#17 Sometimes You Need the Payment Before Invoice

#17 Sometimes You Need the Payment Before Invoice

Not every payment starts with an invoice.


Think about a project deposit, an event registration fee, a booking advance or an upfront consultation charge. The customer is ready to pay, but the final scope, pricing, or line item haven't been finalized yet.

Do you wait until the invoice is generated?

Not necessarily.

Payment Links in Zoho Invoice stand ahead to support you in these situations. They let you collect money quickly without creating an invoice first, helping you improve cash flow while keeping the payment process simple.

John McMahon, Owner, Global Premier Sourcing Ltd., praises the ability to collect payment online, "The ability to receive online payments has helped me get paid faster and manage my cash flow. It is an intuitive and extremely beneficial software that I regularly use."

Payment links are for collecting payment when an invoice would be premature.

With Payment Links, you can:

  • Request a deposit before work begins

  • Collect one-time payments outside your regular billing cycle

  • Share payment links through email, WhatsApp, SMS, or any preferred channel

  • Receive payment notification automatically.

Once the project scope is finalized, simply create the invoice and adjust it against the payment already received.

To create a payment link, go to       
      
      Payment Links -> + New Payment Link

Notes

 Important Action

Payment Links module isn't displayed in the left sidebar by default. You will need to enable it by going into

Settings -> General Preferences

Once enabled, make sure to:

  • Connect at least one payment gateway.

  • Add a clear payment description so customers can know what they are paying for.

  • Set an expiry date to avoid outdated payment requests.


Info

 Things to Remember

By default, a Payment Link expires 15 days after it's created. Once expired, the customer can no longer access it. If the payment is still pending, create a new Payment Link before asking the customer to pay.

Idea

Pro Tip:

The easier you make it for customers to pay, the sooner you are likely to receive the payment. Generate a payment link, shorten the shareable URL, and share it through the communication channel your customer responds to fastest, rather than relying on email.

Warning

Watch Out:

Payment Links are not a replacement for an invoice or an alias for it. Once the scope of work is finalized, always create a proper invoice and apply the payment received from the unused credit stored under the customer record. This keeps your record accurate and ensures compliance with your billing process.