How to Create Payments via Bulk Actions

Create payment records for many clients at once with a **Create Payments** bulk action instead of adding each payment by hand on individual client profiles.

### Overview

A **Create Payments** bulk action applies one set of payment details to every client returned by your search. You set the amount, location, description, dates, and status once, filter the clients who should receive the payment, then run the action.

- **What it does:** Creates a payment record for each client matched by your search, using the payment details you configure on the bulk action.
- **Why it matters:** Removes repeated data entry when your agency issues the same fee or fine to a large group of clients.
- **Who should use it:** Staff who manage client payment obligations and have access to **Bulk Actions**.
- **Expected outcome:** Every matched client gets a new payment record with the amount, dates, and status you set.

### Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

- A role that grants access to **Bulk Actions**, which appears in the top navigation bar (roles are managed under **Admin** > **Users** > **Roles**)
- At least one location configured under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Locations**, if you want to set a **Payment Location**
- At least one status configured under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses**, if you want to set a **Payment Status**
- The amount, description, due date, and issue date decided before you begin

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open Bulk Actions

1. Click **Bulk Actions** in the top navigation bar.

#### Step 2: Create the bulk action

1. Enter a name in the **Action Name** field on the **Create Bulk Action** card.
2. Select **Create Payments** from the **Action Type** dropdown.
3. Click **Create**.

eCourtDate opens the bulk action page with the status badge set to **DRAFT**.

#### Step 3: Enter the payment details

Find the **Bulk Action Settings** card. It holds **Bulk Action Name**, **Bulk Action Type**, and the payment fields below.

1. Enter a number in the **Payment Amount** field. The field is prefixed with a dollar sign and accepts amounts of 0 or more in increments of 0.01.
2. Select a **Payment Location** from the dropdown. The dropdown lists the locations configured for your agency, so leave it blank if none apply.
3. Enter text in the **Payment Description** field to record what the payment is for.
4. Pick a date in the **Payment Due date** field.
5. Pick a date in the **Payment Issue date** field.
6. Select a **Payment Status** from the dropdown. The dropdown lists the statuses configured for your agency, so the options you see depend on what your agency has set up.

If your agency renamed the payment label or any payment field under its custom field settings, these labels display your agency's wording instead.

#### Step 4: Filter the clients

1. Scroll to the **Search Clients** card.
2. Enter or select values in the filters you need, such as **Search**, **Limit**, **Random Limit**, **Case number**, **Events from date**, **Events to date**, **Client Status**, **Assigned Users**, **Assigned Judge**, **Client Type**, **Client Aliases**, and **Creator**.
3. Click the client group and client organization badges to include or exclude those groups.
4. Click **Search** to save the filters and load matching clients.

The **Limit** field caps the number of results returned, and **Random Limit** picks that many results at random from the available clients.

#### Step 5: Review the matched clients

1. Read the heading above the results table. It shows how many clients are loaded out of the total match, for example "25 of 340 Clients".
2. Click **Load more** to load the next 25 rows, because the table previews 25 clients at a time.
3. Click the green check button in the first column of any row to exclude that client. The button turns into a red button with an X.
4. Click the red button again to put that client back in the run.

#### Step 6: Run the bulk action

1. Click **Live Run** to create the payment records now.
2. Alternatively, click **Schedule Run**, enter a **Scheduled Date** and a **Scheduled Time**, then click **Schedule Run** in the dialog.

To store the setup for reuse, click **Save Template** before or after the run.

#### Step 7: Check the results

1. Click the client icon button in a results row to open that client in a new tab.
2. Click **Payments** in the client sections list.
3. Confirm the new payment record shows the amount, dates, and status you set.

### What to Expect

Clicking **Live Run** saves your changes and starts the action, and eCourtDate shows a "Running Bulk Action" message. The status badge moves off **DRAFT** and reflects where the action stands, through values such as **DISPATCHING**, **PROCESSING**, and **COMPLETE**. Scheduling instead sets the status to **SCHEDULED** and shows the scheduled date and time under the badge, with a **Cancel Schedule** button available until it runs. Once the action has run, the client count switches to the number of clients processed, and **Live Run** and **Schedule Run** are replaced by a **Replay** option in the tools dropdown.

### Best Practices

- **Confirm the amount before running.** The value in **Payment Amount** is applied to every matched client, so one wrong digit repeats across the whole batch.
- **Set up locations and statuses first.** Both dropdowns are built from your agency's own records, so configure them under **Admin** > **Settings** before you build the action.
- **Do a small first pass.** Put a low number in **Limit**, run the action, check a few client profiles, then raise the limit for the full population.
- **Read the count, not the table.** The table previews 25 rows at a time, so check the "N of M Clients" heading to see how many clients the run will actually cover.
- **Save reusable setups as templates.** Click **Save Template** on a payment action you repeat each month so you do not rebuild the filters each time.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I set a different amount for each client in one bulk action?**

A: No. **Payment Amount** is a single value on the bulk action and applies to every matched client. Build a separate bulk action for each amount.

**Q: Why is the Payment Location dropdown empty?**

A: The dropdown is populated from your agency's locations. Add locations under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Locations**, then reload the bulk action page.

**Q: Which options appear in the Payment Status dropdown?**

A: The statuses your agency has configured under **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses**. There is no fixed list of payment statuses, so what you see depends on your agency's setup.

**Q: The results table only shows 25 clients. Does the run cover just those?**

A: No. The table is a preview that loads 25 rows at a time. The heading shows the loaded count and the full total, and the run uses the full matching set minus any clients you excluded.

**Q: Can I run the same payment action again later?**

A: Yes. Once it has run, open the tools dropdown and click **Replay**, or click **Duplicate** to start a new copy of the action.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Payment Location** or **Payment Status** dropdown has no options to choose from.

**Symptoms:** The dropdown opens with only a blank entry.

**Solution:**

1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings** > **Locations** and confirm your agency has locations.
2. Go to **Admin** > **Settings** > **Statuses** and confirm your agency has statuses.
3. Return to the bulk action and reload the page so the dropdowns pick up the new records.

**Issue:** The **Live Run** and **Schedule Run** buttons are not on the page.

**Symptoms:** Only **Save Template** and the tools dropdown appear next to the status badge.

**Solution:**

1. Check the status badge. If it reads **SCHEDULED**, click **Cancel Schedule** to bring the run buttons back.
2. If the action has already run, open the tools dropdown and click **Replay** to run it again.
3. If the bulk action is archived or trashed, restore it from the tools dropdown first.

**Issue:** The client list fails to load.

**Symptoms:** A "Couldn't load clients." message appears below the results table.

**Solution:**

1. Click **Try again** in the message.
2. If it keeps failing, simplify your filters and click **Search** again.

> **Important:** If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

### Related Articles

- [How Bulk Actions Work](/how-bulk-actions-work)
- [How to Create Events via Bulk Actions](/how-to-create-events-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to manage payments](/how-to-manage-payments)
- [How to manage statuses](/how-to-manage-statuses)
- [How to Create Locations](/how-to-create-locations)
- [How to Schedule Recurring Bulk Actions](/how-to-schedule-recurring-bulk-actions)