Procedure
Take a payment
Take a payment against an invoice in Vault, record the amount and method, and give the patient a receipt for what they paid.
A payment records money received against an invoice. This page walks the billing counter through taking a payment in Vault, recording the amount and method, and giving the patient a receipt for what they paid.
Before you start
Raise the invoice first, so the bill carries a number and a balance. You take a payment against that finalised bill, and the receipt points back to it.
The payment methods
Cash is always available at the counter. Vault also records card, bank transfer and cheque, and an online payment where the site has an online gateway configured.
| Method | Value | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | cash | Money handed over at the counter. |
| Card | card | A card machine at the desk. |
| UPI | upi | A UPI transfer confirmed at collection. |
| Bank transfer | neft or rtgs | A transfer into the hospital account. |
| Cheque | cheque | A cheque handed over against the bill. |
Where an online gateway is set up for the site, an online option appears alongside these. Where it is absent, the counter takes cash and the other methods above.
Take the payment
- 1
Open the invoice
Open the patient's account and select the finalised invoice. The bill shows its number, its total, and the balance outstanding.
- 2
Start the payment
Select Take payment. The Amount field defaults to the balance on the bill. Adjust it if the patient pays a part amount.
- 3
Choose the method
Set the Method to
cash,card,upi,neft,rtgs, orcheque. Cash is offered at every counter; the online option shows where the site's gateway is configured. - 4
Collect
Select Collect. Vault records the payment and posts the receipt entry in one step. On a confirmed collection, the success view names the amount, the method, and the receipt number.
- 5
Give the receipt
Select Print to produce the receipt, and hand it to the patient. The receipt carries its own number in an unbroken series, and the bill's balance drops by what you took.
A payment is recorded once it is confirmed
Vault records a payment only when the collection is confirmed. An online payment that is still clearing shows as awaiting confirmation, and Vault holds a second cash collection for the same invoice until that attempt resolves. If you see awaiting confirmation, wait for the confirmation rather than collecting again.
Part payments and refunds
A patient can pay a bill in parts. Each payment drops the balance, and the bill reads as partially paid until the balance reaches zero, at which point it reads as paid.
To return money, raise a refund against the receipt. The refund records as its own entry in the opposite direction, with a reason drawn from the list, and the original receipt stays as it was.
The receipt is the record
Each receipt is a durable entry with its own number. A correction is a new receipt or a refund against the original, so the account shows the full history of what the patient paid.
Common questions
The card payment shows awaiting confirmation. What do I do?
Wait for the gateway to confirm it. Vault records the payment when the confirmation arrives, and only then produces the receipt. A second cash collection for that bill stays held until the attempt resolves.
Can I take a payment before the bill is finalised?
Take a deposit for money paid in advance of a bill. A payment settles a finalised invoice; a deposit holds money against the account until a bill exists to apply it to.
How do I return money to a patient?
Raise a refund against the receipt, choose the reason, and confirm. The refund records in the opposite direction and leaves the original receipt intact.
Related tasks
Read how deposits and payments settle a bill in deposits and payments, and take money in advance in take a deposit.
Adjust a bill down within your limit in apply a discount.