Recording payments and the wallet

Every payment a patient makes can be recorded, whether it was taken online, by card in clinic, in cash or by bank transfer.

Recording a payment

Payments are recorded against the patient, usually linked to a treatment or booking. Online payments through Stripe are recorded automatically; payments you take in clinic you add yourself, choosing the method so your records reflect reality.

Two things worth knowing at the till. The amount box starts filled in with the full outstanding balance, so glance at it before you press the button: pressing with the box untouched records the lot. And if you want to reduce the price rather than record money, that is a discount, not a smaller payment; apply the discount first and the balance updates, then take what is actually owed. See the article on applying a discount in clinic.

If a payment does go in wrong, it can be reversed: see the article on correcting a recorded payment.

The wallet

Each patient has a wallet, which is their balance of value held with you. Booking reservation fees, prepayments and gift voucher value sit in the wallet until they are applied to a treatment. This means a patient who has paid a booking reservation fee, or who holds credit, has that value tracked in one clear place.

Why it helps

• You always know what a patient has paid and what they still owe.
• Booking reservation fees are visible and accounted for, not lost in your head.
• Applying held value at the point of treatment is straightforward, because the wallet shows exactly what is available.

Accurate payment records also feed your finance reporting, so your numbers reflect what has genuinely been taken.