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

        • Client Customer

          I purchased a customer user license, but we cannot see the project I added in the customer account. I would like to ask for support on what we should do.

        • Add Ability to Use Zoho Finance Tags

          For Zoho Finance (Books and Inventory), the current actions do not allow us to affect the tags associated with the entities in question (customers, vendors, items, etc.). Please consider adding this functionality into the actions.

        • Embeded Signing doesn't work on Safari Browser

          We have implemented Zoho Sign in our website by using embeded signing, It works perfectly on Chrome. But it fails on Safari, We get stuck on Zoho Sign Page during redirection from Zoho Sign to our website after signing the document, Please let us know

        • Dataprep Webhook Limits and Cannot update column with Dataprep

          I have two problems : 1 - I am using Airflow to trigger my pipeline, and when I tested it, it worked fine a couple of times. However, after that, I received an error: {"code":429,"message":"Request rate limited"}. I didn’t send too many requests — maybe

        • New in Zoho Forms: Google reCAPTCHA v3 for smarter spam protection

          Hello form builders, Spam submissions are one of the biggest challenges when you share your forms online. They not only clutter your data but can also waste valuable time. To help you combat this without making life harder for genuine respondents, we’re

        • Project Management Bulletin: August, 2025

          We’ve touched a grand 19 years since we started pioneering project management solutions with Zoho Projects. What started as a simple one-page interface is now a suite of products with Zoho BugTracker, Zoho Sprints, and our new debut Zoho Projects Plus,

        • Zoho Sign and Zoho Workdrive Integration

          Hello, there. I want to know if it's possible to save a signed document from Zoho Sign in an specific folder for each signer in Zoho Workdrive.  For example: If John Doe signs the document in Zoho Sign I want to save it automatically in a folder named

        • Empowered Custom Views: Cross-Module Criteria Now Supported in Zoho CRM

          Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce cross-module criteria support in custom views! Custom views provide personalized perspectives on your data and that you can save for future use. You can share these views with all users or specific individuals

        • How do you list multiple contacts for a lead?

          My sales team wants to be able to add additional contacts for leads, how do we do that? Is there a different way we should be using the lead / contact functionality? Moderation update (9th September 2025): Our developers have built an extension to achieve

        • Modifying Three Dot Menu Options

          Is there a way to modify the three dot menu options that display in a Report header? They currently display: Show As (List, Calendar, Timeline), Print, Import, Export. I'd like to remove the Show As and Print options, since they aren't applicable for

        • Field Not Updating in FSM Script - Service and Parts module.

          Dear Team, I am reaching out regarding a script I have implemented in Zoho FSM to automate the calculation of the End of Service date based on the End of Sale date in the Service and Parts module. Overview of the script: Fetches the End_of_Sale__C and

        • Zadarma + Zoho CRM Integration – Missed Calls Saved as Contacts Instead of Leads

          Hello everyone, I’m looking for input from anyone with experience using the Zadarma + Zoho CRM integration. Currently, I’m seeing that missed calls are automatically being created as Contacts instead of Leads. From a CRM perspective, this doesn’t make

        • Zoho Books | Product updates | September 2025

          Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From PayNow payment method to applying journal credits to invoices and bills in other locations, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Integrate

        • How to update Multiple Users field in Quote Module from Deal Module

          Scenario : Deal Module having Multiple User Field (Presales Engineer) which having more than 1 User and through Deluge Script I need to get that Users Details and need to put into Multiple User Field (Presales Engineer) of Quote Module. Note: Both Module

        • Auto-sync field of lookup value

          This feature has been requested many times in the discussion Field of Lookup Announcement and this post aims to track it separately. At the moment the value of a 'field of lookup' is a snapshot but once the parent lookup field is updated the values diverge.

        • Clone a Module??

          I am giong to repurpose the Vendors module but would like to have a separate but very similar module for another group of contacts called Buyers. I have already repurposed Contacts to Sellers. Is it possible to clone (make a duplicate) module of Vendors

        • Advance PDF creation from CRM data

          I'm trying to create a PDF export of data in the CRM. My problem is I want a pretty complicated format for the data. I'm trying to export multiple modules worth of data, with nested one-to-many relationships between the modules. Along with that, I want

        • how to disable staff selection Zoho Booking integrated to SalesIQ?

          currently there is only one Consultant in my Zoho Bookings like this I integrate Zoho Bookings into Zoho SalesIQ to create a chatbot. Unfortunately, even though I only have one consultant for a consultation, the user have to pick the consultant. It will

        • How to change the text in WhatsApp Zobot integrated to Zoho Booking?

          I have integrated Zoho Bookings into Zoho SalesIQ, I want to change the text in WhatsApp when creating a booking in Zobot how to change those text?

        • Updating Subform Record from other Form

          Just wanted to ask how to properly approach this. I have 2 forms and would like to trigger an auto update on the subform once record submitted. block below only updates 1 row for each recordRow in input.AV_System { AssetRecord = Site_Asset_Services[SOR_No

        • Zoho Books - Hide Convert to Sales Order if it can't be used.

          Hi Books team, I noticed that it is not possible to convert a Quote to a Sales Order when a Quote is not yet marked as accepted. My idea is to not show the Convert to Sales Order button when it is not possible to use it, or show it in a grey inactive

        • How do I bulk archive my projects in ZOHO projects

          Hi, I want to archive 50 Projects in one go. Can you please help me out , How can I do this? Thanks kapil

        • Cross-Data Center Collaboration and / Or allowing users to choose DC

          Dear Zoho Cliq Support Team, We are writing to request a significant enhancement to Zoho Cliq that would greatly benefit our geographically dispersed development team. Current Challenge: Currently, Zoho Cliq automatically routes users to specific data

        • New Mandatory One-Click Unsubscribe Link Overshadowing Custom Unsubscribe Link

          I was recently informed by Zoho CRM Support that they are now mandated by the large email service providers like Google and Yahoo to provide a one-click unsubscribe option in the header (not the body) of all mass emails. I have a custom unsubscribe link

        • Send / Send & Close keyboard shortcuts

          Hello! My team is so close to using Zoho Desk with just the keyboard. Keyboard shortcuts really help us to be more efficient -- saving a second or two over thousands of tickets adds up quickly. It seems like the keyboard shortcuts in Desk are only for

        • Is it possible to register webhooks in Zoho CRM using API?

          Hello, I am trying to register a webhook in Zoho CRM programmatically (using the API). Specifically, I want to register a webhook that is fired when new Contacts are created in the CRM. I was able to setup a webhook using the UI, by creating a rule that

        • Calls where the local audio is shared, have echo

          When another user is sharing their screen with audio, I get echo from my own voice. We tested this with multiple users, with different audio setups, and there's no obvious way to fix it. Is this a bug you could look into, or are we missing something?

        • Update application by uploading an updated DS file

          Is it possible? I have been working with AI on my desktop improving my application, and I have to keep copy pasting stuff... Would it be possible to import the DS file on top of an existing application to update the app accordingly?

        • Markdown support, code cells...

          Hi Zoho I'd like to vote for a feature that markdown is supported with: Headings Code highlighting Quoteblocks ... Furthermore a inline card(like inline sketch card) for special text like Code would be great. And just to add my vote as well for "Tags"!

        • Minimise chat when user navigates to new page

          When the user is in an active chat (chatbot) and is provide with an internal link, when they click the link to go to the internal page the chat opens again. This is not a good user experience. They have been sent the link to read what is on the page.

        • How do I fix this? Unable to send message; Reason:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked.

          How do I fix this? Unable to send message; Reason:554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked.

        • Reports: Custom Search Function Fields

          Hi Zoho, Hope you'll add this into your roadmap. Issue: For the past 2yrs our global team been complaining and was brought to our attention recently that it's a time consuming process looking/scrolling down. Use-case: This form is a service report with

        • Zoho Projects app update: Voice notes for Tasks and Bugs module

          Hello everyone! In the latest version(v3.9.37) of the Zoho Projects Android app update, we have introduced voice notes for the Tasks and Bugs module. The voice notes can be added as an attachment or can be transcribed into text. Recording and attaching

        • zurl URL shortener Not working in Zoho social

          zurl URL shortener Not working in while creating a post in Zoho social

        • In the Zoho CRM Module I have TRN Field I should contain 15 digit Number , If it Contain less than 15 digit Then show Alert message on save of the button , If it not contain any number not want to sh

          Hi In the Zoho CRM Module I have TRN Field I should contain 15 digit Number , If it Contain less than 15 digit Then show Alert message on save of the button , If it not contain any number not want to show alert. How We can achive in Zoho CRm Using custom

        • Power of Automation::Streamline log hours to work hours upon task completion.

          Hello Everyone, A Custom Function is a user-written set of code to achieve a specific requirement. Set the required conditions needed as to when to trigger using the Workflow rules (be it Tasks / Project) and associate the custom function to it. Requirement:-

        • Zoho Bookings know-how: A hands-on workshop series

          Hello! We’re conducting a hands-on workshop series to help simplify appointment scheduling for your business with Zoho Bookings. We’ll be covering various functionalities and showing how you can leverage them for your business across five different sessions.

        • Custom report

          Hello Everyone I hope everything is fine. I've tried to To change the layout of the reports, especially the summary page report, and I want to divide summary of each section in the survey but I can't For example: I have a survey containing five different

        • Zoho Journey - ZOHO MARKETING AUTOMATION

          I’ve encountered an issue while working with a journey in Zoho Marketing Automation. After creating the journey, I wanted to edit the "Match Criteria" settings. Unfortunately: The criteria section appears to be locked and not editable. I’m also unable

        • Custom Fields in PDF outputs

          I created a couple of custom fields. e.g Country of Origin and HS Tariff Code. I need these to appear on a clone of a sales order PDF template but on on the standard PDF template. When I select "appear on PDFs' it appears on both but when I don't select

        • Next Page