Is it possible for manager to display the invoice description on a receipt when I apply a payment to a specific invoice. In my case, e.g. invoice #1 for membership $100, #2 for fees $100 and #3 $100 for uniform. The member pays a part payment of $27.00 spread across the three invoices, 2 x $10 and the third $7. There is 100 members equalling 300 invoices. Each time I apply a payment I first have to check the customers invoice numbers to see which is membership, fees and uniform numbers. In applying the payment - accounts receivable/member name/invoice number - it would be of great assistance when I select the particular invoice for the invoice description to be displayed in the receipt description, in this case as above - membership, fees and uniform, which is the way my invoices are all described. At this time, I have to look at the invoice numbers/descriptions and then manually insert the description on the receipt. This would save a LOT of time and I am sure I am not the only manager user who this would benefit. Hopefully @lubos will be able to provide this.
Well… by common practice you usually sent both the invoice and the receipt that indicates that particular invoice has being paid.
The invoice has all the purchases item description while the receipt indicate the debt has been paid.
To amplify a little bit, line item descriptions on receipts against sales invoices are normally used to describe how something is received, not what it is being received for. In the situation you describe, it really is immaterial whether the customer tells you $27 is to be applied to invoices #1, #2, and #3. Money is interchangeable. The fact is the customer owes $300 but has paid $27. So you distribute the receipt is somewhat irrelevant. The customer still owes $273.
Yesterday, one of my customers told me that he wanted the receipt showing the articles. So I needed to look for the invoice and type manually those articles.
It should be nice, that when you are making a receipt and select the invoice to be payed, to show the articles of that invoice.
I have customers that pay me 1 or 2 months later. So I only give them the invoice. It can be hard for them to look for the articles invoiced 1 month back. So then it’s my job to look for that invoice, and type in the receipt what did they buy.
I get this Tut, but my customer asked for it. Either it is implemented or not, I still need to do it. Should be a great idea to add the possibility to automatically show the articles invoiced in a receipt 
Greetings everyone.
Participants in this thread may be writing about different things. Sales invoices and receipts both have two types of descriptions:
- A summary level description just below the customer or payer information
- Line item descriptions on every line
A sales invoice may have dozens of line items and, therefore, dozens of descriptions. When entering a receipt, which one(s) is anybody suggesting should show on the receipt? And where should it (or they) show?
Suppose sales invoice #1234 has a summary description, “Membership, fees, and uniform for 2019.” Further, suppose the sales invoice has three line items breaking those items out, with descriptions of “Membership,” “Fees,” and “Uniform.” Now comes a single receipt. This receipt gets posted to Accounts receivable > Customer A # > Invoice #1234. What would you have it show in either the summary or line item description fields? How would that change for partial payment? How would it change if the customer designated a partial payment for only one line item?
Now suppose that instead of one sales invoice, there were three, #1235, #1236, and #1237. Again, a single receipt comes in. Obviously, this must be broken into three line items if it pays for all three in full. Which description(s) would be picked up from the three original sales invoices, all of which would be different? How would that change if only partial payment is made?
Perhaps you see that things are not as straightforward as they might seem at first.
At least me, I was referring to Line Item Description. Sorry if I misunderstood what @PeterW59 was referring to.
As I said, I am suggesting for Line Items. And I suggest to appear in the section underlined in red:
Well, this is more complicated. This can make a receipt too extensive in case of paying more than one invoice at the same time.
Personally what I’m doing (If more than one invoice is paid in one receipt) is that I generalize the articles. If I sold 1 green pencil, 1 blue pencil and 1 gold pencil, In the receipt I type 3 Pencils to not make it too extensive. But I don’t mind if the only possible way is to add the articles separately in the receipt.
This is a test I made just to show you, how I want the articles to appear on the receipt.
Personally, this is what I’m doing with some of my customers.
I was referring to the general invoice description. In my circumstances I categorize my invoices of which I have 7 categories. All my invoices only have one line, excluding discounts. Easy if payers dont specify, the amount is allocated to the oldest, but if they want to pay fees I have to take the long route and search the customer get the specific invoice number then apply the payment.
So the two of you both envision different things. And both have given examples with single-line invoices. What happens in either case when the invoices get longer? Can you see how hard it is to design forms that keep everyone happy? It really isn’t practical to design a system that fits the preferences of only one user.
Understand. Be nice to be able to click on the invoice to see it and just go back if not the desired one. What might be convenient for one does not make it convenient for all. Just posing the question. Thanks.
One thing I like to point it out is. The sales invoice might be useful to let you know. Whenever there is payment applied to that particular invoice. The payment will be shown how much amount has been paid in that invoice.
Based on the information above. rather than retype the receipt. just re-email the invoices that being paid to.
Keep the receipt as simple as possible of which invoice has been applied to.
I don’t think is a good idea for your customer to impose their standard to you though as long you fulfill by being transparent the way you do it.
This is what I was after to make it easy to see what the invoice was for. When doing the payment and applying to accounts receivable, beside the invoice number would be the general description.
When a customer makes a purchase on credit, he is given an invoice, or some numbered paper acknowledging the purchase. Usually, in retail establishments, when a customer sends in a payment, it is applied to his balance. That is called balance-forward accounting.
In wholesale ot other business to business purchases, the buyer is still provided a numbered document, usually an invoice substantiating the purchase. When payment is made, the invoice number or numbers are provided representing what items the payment is for. That is called open-item accounting. The open-item method leaves no doubt as to what has been paid.
Yes, I give my customer an invoice.
I know it it simple. I gave my customer invoice #1 and then a month later he gives me a check paying the total of the invoice. He could look for the invoice #1 I gave him a month back to see the items invoiced, but I guess he has papers flying around his office and can be complicated to find that invoice 
So, for some reason, my customer wants to see in the receipt the items invoiced. So I need to type in the receipt those items for him.
And I thought @PeterW59 was talking about same thing as me, so that’s why I replied in this topic. But, we have different ideas.
@INTERC, why not just give the customer a copy of the invoice after his receipt has been entered? He will have all the original detail from the sales invoice, plus entries at the bottom showing application of his check and the resulting zero balance. Plus, if you are using the built-in Plain theme, he will see a big, green stamp saying PAID IN FULL.
The customer should have his copy of the invoice in his possession. If not, then he has a sloppily run organization. If he wants a receipt, tell him to look at his bank statement. A cancelled check is undeniable proof, especially if he had put the invoice on it or the stub. It sounds like your customer has a disaster for a records and accounting system and he wants you to compensate for it.
some of us leave the description blank, if you trying to link the receipt to one specific invoice
open that invoice you want to put the receipt to (View not edit) and click new receipt on top right of your invoice