Function #48: Manage fixed installment payments using Zoho Books

Function #48: Manage fixed installment payments using Zoho Books



Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series!

Businesses offer installment payment options to their customers, particularly for expensive purchases, to ease the financial burden on them. By breaking down the total cost into smaller, more manageable payments, businesses can attract a wider audience who may not be able to afford large upfront payments. This approach not only increases the likelihood of making more sales, but also helps to spread revenue over time, improve cash flow, enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty, and provide a competitive advantage in the market.

We receive numerous requests from our users regarding the handling of these installment scenarios. We heard you loud and clear. Today, we are excited to share a solution that utilizes custom functions to manage installment payments in Zoho Books.

Let's take the example of Mr. John Hector, who wants to buy a 75-inch TV from Zylker Electronics, priced at a hefty $2,300. He is finding it difficult to pay the entire amount upfront. Therefore, Zylker Electronics offers him the option to pay in installments. They mutually decide that John will spread the payment over 5 months, committing to monthly installments of $460 until he settles the entire purchase amount. Let's delve into how this process can be efficiently managed within Zoho Books using custom functions.

Firstly, Zylker Electronics should create a sale invoice of $2,300 in their Zoho Books organization. While creating it, they should input the start date of the installment and the number of installments in two custom fields. For instance, if the sale was made on 01.04.2024 and Mr. John agreed to pay in 5 installments starting on 10.05.2024, the start date should be entered as 10.05.2024, and the number of installments as 5.

Two custom functions will come into play: one to generate the retainer invoices to collect the installment payments and another to apply the retainer payments to the sale invoice.

Based on the number of installments entered the function will determine the amount to be charged as monthly installments.
Installment amount = Total Amount Payable / No of installments = $2300 / 5 = $460.

On the specified start date, the first function will create and send the retainer invoice for the first installment. Once the payment for this installment is recorded, the second function will apply it to the sale invoice, reducing the balance accordingly. The process repeats each month, generating and sending retainer invoices for subsequent installments until all 5 are completed. Each retainer invoice will be for $460 and due on the 10th of every month for 5 consecutive months. As each retainer invoice is paid, the second function will automatically apply it to the sale invoice, thereby recognizing the income.

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 Date-type custom field called "Installment Start Date" for the Invoices. This field will be used to input the starting date for installment payments.



3. Create a Decimal-type custom field called "Number of installments" for the Invoices. Here, you'll specify the agreed-upon number of installments. Using this information and the total invoice amount, the function will determine the monthly installment amount.



4. 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 into line 26 of the first function. This ensures that all the retainers sent for collecting installment amounts are correctly labeled.



(1) Custom Function to create Retainer Invoices:

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



(2) Workflow Rule to create Retainer Invoices:

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.

(3) 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. 



(4) Workflow Rule to apply installment 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.

We really hope that today's functions help you streamline the process of handling installments in Zoho Books. If you need any assistance in customizing the functions to better suit your needs, please do not hesitate to contact us at support[at]zohobooks[dot]com. We are always happy to help you. 

Also, for those looking to collect varying percentages of the invoice total as installments, stay tuned! 

Regards,
Shireen Farhana
Zoho Books

    • Sticky Posts

    • Introducing Invoice Consolidation for Offline Subscriptions

      Hello Folks, Glad to announce the feature of Invoice Consolidation for Offline Subscriptions. If you are having multiple subscriptions for your customers, now, you can send a single consolidated invoice for all the Offline Subscriptions that are getting renewed on the same date. Advantage?  Customers will be receiving single invoice instead of multiple invoices upon renewal. Also reduces your efforts in follow-up with your customers for payment collections. For Example: If Customer has Subscription

    • New feature: Create back-dated subscriptions

      Hello from the Zoho Subscriptions team. :)   We’re happy to announce that today marks the launch of a much-awaited feature: creating back-dated subscriptions!   From here on out, whenever you create a new subscription with an activation date that is earlier than the present date, you’ll no longer get an error. Instead, you'll be creating a back-dated subscription. This means that the subscription started at that earlier point in time. The next billing date will be calculated automatically based on

    • Announcement Regarding Notification Emails

      Hello Everyone! This announcement is regarding the admin notification emails which you've been receiving from the email address "support@zohosubscriptions.com". From the 1st of October, 06:00 GMT, the emails with the following subjects will be sent from "no-reply@zohosubscriptions.com". Unable to send invoice for the profile - {profile_name} Unable to process auto payments. If you have set up any filters or workflow in your email account, please add "no-reply@zohosubscriptions.com” and  “support@zohosubscriptions.com”

    • Zoho Subscriptions plugin for WordPress

      Zoho Subscriptions plugin for WordPress allows you to easily embed your plan specific checkout page in an iframe with just a few mouse clicks and without a single line of code. How can WordPress Zoho Subscriptions Plugin boost your productivity? It's now easier to embed Zoho Subscriptions checkout page in your WordPress site. Forget the old method of logging in to Zoho Subscriptions, copying a URL and scripting to make adjustments. All this can be done automatically through this plugin. A great time

    • Indian GST organisation Migration Guide

      With respect to the new GST regime releasing on July 1, 2017in India, Zoho Subscriptions Indian edition is also gearing up to make your business GST Ready. This article focuses on how to get your existing organisation in Zoho Subscriptions to migrate to the new GST regime.    Note:  Any organisation created on or after July 1, 2017 will already be GST ready. You wouldn't have to migrate your organisation. Migrating your existing organisation to support GST To migrate your existing organisation to

    • Recent Topics

    • How to see history on Bulk send of Customer Statements

      Hi, We bulk send statements to customers every month via Books - every month we have customers emailing requesting a statement. Currently I have no visibility on if a customer was sent the statement or not and if our process is being followed or overlooked

    • Guided Conversations - Ticket Creation

      Hi there, Using Guided Conversations to Take Customer Data and apply it into a Support Ticket for internal use, Is there a way to take multiple Textual Variables Inputs (A series of questions), and have the answers all appear in the Description of the

    • How to add buttons elements in the Header

      I am trying to add CTA (Call to Action) buttons in the right side of the main navigation menu. This is a common practice for sites but I can't seem to figure this out for Zoho Sites. Is there a custom workflow that could be shared with me? 

    • Automatic back up - Zoho Recruit, books, people,crm, analytics

      Hello, Has anyone found a good way of automatically backing up Zoho (CRM, expense, recruit, people, books, analytics).? I have found with tool that does, but it doesn't include recruit or analytics It's a bit annoying and time consuming having to go to

    • delete departments on zoho desk

      I created test departments on zoho desk. how can i delete them now?

    • Validation, checking if a file has been attached to the ticket

      A very useful option would be to allow checking, under specific conditions, whether the user has attached a file to the application, e.g., a bug report. Some applications require files to be attached, and the system could enforce this after the system

    • AI & Zoho Recruit

      Hello, I guess we all are using AI in our personal and professional lives. Now, let's imagine. Recruitment is just a succession of stages and steps. For which step would you like to see AI implemented into Zoho Recruit ? I'll start : - Automatic translation

    • Zoho Flow not handling Boolean properly

      Hi, I have a checkbox in one system that I'm trying to sync with a checkbox in Zoho CRM. The value from the source system comes in as blank (unticked) or 1 (ticked). I've written the following custom function to convert the output to either boolean false

    • Quotes Module - import data

      Hello Zoho, is it possible to import Quotes records? I was trying and i have no results. Raport shows no data imported. Could you help me please how to do it?

    • Balance Sheet - Zoho Analytics

      Hi Team, I’m looking to implement a feature that captures the conversion rate based on the filters applied. By default, it should fetch the most recent conversion rate, and when a filter (such as a timeline filter) is applied, it should return the conversion

    • files sent will not open for recipient

      work files (done in writer) which previously opened will not open for the recipient

    • How to Print the Data Model Zoho CRM

      I have created the data model in Zoho CRM and I want the ability to Print this. How do we do this please? I want the diagram exported to a PDF. There doesnt appear to be an option to do this. Thanks Andrew

    • Cisco Webex Calling Intergration

      Hi Guys, Our organisation is looking at a move from Salesforce to Zoho. We have found there is no support for Cisco Webex Calling however? Is there a way to enable this or are there any apps which can provide this? Thanks!

    • Migration of Mails from Pipedrive

      Hi, so far the migration from Pipedrive to ZOHO works pretty good. For full completeness of the migration we miss all the mails linked to Deals, Contacts, Customers, ... What possibilities do we have to have Pipedrive fully migrated to ZOHO? Best Regards,

    • Published sheets don't work anymore

      Hi, Published sheets don't work anymore. The display of values is very very slow and calculations are not displayed at all. Thanks!

    • WorkDrive TrueSync for macOS 26 (Tahoe) Beta

      Hello everyone, With Apple unveiling the macOS 26 (Tahoe) Beta, we know many of you are eager to explore the latest features and enhancements. We’re excited to support your enthusiasm! As part of our commitment to delivering seamless cross-platform experiences,

    • Limited layout rules in a module

      There is a limit of 10 layout rules per module. Is there a way to get that functionality through different customization or workflow + custom function (easily accessible), etc. Having just 10 is limiting especially if module contains a lot of data. Are

    • #1 Zoho Billing vs. Zoho Books: Which one should I choose?

      Managing your business finances isn't just about sending invoices. It's about keeping everything organized, accurate, and moving towards your organization's goals. At Zoho, we understand the complexity, which is why we offer two powerful yet distinct

    • Is Zoho tables still being developed?

      Has this product been abandoned? I haven't seen any useful new features or stability improvements over the past six months or more. I think Tables is a great concept, filling a niche between spreadsheets and full database tools, but the current implementation

    • How to connect oracle ADW with Analytics

      I want to add Oracle ADW as a data source in Zoho Analytics, but I couldn't find any relevant documentation. Can anyone suggest how to do it, or let me know if it's even possible? Thanks!!

    • RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) Type Q+A Environment with Zoho Learn

      Hi All, Given the ability of Zoho Learn to function as a knowledge base / document repository type solution and given the rapid advancements that Zoho is making with Zia LLM, agentic capabilities etc. (not to mention the rapid progress in the broader

    • add attachments to automated emails?

      Hi, I'm looking for a way to have documents saved under an account, be grabbed and sent to an email address once a specific status has been updated.  For example we have a tab we've labeled as sales orders, when the status is changed to shipped, it emails the customer the tracking number and estimated delivery date.  I'd like it to also grab pdf docs (COA, BOL, etc) from that order and send in that email.   Currently we have to go into zoho change the status to shipped, then email all the docs to

    • [Action Required] Zendesk - Zoho Analytics integration requires re-authentication

      Dear Zendesk integration users, Zendesk is transitioning to a new OAuth model that uses refresh tokens for improved security and stability (read more). As a result, all Zendesk users in Zoho Analytics must re-authenticate their Zendesk connections on

    • Rerun Migration?

      I migrated a mailbox a few days ago, but didn't do the cutover on the MX records until today.  How can I rerun the migration to sync the mailboxes?  The old account has had a fair amount of activity since the first migration. I am used to other systems

    • طلب حذف الدومين والمؤسسة من حساب zoho

      السلام عليكم، أود طلب حذف الدومين التالي من حسابي في Zoho، حيث لا يظهر لي خيار الحذف في لوحة التحكم: اسم الدومين: hudajstore.com البريد المرتبط: [contact@hudajstore.com] علمًا بأنني المسؤول عن المؤسسة، ولا أستخدم الدومين حاليًا، وأرغب في إلغاء ربطه وحذف

    • Microsoft Outlook Add-in Update: Enhancing Efficiency for Recruiters

      We've released an update to the Zoho Recruit Microsoft Outlook Add-in, which brings a host of features designed to streamline your recruiting process and boost productivity. Let's delve into the details: Associate Emails with records in Zoho Recruit You

    • New integration: Zoho Books + Zoho Forms

      Hello Zoho Forms community! We are thrilled to announce the addition of another integration that brings speed and efficiency to your financial workflows. Zoho Forms can now be integrated with Zoho Books! Here’s a quick rundown on Zoho Books! For anyone

    • Witness Sign - Automation with Zoho Creator

      Hi there, I used to be able do automatically send a Zoho Sign document from Zoho Creator where each signer had one witness. The action code was as follows for each signer and witness:       // CLIENT eachActionMap1 = Map(); eachActionMap1.put("signing_order","1");

    • Announcing: custom color palette + free workshop

      Hello everyone, We're excited to share new feature in Zoho Bookings—a color palette within booking page themes. You'll find this option under Manage Bookings > Workspaces > Booking Page Themes. You can customize the color of every element in your booking page and even alter the transparency of your background image. Please note that this is a paid feature included in the Basic and Premium plans. At the moment, it's available only under the Modern Web theme. This means you can create billions (7,

    • Removing To or CC Addresses from Desk Ticket

      I was hoping i could find a way to remove unnecessary email addresses from tickets submitted via email. For example, a customer may email the support address AND others who are in the helpdesk notification group, in either the TO or CC address. This results

    • Ability to Export Field Dependency Structure in Zoho Desk

      Hi Zoho Team, We’d like to request a feature enhancement in Zoho Desk that would greatly improve configuration management for organizations like ours: Requested Feature: The ability to export the full structure of Field Dependencies, especially for multi-level

    • [URGENT] Allow reorder (drag&drop) of subform record

      Very simple user case: a wedding planning app where you want to send your client a form to fill with information about their wedding. Form includes some field for general purpose information and a subform for event pacing/schedule. Clients are invited to create a new row (When? - What? - Where? - Who?) for each thing happening during their wedding chronologically. Ex: When                  What 10h                      Something TBD                    Speech After speech      Yet another thing happening

    • Departments in Zoho

      I'm trying to set up a department. It looks like Departments have been removed from Zoho One. Is there another option? We have our main account setup, but want to set up a separate small department that can't see our tabs.

    • Add Timer for Agent Status Duration in Zoho Desk Dashboard

      Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to further enhance the agent status tracking functionality within the Zoho Desk Dashboard. 🎯 Current Functionality As it stands, Zoho Desk allows us to view the

    • [Beta Feature] Parent-Child Ticketing

      Hello there, a beta parent-child ticketing feature has recently been made available for some, read more here: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/ticket-management/articles/understanding-parent-child-ticketing-system#Business_scenarios I would like

    • Enable Sorting by Ticket Count in Category Reports

      Hi Zoho Desk Product Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to improve the reporting capabilities in Zoho Desk. 🎯 Feature Request: Sorting by Ticket Count in Category Reports Currently, category-based reports in Zoho

    • Reactivating a CRM user...

      I'm a 1-man business primarily using CRM under my Zoho1 subscription (I have NO other employees or users). I wish to re-activate a prior user (my son, once more working with me) but when changing his status from inactive to active I receive this message:

    • Zohoサポートにスコープ開放を依頼する

      お世話になっております。 現在、弊社にてZoho DeskのナレッジベースをAPI経由で取得し、AIツール（NotebookLM等）に連携する仕組みの構築を検討しています。 つきましては、ZohoDesk.articles.READ スコープを使用したOAuth認証の許可をいただけますでしょうか。 API Console から Server-based アプリを作成済みですが、認可URLにアクセスすると「スコープが登録されていません」と表示されます。 お手数をおかけしますが、スコープの開放をご

    • Where can I configure the notifications for everything KB-related?

      Hi all, I'm receiving notifications for some actions happening in our Knowledge Base (e.g. someone leaving a feedback) and I would like to customise the template or have the choice to enable/disable such notifications like it is possible for ticket notification

    • Increase Round Robin Scheduler Frequency in Zoho Desk

      Dear Zoho Desk Team, We hope this message finds you well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Round Robin Scheduler in Zoho Desk to better address ticket assignment efficiency. Current Behavior At present, the Round Robin Scheduler operates

    • Next Page