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Imagine you’ve just wrapped up a busy day of catering orders. Your customers have come and gone, some have paid on the spot, and others will settle their balances later. You know the key to keeping your business running smoothly is staying on top of daily accounting tasks. That’s where CaterZen Software comes in—making it easy to record payments, manage invoices, and track deposits.

In CaterZen Software, every catering order is automatically treated as an Invoice for accounting purposes, unless your account was set up differently. When you create a catering order, our system generates an Invoice right away. If your customer pays for the order on the same day the service is provided, you’ll simply close the Invoice as "Paid." If payment will be made later—such as with house account privileges or extended terms—you can email or print the Invoice to share with your customer. For unpaid orders, Invoices can be emailed or printed, and with the Accounts Receivable Aging Email Report feature, you can automate monthly reminders for customers with outstanding balances.

What is an Invoice?

An Invoice is a document used to bill customers for goods or services, either immediately or at a later date. In CaterZen, it’s automatically generated when you create an order, streamlining the process of billing and tracking payments.

What is a Deposit?

A deposit is an upfront payment made by a customer to secure their order. In CaterZen, even full payments made in advance are recognized as deposits in the system until the service has been provided. This ensures accurate tracking and reconciliation of your financial records.

By understanding these basics, you can confidently handle payments, send invoices, and stay organized using CaterZen Software. Let’s walk through a typical day of accounting to show how it works.

Important Note: Any payments taken for an order before the order day will be applied as a deposit. On the day of the order, the deposit will be automatically applied by the system as a payment after the serve time of the order. This change ensures that your Sales Journal Report calculates properly.

  • Before the date of the order, the deposit will show in your Sales Journal as: Invoice: Prepaid.

  • On the date of the order and after the serve time, the deposit will automatically apply as a payment and will show in your Sales Journal as: Deposit Applied.

Example: An order is placed for February 20th at 2:00 PM. On January 31st, the customer pays for the order in full. That payment will remain under the deposit column until the day of the order. Then the deposit will automatically change from a deposit to a payment on February 20th at 2:01 PM.

Scenario 1: Recording a Same-Day Payment (External)

It’s the end of the day, and one of your customers paid by credit card right after their event. For this example, we will assume that you processed the credit card via a terminal you have outside CaterZen, such as your POS system. Important: Only when the credit card payment has actually been approved via your terminal or POS should you record it as paid in CaterZen with a credit card. Otherwise, reconciling will be a daunting task. Here’s how you’d record it in CaterZen:

  1. Access the Order

    • Go to the Accounting Tab, click Invoices/Catering Tickets.

    • Select Date Range - Filter by the date of the event for which you want to place a deposit.

    • Select Locations to include (if applicable) - Choose the appropriate location(s)
    • Click Apply Filters - Apply the selected filters to proceed.

    • You’ll see a list of all orders, including their payment statuses. At the far left under the Balance Due column, you will see this order has a balance that has not been paid. 

  2. Create the Payment

    • Find the customer’s order. Under the Payments/Refunds Column - Select Create/Edit Payments/Refunds.

    • Select Create a New Payment/Deposit.

  3. Enter the Payment Details

    • On the payment pop up screen:

    • (1) Is this a payment or deposit?: Choose Payment 

    • (2) What is the amount of the payment?: Enter the total amount you are recording (e.g., $987.88)

    • (3) What is the payment method?: All of your available payment types are listed. If the customer’s credit card is already on file, select Credit Card and (4) choose the stored card they used to pay. Otherwise, you will have to add their Credit Card details. If you do not have their Card information you will need to choose a Custom Payment Method such as “Paid in Store-Credit Card. How to Create Custom Payment Options 

    • (5) What date do you want to record for this payment?: Confirm the payment date.

    • (6) Notes/Comments: This is a place to leave any internal details for yourself or your Team. A Best Practice: If you have more than one person who adds Payments - record the person who applied this payment. That way you know who to speak with if you have any questions.

    • (7) Save this Payment: Click this once all the correct information has been entered. 

  4. Verify the Payment

    • Back on the Invoices page, you’ll see the payment reflected in the orange box and with a zero balance. Another task checked off your list! 

Scenario 2: Recording a Check Payment

Now let’s say another customer handed you a check at the end of their event. You’ll handle it much the same way:

  1. Access the order

    • Go to the Accounting Tab, click Invoices/Catering Tickets, and filter by today’s date. You’ll see a list of all orders, including their payment statuses. At the far left under the Balance Due column, you see this order has a balance that has not been paid. 

  2. Create the Payment

    • Find the customer’s order. Under the Payments/Refunds Column - Select Create/Edit Payments/Refunds.

    • Select Create a New Payment/Deposit. 

  3. Enter the Payment Details

    • On the payment pop up screen, 

    • (1) Is this a payment or deposit?: Choose Payment 

    • (2) What is the amount of the payment?: Enter the total amount of the check you are recording 

    • (3) What is the payment type?: All of your available payment types are listed. Choose Check.

    • (4) Check or Money Order Details: Enter the Check number

    • (5) What date do you want to record for this payment?: Confirm the payment date.

    • (6) Notes/Comments: This is a place to leave any internal details for yourself or your Team. A Best Practice: If you have more than one person who adds Payments - record the person who applied this payment. That way you know who to speak with if you have any questions.

    • (7) Save this Payment: Click this once all the correct information has been entered.

    4. Verify the Payment

  • Back on the Invoices page, you’ll see the payment reflected in the orange box and with a zero balance.

Scenario 3: The Unpaid Balance - Sending an Invoice

One customer hasn’t paid yet—they’re a house account customer who will be invoiced for payment later. Here’s what to do:

  1. Send the Invoice

    • Find the unpaid order in the Accounting Tab, click Invoices/Catering Tickets, and filter by today’s date.

    • Click View under the Invoices/Catering Ticket column. 

    • The Order Details will appear for the order. Go to the Choose a Function Dropdown.

    • Choose View Invoice.

    • The Invoice will appear and choose the blue Email button. 

    • The customer's email will pre-populate automatically, but you can update it if needed. Confirm or update their email address, then click Send Email Now.

    • If you use either Braintree or Authorize.net to process your customer's credit cards through CaterZen, ensure the Pay by Credit Card and Allow Customers to Pay via Invoice settings in the Admin Tab are enabled. This allows your customers to pay their balance online. Click Pay by Invoice - Step by Step to view the detailed instructions. 

  2. If you need to send a physical copy, use the Print All Invoices button to generate a PDF. 

  3. Follow Up with Aging Reports
    A week later, check your to see if the customer has paid. This report shows all outstanding balances and how long they’ve been overdue, helping you stay on top of collections. Aging Report

  4. Automate Reminders with Aging Email Report
    Rather than manually emailing reminders, you can automate this process with the Accounts Receivable Aging Email Report feature. To stay on top of unpaid balances, set up automatic monthly reminders. (This feature can only be turned on by an Account Admin: For detailed steps, click here.)

    • On a scheduled day, customers with outstanding balances will automatically receive an email reminder. They can click links to view, download, or pay their invoices (if the "Pay by Invoice" feature is enabled).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: What if I need to add a custom payment type?
You can create custom payment options for unique needs. This can only be set up by a System Administrator and is done through the Admin Tab under Payment Options. Check out this article for more details: How to Create Custom Payment Options.

Q2: Can I track which customers still owe me money?
Yes! Use the Aging Report to view outstanding balances, past-due accounts, and payment histories. This report helps you follow up with customers effectively.

Q3: What happens if a customer overpays?
Overpayments can be recorded as credits for future orders. These can be applied later or refunded, depending on your business policy. (Link Credit Memo and Refund Articles)

Best Practices for Daily Accounting

  1. Record Payments Daily
    Whether it’s cash, check, or credit card, recording payments daily prevents errors and ensures your accounts stay up to date.

  2. Send Invoices Promptly
    For unpaid orders, send invoices the same day to encourage timely payments.

  3. Run Weekly Aging Reports
    Use the Aging Report to track overdue payments, follow up with customers, and keep your cash flow steady.

  4. Stay Consistent
    Regularly updating your records helps avoid errors and ensures financial accuracy.

By using CaterZen Software to handle daily accounting tasks, you can keep your business organized and ensure no payment slips through the cracks. Whether your customers pay right away or need an invoice, CaterZen gives you the tools to manage it all efficiently. Try these steps today to keep your accounting process seamless and stress-free!