Payments, credits and refunds

A bill, a payment, a credit and a refund answer different questions. Keeping them separate helps you explain why a family still owes an amount—or why money may be due back to them.

A payment records money received

A payment belongs to the person or organization that paid. It can then be applied to the invoice or invoices it is intended to cover.

That second step matters. A payment received on an account may not yet be matched to the bill a family is looking at. If someone says they have paid but the invoice still shows an amount owing, check the payment date, amount and the invoice it was applied to.

An issued invoice is not proof of payment, and a payment record should not be treated as proof that every invoice on the account is settled.

A credit reduces what is owed

A credit can arise when a later review finds that the family was billed too much. An unpaid closure recorded after the initial bill is one example.

An unapplied credit is available on the account but has not yet been used against an invoice. Once applied, it reduces the balance of that invoice.

A credit is not itself a bank payment. It may reduce an outstanding bill or be handled another way under the program’s agreement with the family.

A refund returns money

A refund is money returned after payment. A credit and a refund can be related, but recording one does not mean the other has happened.

Before telling a family that money has been returned, confirm the refund action and its status through the payment process your program uses.

One example, three different records

Suppose a family has a $300 invoice and pays $300. A later billing review finds they were charged $25 too much.

The invoice explains the original $300 bill. The payment explains the $300 received. The $25 credit explains the later reduction.

The program then needs to deal with that $25—for example, by applying it to another bill or arranging a refund according to its policy. Simply seeing the credit does not tell the family which of those has happened.

When the numbers do not agree

Check the account and period first. Then compare:

• The original bill and any later adjustments.
• Payments received and the invoices they were applied to.
• Credits available and credits already used.
• Refunds actually processed.

This is more useful than entering another payment just to make a displayed balance look right.

Payment tools in AmalynCare

The separate Payments, Payouts and Payments Setup workspaces are still being prepared. This guide explains the records; it does not provide steps for online collection, bank transfers or refunds through those menus.

Continue to use your program’s agreed payment process. For a question about a particular payment or balance, contact the program’s billing team with the relevant details.