How to manage payments

The **Payments** page holds one record for every amount a client owes your agency, together with the **Flow** that schedules reminder messages and the **Portal** that gives the client a link to pay online.

### Overview

- **What it is:** A searchable list of payment records. Each record carries an amount, an issued date, a due date, a status, an attached client, and optional **Flow**, **Portal**, **Location**, case number and citation values.
- **Why it matters:** Reminders and online payment links both hang off the payment record. A payment with no client or no flow attached generates no messages, so keeping records complete is what keeps clients informed.
- **Who uses it:** Clerks, collections staff and administrators who track fines, fees, restitution and other court-ordered amounts.
- **Expected outcomes:** Accurate balances and statuses per client, automated reminder messages driven by a payment flow, a portal payment link and QR code for each record, and filtered CSV or PDF exports for reporting.

### Prerequisites

- Access to **Payments** in the main navigation
- A client record for each payer, because a payment with no client attached cannot generate messages
- A payment flow created under **Messaging** > **Flows** if you want automated reminders
- A portal created under **Portals** if you want clients to pay online
- Payment statuses created under **Settings** > **Statuses**

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Payments page

1. Click **Payments** in the main navigation.
2. Review the list, which shows **Payment Reference**, **Amount**, **Status**, **Client**, **Contact**, **Type**, **Description**, **Issued At**, **Due At**, **Case Number**, **Citation**, **Location**, **Portal**, **Flow**, **Creator**, **Created** and **Updated**.
3. Click a column heading to re-sort the list, which arrives newest first by **Created**.
4. Click **Load more** below the table to pull in the next set of records.

#### Step 2: Create a payment

1. Enter the payer's name or reference in the client search box at the top of the left column (placeholder **Search clients...**).
2. Click the matching client in the results list so the next payment you create is attached to that client.
3. Enter the dollar figure in **Amount** on the **Create Payment** card.
4. Enter your primary system's ID for this payment in **Payment reference**, which is optional.
5. Select a **Due at** date.
6. Select a **Flow** to schedule reminder messages for the payment.
7. Click **Create**.

New payments are created with the outstanding status.

#### Step 3: Complete the payment record

1. Click the edit icon beside the payment in the list to open the record.
2. Enter the phone number or email address of the payer in **Contact**.
3. Select a **Location** for the payment.
4. Select a **Portal**, which starts on **Choose Portal** until you pick one.
5. Set the **Issued at** date.
6. Confirm or change the **Due at** date.
7. Select the **Status**.
8. Fill in **Type**, **Case number**, **Citation** and **Description** as your agency needs them.
9. Add internal remarks in **Notes**, which stay inside eCourtDate.
10. Click **Save**.

If the record shows **No client found.**, enter a name in the search box above it, click **Search Clients**, then click **Attach** beside the right client. Click **Detach** to remove a client from the payment.

#### Step 4: Give the client a way to pay online

1. Select a **Portal** on the payment record.
2. Click **Save**.
3. Click **Go to Portal** at the top of the record to open the client-facing payment page in a new tab.
4. Use the QR code beside **Go to Portal**, which opens that same page, for printed notices.

#### Step 5: Send a one-off message about a payment

1. Scroll to the **Send a Message** card in the right column of the payment record.
2. Click the options icon at the top right of the card, which reads **Show Options** on hover, to reveal the scheduling and template controls.
3. Select a **Send Date** and a **Send Time** if you want to schedule the message rather than send it now.
4. Click **Auto Messages** and pick a template to load its wording.
5. Enter a **Subject**.
6. Enter the wording in **Message**.
7. Click **Send Message**.

Scheduled and sent messages for the payment appear below the composer under **Scheduled Messages**.

#### Step 6: Search and export payments

1. Set the filters you need on the **Search Payments** card.
2. Click **Search**.
3. Click **CSV** above the table to download the filtered records as a spreadsheet.
4. Click **PDF** to open your browser's print dialog with the filtered list.

| Filter | What it narrows |
|--------|-----------------|
| **Search by payment reference** | The payment reference on each record |
| **Payment Type** | The type values already in use on your payments |
| **Payment Description** | The description values already in use |
| **Status** | Your agency's payment statuses |
| **Case Number** | Payments carrying that case number |
| **Citation** | Payments carrying that citation |
| **Contact** | The phone number or email on the payment |
| **Location** | A single location, **Any**, or **No Location** |
| **Portal** | A single portal, **Any**, or **No Portal** |
| **Flow** | A single flow, **Any**, or **No Flow** |
| **Issued From** and **Issued To** | The issued date range |
| **Due From** and **Due To** | The due date range |
| **Creator** | The account that created the payment |
| **Archived** and **Trashed** | Shows archived or trashed payments instead of active ones |

#### Step 7: Archive, trash or restore payments in bulk

1. Select the checkbox beside each payment you want to act on.
2. Click **Select All** to add every payment currently loaded in the list to the selection, using **Load more** first if you need more of them.
3. Click **Archive** or **Trash**.
4. Click **Confirm** on the prompt.
5. Check **Archived** or **Trashed** on the **Search Payments** card, select the records, then click **Restore** to bring them back.

#### Step 8: Diagnose a payment that is not sending messages

1. Click **Tools** on the payment record.
2. Select **Troubleshoot**.
3. Read the **Summary** card, which counts **Critical**, **Warnings** and **Best Practices**.
4. Click **Edit Payment** beside an issue to open the record and correct it.
5. Click **Re-run Checks** to score the payment again.
6. Click **Back to Payment**, then select **Tools** > **Sync Messages** to regenerate the messages.

### What to Expect

A payment you create appears at the top of the list immediately, and its status shows as a badge, red for outstanding and green for paid. Creating or saving a payment queues its messages, so the flow's messages appear under **Scheduled Messages** on the record shortly afterwards. **CSV** downloads every record matching your current filters, up to 100,000 records, and tells you the count it exported or warns you to narrow the filters when the export is cut short. **PDF** hands the filtered list to your browser's print dialog rather than producing a file. Archived and trashed payments stop generating messages and drop out of the default list until you check **Archived** or **Trashed**.

### Best Practices

- Attach a client to every payment, since the troubleshooter treats a missing client as a critical issue that stops all message generation.
- Assign a payment flow at creation time so reminders are scheduled without a second visit to the record.
- Assign a portal to any payment you expect a client to settle online, because the **Go to Portal** button and QR code only appear once a portal is selected.
- Fill in **Payment reference** with your primary system's ID so exports reconcile against your case management or finance system.
- Set your agency defaults once in **Settings** under the **Payments** section, where **Default Payment Due Date** is measured in days and defaults to 30, and **Default Payment Status** defaults to draft.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How do I void or refund a payment?**

A: Change the **Status** field on the payment record and click **Save**. There is no separate void or refund action. The sample payment statuses offered on **Settings** > **Statuses** are outstanding, paid, draft, void and refunded.

**Q: Why is there no Go to Portal button on my payment?**

A: The **Go to Portal** button and the QR code appear only once the payment has a **Portal** selected. Choose one in the **Portal** field and click **Save**. The troubleshooter reports this as the warning No portal assigned.

**Q: How do I stop reminders for a single payment?**

A: Clear the **Flow** field and click **Save**, or move the payment to a status that has **Disable Messages** turned on in **Settings** > **Statuses**. Archiving or trashing a payment also stops its messages.

**Q: Where do I see every payment for one client?**

A: Open the client record and click **Payments** in the client sections list, or search for the client in the box above **Create Payment** on the **Payments** page.

**Q: What do the sample payment statuses do to messaging?**

A: Importing the **Payment** sample on **Settings** > **Statuses** creates outstanding, paid, draft, void and refunded, and turns **Disable Messages** on for paid, void and refunded so settled payments stop chasing the client.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** A payment generates no messages.

**Symptoms:** **Scheduled Messages** on the payment record stays empty after you create or save the payment.

**Solution:**

1. Select **Tools** > **Troubleshoot** on the payment record.
2. Read the **Critical Issues** card, which flags No client attached, No flow assigned, Flow has no messages, No valid opted-in contacts, Payment is archived, Payment is trashed and Payment status disables messages.
3. Click **Edit Payment** beside the issue and correct it.
4. Select **Tools** > **Sync Messages** to regenerate the messages.

**Issue:** Clients cannot pay a balance online.

**Symptoms:** The payment record shows no **Go to Portal** button and no QR code, and the troubleshooter lists the warning No portal assigned.

**Solution:**

1. Open the payment record and select a **Portal**.
2. Click **Save**.
3. Click **Go to Portal** to confirm the client-facing page loads.

**Issue:** A payment you expect is missing from the list.

**Symptoms:** The **Payments** list shows the message that no Payments were found, or shows fewer records than you expect.

**Solution:**

1. Click the close button on the client card above **Create Payment** to clear the client filter.
2. Clear any values left in the **Search Payments** card and click **Search**.
3. Check **Archived**, click **Search**, then check **Trashed** and search again to find records that were archived or trashed.

### Related Articles

- [How to Create Payments via Bulk Actions](/how-to-create-payments-via-bulk-actions)
- [How to Create a Flow](/how-to-create-a-flow)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)
- [How to define custom statuses](/how-to-define-custom-statuses)
- [How to Disable Messages based on Status](/how-to-disable-messages-based-on-status)
- [How to track and manage payments](/how-to-track-and-manage-payments)