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Payments and Credits

After creating an invoice, you need to collect payment. MaidCentral Pulse supports charging stored payment methods (credit cards and bank accounts), recording manual payments (checks, cash, ACH), using customer credits already on account, and voiding invoices. This guide covers the full payment lifecycle after invoice creation.

Who Can Access This​

RoleAccess Level
AdministratorFull access — charge, record payments, void, refund
SalesOpen Transaction History and issue refunds from it. Cannot charge, record payments, or void invoices.
Office, HR Admin, Payroll AdminNo access
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Charging customers, recording payments, and voiding invoices are limited to Administrators. If you don't see payment or void options, your role may not have permission. Contact your administrator.

Charging a Payment Method​

The most common payment workflow is charging a credit card or bank account that the customer has on file.

How to Charge an Invoice​

  1. Open the invoice from the Invoicing page or the customer's Invoices tab
  2. Click Charge
  3. The Payment Method drawer opens showing the customer's saved methods
  4. Select the card or bank account to charge
  5. If surcharges apply, review the surcharge preview (base amount, surcharge fee, total)
  6. Click Confirm to process the charge

A success message appears when the charge completes. The invoice status updates to Charged/Paid.

What If the Charge Fails​

If a charge fails (declined card, insufficient funds, etc.):

  • An error message shows the specific reason
  • The invoice stays in its current status
  • You can retry with the same or a different payment method
  • The customer may receive a payment failure notification (if configured)
Read the message before you retry

Not every failure is safe to retry right away. When the job had a card hold, Pulse captures the hold and never starts a new full charge if that fails:

  • The capture was declined (for example, the hold expired): nothing was charged and Pulse marks the hold as failed. Retrying charges the card normally.
  • "We could not confirm whether the card hold … was captured": the outcome is unknown. Check the transaction in the processor's portal first; retrying may capture the same hold. See Charge Status and Safe Retry.
  • "Collected $X of $Y; the rest was not charged": part of the invoice was paid. Review the job's payments and charge only the remaining balance.
  • The charge went through but the payment isn't showing in QuickBooks yet: the customer was charged. Don't charge again. Pulse retries the QuickBooks sync on its own; if the payment still hasn't appeared by the next day, contact support.

Common failure reasons:

ReasonWhat to Do
Card declinedAsk the customer to verify their card or provide a new one
Insufficient fundsTry a different payment method or wait and retry
Expired cardUpdate the payment method on the customer's billing profile
Inactive methodThe saved method may have been deactivated. Check the customer's billing tab.
"Payment validation failed": the customer is not linked to a QuickBooks customerYour company is connected to QuickBooks, but this customer's Pulse accounting account has no QuickBooks link, so Pulse cannot check their QuickBooks balance. Link or sync the customer to QuickBooks, then charge again. A different card will not clear this.
"Payment validation failed": the linked QuickBooks customer is inactive, is a different customer, or the latest QuickBooks balance could not be retrievedFor a customer with a Pulse accounting account, Pulse checks the live QuickBooks customer record before a saved-method charge and stops if it is unavailable. Reactivate the customer in QuickBooks or fix the customer's QuickBooks link, then charge again. A different card will not clear this.

Recording Manual Payments​

For payments received outside the system (cash, checks, bank transfers, Zelle or Venmo), use Post Payment. Once the invoice is created, open its more actions (...) menu and choose Post Payment.

How to Record a Manual Payment​

  1. Open the invoice detail drawer
  2. Open the more actions (...) menu and click Post Payment
  3. The payment drawer opens with these fields:
FieldRequiredDescription
Payment AmountYesThe amount received
Payment MethodYesCheck, Cash, ACH / Bank Transfer, or Other. Choose Other for Zelle or Venmo
Reference NumberNoCheck number, transaction ID, or other reference
NotesNoAdditional details about the payment
  1. Fill in the fields and click Save

You can't post a payment to a deleted invoice, because a deleted invoice no longer exists.

The payment is recorded against the invoice and the balance updates immediately. If the full amount is paid, the invoice moves to Paid status.

Record a cash or check payment while processing the day​

Post Payment queues a cash, check, ACH or other payment that is recorded right after the invoice is created. It replaces Charge for that job. This option may need to be turned on for your company.

  1. On Daily Invoicing, check Invoice on the job, then click Post Payment.
  2. The Queue Payment drawer opens. Choose the Payment Method, and enter the Reference Number (for example, the check number), Payment Date and Notes if you need them.
  3. Leave Pay the full invoice balance checked to pay whatever the invoice comes to. Uncheck it to enter an Amount instead.
  4. Click Queue Payment, then click Process.

Pulse creates the invoice, records the payment, and then sends the invoice if Send is checked. If the payment can't be recorded, the processing summary shows why. The rest of the job is still processed, and you can post the payment later from the invoice's ... menu.

Split a payment between two methods​

Pulse can't split one payment across two payment methods. Record it as two transactions instead.

Example: a customer pays $100 of a $250 invoice in cash and the rest by card.

  1. Open the invoice and click Post Payment. Enter $100, choose Cash, and save.
  2. The balance drops to $150. Charge the customer's saved card for the remaining balance. See How to Charge an Invoice.

A card charge always collects the invoice's current balance, so post the other payment first.

Pay with a gift card​

Gift cards require Paystri. When your company uses Paystri, a customer can pay with a gift card from the invoice, or in the customer portal when they pay their invoice.

Understanding Invoice Balances​

When viewing an invoice, you will see several balance figures:

BalanceWhat It Means
Invoice AmountThe original total of the invoice
Payments AppliedTotal of all charges and manual payments received
Credits AppliedCustomer credits used against this invoice
Balance DueAmount still owed (Invoice Amount - Payments - Credits)
Balance (job card)On the Invoicing workspace job card, the bold Balance at the bottom of the totals — the amount still to be collected after payments and credits already applied

Customer Credits​

Pulse does not have an Apply Credit button today, and you cannot create or apply a credit by hand from the invoice drawer or anywhere else in Pulse.

One action can create credit outside Pulse: when you delete a grouped invoice and check Also void QuickBooks invoice, QuickBooks voids its copy of the invoice and turns any payments on it into unapplied customer credit in QuickBooks. That credit lives in QuickBooks, not in Pulse, and Pulse does not apply it automatically.

If a customer already has a credit balance on their account in Pulse, Pulse applies it automatically when you create an invoice. The credit is spread across all of the customer's open invoices, oldest invoice first — so it may go to an older unpaid invoice rather than the one you just created. A Credit applied entry appears in the new invoice's activity timeline only for the part of the credit that went to that invoice. If the credit covers the full balance of an invoice, that invoice moves to Paid status. When QuickBooks is connected, Pulse also applies the credit to the QuickBooks invoice, but only after confirming the credit in QuickBooks. If it cannot confirm it, the QuickBooks invoice keeps its full balance even though Pulse shows the credit applied — that does not mean the invoice is paid, and it is not a reason to charge the customer again. See Deposits and Credits for how credits reach an invoice and how to trace them.

Voiding an Invoice​

Voiding cancels an invoice and removes it from the outstanding balance. Use this when an invoice was created in error or the job was cancelled.

How to Void an Invoice​

  1. Open the invoice detail drawer
  2. Click Void
  3. Enter a reason for voiding (required)
  4. Confirm the action

The invoice status changes to Voided. The void reason and timestamp are recorded in the activity timeline for audit purposes.

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Voiding an invoice is permanent. If the invoice has already been charged, you may need to process a refund separately. If the invoice has synced to QuickBooks, the void will also sync.

Refunding or Voiding a Payment​

If a charge went through in error or a customer needs money back, administrators can void or refund the payment from the Transaction History page. Sales users can also open Transaction History and issue refunds there. Void cancels a payment the same day before settlement; refund returns money after the payment settles. See Refunds and Voids for the full workflow.

Generating and Downloading PDFs​

You can generate a PDF version of any invoice for printing or manual delivery.

How to Download an Invoice PDF​

  1. Open the invoice detail drawer
  2. Click Download PDF
  3. The system generates the PDF (this may take a few seconds)
  4. The file downloads automatically

The PDF includes the invoice number, date, customer details, line items with amounts, tax, total, and payment terms.

Sending Invoice Emails​

You can email an invoice to the customer at any point after creation.

How to Send an Invoice Email​

  1. Open the invoice or find it on the invoicing page
  2. Click Send
  3. The system sends the invoice to the customer's email address on file

The email includes a link to the customer portal where the customer can view and pay the invoice online. The invoice status updates to Sent and the send action is logged in the activity timeline.

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The customer must have an email address on file. If no email exists, the Send button is disabled.

Resending an Invoice​

If a customer didn't receive the original email or needs it sent again:

  1. Open the invoice from the invoicing page or the customer's invoices tab
  2. Open the three-dot menu (more actions)
  3. Click Resend Invoice

The system sends the invoice email again to the same address. The resend is logged in the activity timeline. You can resend as many times as needed.

Sending in Bulk​

To send invoice emails for many jobs at once, use the Send All button on the invoicing toolbar. This selects all eligible jobs (those with invoices and a customer email on file) for email delivery. See Bulk Processing for the full workflow.

Payment Failure Notifications​

When a charge fails, you can notify the customer so they can update their payment method or pay through the portal.

  1. Open the job card on the invoicing page
  2. Open the three-dot menu (more actions)
  3. Choose one of:
    • Email Payment Failure — Sends an email notifying the customer that their payment failed
    • Text Payment Failure — Sends an SMS notification about the failed payment

Use these when a charge is declined and you want the customer to take action. The notification includes details about the failed payment and a link to update their payment method.

Send Failures​

If a send fails (invalid email, delivery error), the failure is logged in the activity timeline as Send Failed. To resolve:

  1. Check the customer's email address in their contact profile
  2. Correct any typos or invalid addresses
  3. Retry by clicking Send or Resend Invoice

Activity Timeline​

Every invoice has an activity timeline that records all actions taken. Open the invoice detail drawer to see the full history:

  • Invoice Created — When the invoice was generated and by whom
  • Charge Succeeded / Charge Failed — Payment attempts with amounts and error details
  • Email Sent / Send Failed — Email delivery attempts
  • Credit applied — Credits applied to this invoice, with amounts
  • Payment Posted — Manual payments recorded
  • Invoice Voided — Void action with reason
  • Tip Updated — Tip amount changes

Each entry shows the timestamp, user who performed the action, and relevant amounts or error messages.

Tips and Best Practices​

  • Charge before sending for customers with cards on file. This avoids sending an invoice that's already paid.
  • Review failed charges immediately — declined payments age quickly and become harder to collect.
  • Use Post Payment for offline payments so your records stay accurate. Don't skip recording cash or check payments.
  • Check the job card's Balance before charging for customers with a credit on account, so you know how much is still owed. The card charge can still come in lower if a credit is found when you charge.
  • Always enter a reason when voiding — this creates a clear audit trail for your accounting team.
  • Check the activity timeline when investigating payment issues. It shows every action with timestamps.
  • Download PDFs for mailing when a customer doesn't have email or prefers paper invoices.

Troubleshooting​

IssueSolution
Charge button is disabledThe invoice may not exist yet (create it first), or the customer has no payment method on file.
Charge failed with no clear errorCheck the customer's payment method in their billing profile. The card may be expired or inactive.
Can't void an invoiceYour role may not have void permission. Only administrators can void invoices by default.
PDF generation takes too longPDF generation has a 60-second timeout. If it fails, try again. If it continues to fail, contact support.
Send button is disabledThe customer has no email address on file. Add one in the customer's contact profile.
Customer says they didn't receive the invoiceCheck the customer's email address for typos. Use Resend Invoice from the three-dot menu to send again.
Payment failure notification not availableThis option only appears when a previous charge has failed on the invoice.
I can't find an Apply Credit buttonApplying a credit by hand is not available in Pulse today. Existing Pulse credits are applied automatically when an invoice is created. Credit created in QuickBooks (for example, by deleting a grouped invoice with Also void QuickBooks invoice checked) is not a Pulse credit and is not applied by Pulse.
Invoice balance doesn't match expectedCheck the activity timeline for applied credits, partial payments, or charges that may have been recorded.