report that I often run against a specific Account. Every time, I have to go into the edit menu and change the Advanced Filter. I would prefer to use the Quick View Filter, but it does not allow me to use the one and only field that makes any

• Zoho account sign in with passkey

  Hello, I am trying to sign in using passkey, but the option doesn't show up in the web and is disabled in Oneauth on mobile, saying the admin has restricted the use. On the Admin page in Security MFA I can find no option for passkey. Help would be greatly

• Nouveauté dans Zoho Writer - Création de documents et de modèles assistée par l'IA

  Zia, l’assistant IA de Zoho Writer, soutient les utilisateurs dans l’amélioration de leur écriture et la création de contenus : correction orthographique et grammaticale en temps réel, suggestions adaptées au contexte, détection du plagiat, révisions

• Rescheduled US meetups: Zoho Desk user meetups are coming to seven U.S. cities in October and November, 2025

  Hello to our Zoho Desk users in the United States, We're excited to share the revised dates for the upcoming Zoho User Groups happening across the US this summer. Our product experts are heading to seven cities throughout the country, and for the first

• Checklists as templates

  Is it possible to save checklists as templates to reuse them in other tasks? Example: I have a web project. I maintain individual web URLs as tasks. Within the tasks the same checklist should be used again and again: - Page created in CMS - Properties

• Send mass email using my secondary email

  Hello, When I send an email to just one person from Zoho CRM, a complete email editor appears, where I can choose which of my email addresses I want to use in the From field. When I send a mass email, there is not such option. I can only select the email

• Add the same FROM email to multiple department

  Hi, We have several agents who work with multiple departments and we'd like to be able to select their names on the FROM field (sender), but apparently it's not possible to add a FROM address to multiple departments. Is there any way around this? Thanks.

• Colour Coded Flags in Tasks Module List View

  I really like the colour coded flags indicating the status of the tasks assigned to a Contact/Deal in the module list view. It would be a great addition to have this feature available in the list view of activities/tasks. I understand you have the Due

• ZOHO TEAM INBOX Calendar Integration

  The Problem: Clients send meeting invitations to our TeamInbox address. TeamInbox receives these invites, but we cannot accept them. We do not use individual inboxes for transparency purposes. Ideal Solution: A way to accept calendar invites sent to our

• Need Help Mapping GST Registration Number Field Between Zoho Books & Zoho CRM + Slow Sync Issues

  am facing an issue with field mapping between Zoho Books and Zoho CRM. I want to map the GST Registration Number field from the Customer module in Zoho Books to a custom GST field inside the Accounts module in Zoho CRM. However, I am getting a warning

• Unearned / Deferred Revenue Automatic Calculation for Subscriptions

  As a SaaS business, we have multiple active subscriptions with varying dates and amounts. Is there a way to have a monthly automatic calculation for all of them that debits or credits the unearned revenue and revenue accounts accordingly? Alternatively,

• Published Course Not Reflecting In Hub

  Hi! I am trying to create micro-learning courses for our team to be available for self-guided learning. I have published the courses with enrollment settings open to all users of the hub, but they don't appear to be available for enrollment. Am I missing

• Zoho Desk Limit for Comma Separated Queries

  Hi, I have just discovered a limit that I believed is not mentioned in any of Zoho's documentations. My search query looks like so: "query: {"accountId":"786050000091629966,786050000163589273,786050000163589427,786050000162753705,786050000162112971,786050000161987643,786050000160752868,786050000167089504,786050000167089378,786050000167089024,786050000167070005,786050000166295256,786050000128153693,786050000110560021,786050000046594575,786050000039106461,786050000002225356,786050000076889093,786050000047895103,786050000043365354,786050000044765191,786050000041790249,786050000040359116,786050000037945198,786050000024605077,786050000000525015,786050000155333895,786050000157741437,786050000000718125,786050000011574353,","departmentId":"786050000042648070","status":"Finished","sortBy":"createdTime","customField2":"cf_completion_date:2025-01-28T03:00:00.000Z,2025-10-28T03:00:00.000Z","customField3":"cf_billed:false"}"

• Module Name doesn't exist

  I am trying to create a module named Activity, with plural Activities, but I have an error that module name already exists. This module is doesn't exist, and I don't have a single field called Activity or Activities.

• How to next stage blueprint in Zoho Creator

  Hello, I have question, its possible to next stage blueprint? in case, Start - (first stage) Leader 1 (with condition 1) - (second stage) Leader 2 (with condition 2) - (third stage) Leader 3 (with condition 3) - (fourth stage) After first stage, i want

• Zoho Desk iOS and Android app update: AI powered: Reply Assistance and Refine Messages on IM module.

  Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce new AI powered features on the IM module of the Zoho Desk app. Reply Assistance: Reply Assistance generates suggested responses for incoming chat messages, which you can directly insert into the conversation

• Unify All Zoho Video Meeting Experiences into One Standardized Platform

  Hi Zoho Team, We would like to share an important user experience concern regarding the current state of video meeting functionality across the Zoho ecosystem. The Problem Within Zoho, there are multiple ways to initiate or schedule a video meeting: Zoho

• Is it possible to embed Youtube shorts?

  Hi Zoho desk support, This is Ryan from Accuver America. While I'm trying to create a knowledge base article with embed video, I ran into this issue. "www.youtube.com refuse to connect" A little bit background is that because this video is recorded on

• Zoho Inventory - Move Orders

  Quick question about Move Orders... Why is there no status to say something like "Draft", "In Progress" and "Completed", similar to Transfer Orders? I'm assuming that when something needs to be moved it should be planned in Inventory, executed and then

• Multi-select Lookup does not have Advanced filter options in CRM

  With much fanfare Zoho announced the advanced filter options for CRM lookup fields which was a nice addition. This feature is not available for Multi-Select lookup fields. Will it be rolled out in the next 3-6 months, considering the standard lookup filter

• Kaizen #8 - Handling Recurrence and Participants in the Events Module via API

  Hello everyone! We are back this week with an exciting post—Handling recurrence and participants in the Events module through API. First things first—What is the Events module? "Events" is a part of the Activities module in Zoho CRM.  An event is an activity that happens at a given place and time. You can find Events on the user's Zoho CRM's home page, Activities home page, Calendar, and in other related records. What are the types of Events? Events are of two types—Recurring and non-recurring events.

• Currency limitation when integrating Zoho CRM & Zoho Books

  Brief Video of Problem: https://www.loom.com/share/d61d1d07d0904e149d80c1901a22418e. Background ·       Our business is based in Australia and we have to have Zoho Books in AUD to comply with tax and reporting regulations in Australia. ·       We sell

• Split functionality - Admins need ability to do this

  Admins should be able to split an expense at any point of the process prior to approval. The split is very helpful for our account coding, but to have to go back to a user and ask them to split an invoice that they simply want paid is a bit of an in

• Delegates - Access to approved reports

  We realized that delegates do not have access to reports after they are approved. Many users ask questions of their delegates about past expense reports and the delegates can't see this information. Please allow delegates see all expense report activity,

• How to include total km for multiple trips in expense report.

  Whenever I create a mileage report it only shows the total dollar amount to be reimbursed. The mileage for each individual trip is included but I also need to see the total distance for all trips in a report? How do I do this?

• Get logged in user ID in Deluge script

  Hello all, How do I get the id of the logged-in user in a deluge script? the "zoho.loginuserid" function actually returns the users email address or whatever the user id they use to login to zoho with and not the id of the user record, and given that

• Item Details Field - New Barcode / Document option?

  Is this a new feature??? its in both books and inventory.

• Super Admin Logging in as another User

  How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

• Next Page