---
title: "Awaiting Payment"
canonical: "https://support.soutron.net/space/HG/3279526/Awaiting%20Payment"
format: markdown
---
The acquisitions process extends from Placing an Order to making Payment. This requires the receipt of an Invoice from a supplier and making a record of all costs and payment details.
Once an Order has been raised and placed with the Supplier goods and services are received (Check-in) and an invoice is presented for payment. The invoice might be received at the same time the goods and services are delivered or even before.
Awaiting Payment is the stage where an Order is on file and a matching Invoice and approval is received and recorded in the database and associated with an Order, before making payment. It is unusual for the Library to make the actual payment but a credit card could be used to make payment. Often the Finance Department will transfer funds. The Date Payment is Requested (Sent to Finance) and the Date Payment is Made can be recorded. This is where a Line Item on an Order is assigned to an Invoice.
The Awaiting Payment function is accessible from within Orders or from the Acquisitions menu. When first presented the system lists Order Lines that have been previously been entered with the facility to filter the list and present only those orders for a particular Office, Supplier and Date Range. The slider to display Order History can be set to on/off. When receiving an Invoice the task is to place it on file against the Order that it represents.
Use the Supplier drop down to list all current orders for that supplier. Each row represents an order. The column headings offer additional filters to precisely locate the order for the invoice.
The list can be sorted by clicking into a column heading to reverse the list sequence. If a specific line item is to be processed use the inline filters to identify the title /order that the invoice.
Note the Paid Status column showing that Active or Unpaid Orders and Paid Orders.
#### Order Type
The same process is used irrespective of the type of order being processed. Book orders and Subscriptions are managed in the same form. There are however nuances to how Subscription Orders are handled. This is because payment for a Subscription may be against a period of time which represents only part of the Subscription Period. A Subscription may also be an ongoing subscription that is set up once and an invoice received for payment in the future.
Proforma Invoices can be set up for Orders and are identified separately under Payment Type. A proforma invoice is a preliminary bill of sale (invoice) that is sent to the client before the work is completed. When receiving such documents it may be necessary to first check the payment history for the line item, especially if the order was set up as Continuous, meaning invoices can be received against the one original order for each year (or subscription period). To do this take note of the Order Number and select Show History (slider on/off)
This displays the historical records of previous years showing Paid Status for preceding years and representing the fact that this is being paid year on year.
#### Creating a New Invoice
Click on the green > Macro (inline-media-image)
button to the right of the Order Line record for the Invoice to be added. This displays the Invoice Summary.
Click on Generate Invoice button.
This presents a form where Invoice Details can be recorded.
The Invoice Number must be entered as a minimum before the record can be saved. Use the Save button. > Macro (inline-media-image)
Once saved, the Invoice is on file in the database and can be found by selecting the Invoices tab. Use the filters to locate the Supplier and Invoice.
Depending on how Orders are created, it may be a Library policy to have one Line Item per Order. Alternatively, the policy may be that multiple Items are added to a single Order which is then placed on a supplier. Invoices from the Supplier may however present multiple items on a single invoice irrespective of the Library's policies for placing orders. The system will manage all scenarios.
The form is made up of six parts which can be completed in any order and saved. The Invoice can be examined at any time and more details added at any later time if and when needed.
The Line Item(s) are individually presented.
- Invoice Header (identifies the Supplier, Currency, Invoice Date and Invoice Number)
- Items on the Order (presented from the original order on file with the facility to amend Costs and Fund Accounts)
- Delivery charges and taxes (which may not have been known at the time of order but are on the invoice)
- Notes (as needed)
- Dates regarding payment (date sent to finance for payment and date payment made)
- Attached files
It is assumed that the Invoice will be in front of whoever is administering the system. Details should be transferred directly from that document into the Invoice record.
Where the invoice is presented as a PDF or has been scanned to a digital file, this can be attached to the record and uploaded into the database for permanent record. This avoids the need to store physical copies of invoices. The invoice or any other digital documents can be attached to the record using the UPLOAD function in form.
#### Recording Invoice Costs for Line Items
Each Line Item for an order will be presented with costs.
Costs may not be correct or need further detail adding for each individual line item. The example below shows the total cost but the detail may need to be more carefully analysed to calculate taxes and discounts.
Use the Costs icon to determine the exact cost make up for each line item.
In the above example, 3 copies of a subscription that have yet to be received are being invoiced. This shows that an invoice can be presented and paid prior to receipt of items if so required.
The detailed cost make up can include specific taxes, percentage taxes, discounts (before or after tax), quantities, etc. which are all used to calculate the value for the line item on the invoice to be recorded and to be paid to the supplier.
If line items on the invoice are in dispute or are not to be included in the payment, the line items can be removed.
#### Multiple items on an Invoice
There are occasions when a Supplier will present an invoice with multiple items on it. The Library may have only placed individual orders therefore the invoice received has to have more than one Line Item assigned to it to make payment. Alternatively, the Invoice might be part paid, recognising only a few Line Items on the Invoice and removing others. Line Items can be added to the Invoice Details in order to provide a clear record of payment. Select > Macro (inline-media-image)
a button within the Invoice Lines Header. This opens a new form with a table listing Order Lines, from which the one(s) needed can be selected and added, using the ADD LINE button at the bottom of the form, to the invoice being processed. When finished close the form using the cancel button or the X in the top right of the form or use the Close button. > Macro (inline-media-image)