Appliance store step 5: sell on instalments

View as .mdUpdated Oct 30, 2026

Many customers buy an AC or a fridge on instalments: a down payment today and monthly payments after that. SmartPOS Hub does this with part payments on one invoice. This page walks through a real example we recorded in a demo store: a 721.65 sale, a 200 down payment, then a 260 instalment, leaving 261.65 due.

How instalments work in SmartPOS Hub

Piece	What it does	Where
Pay term	When the unpaid balance is due (days or months)	Customer’s Balance & credit, or on the sale
Credit Limit	The most this customer may owe in total	Customer’s Balance & credit
Down payment	First payment entered at the sale	POS Multiple Pay, or Add Sale › Add payment
Instalments	Each later payment against the same invoice	Sell › All sales › Actions › Add payment or the customer’s Add payment
Payment status	Due (nothing paid), Partial, Paid	Sales lists and the customer’s Sales tab
Ledger	Every invoice and payment with the running balance	Customer page › Ledger

Before you start

The customer is saved as a named contact with a mobile number. Never put a credit sale on Walk-In Customer: you would not know who owes the money.
You know the plan: total, down payment, number of months.

Step 1. Set the customer’s pay term and credit limit

Open Contacts › Customers and click Add (or edit an existing customer).
Fill Type & name and the Mobile number.
Open Balance & credit. Enter the Pay term (for example 1 Months) and a Credit Limit (leave blank for no limit).
Save.

Add a new contact window with contact type Customers, name Docs Demo Bilal Ahmed, mobile number, and the Balance and credit section with opening balance 0, pay term 1 Months and credit limit 1500 — Pay term and credit limit are in the customer's Balance & credit section.

Step 2. Sell with a down payment

Open Sell › Add Sale (or the POS).
Choose the customer. The pay term is filled in from the customer; change it on the sale if this plan is different.
Add the appliance (type its serial number in the line’s box) and any installation or delivery service.
Set Status to Final.
In Add payment, enter only the down payment as the Amount (here 200 of 721.65) and the payment method. The Balance shows what is left (521.65).
Write the plan in Sell note, for example “Down payment 200, then 2 monthly payments, due on the 30th”.
Click Save.

Add Sale line for an Ultrabook laptop with quantity 1, unit price 849.00, 15 percent discount, a 1-Year warranty and subtotal 721.65 — The item on the sale. Our example uses a laptop from the demo store; an AC or fridge works the same.

Add payment section of Add Sale with amount 200, paid on date, payment method cash, payment account cash drawer, and balance 521.65 — Enter only the down payment. The balance stays due on the invoice.

In the POS, do the same with Multiple Pay: enter the down payment as the amount and finalise. The POS keeps the rest due. Credit Sale finalises with nothing paid.

The sale is saved with payment status Partial.

Step 3. Record each monthly instalment

When the customer pays, open Sell › All sales, find the invoice (filter by customer or payment status Partial) and choose Actions › Add payment. Or open the customer’s page and click Add payment.
The window shows the customer, invoice number, total amount and the amount still due.
Enter the instalment Amount, Payment Method, Paid on date and a Payment Note such as “Instalment 1 of 2”.
Click Save. Print a payment receipt if the customer wants one.

Add payment window for invoice NY-00281 with customer, total amount 721.65, payment method cash, paid on date, amount 260 and payment note Instalment 1 of 2 — Each instalment is a payment on the same invoice.

When the last instalment is entered, the invoice becomes Paid.

Step 4. See what the customer still owes

Open the customer (Contacts › Customers, click the name). The top cards show Total sales, Balance due and how much of the Credit Limit is used.

Customer page with total sales 721.65, balance due 261.65, advance balance 0, credit limit 1500 with 17.4 percent used, and buttons for Add payment, New sale, Send ledger, Add discount and Edit — The customer's page: balance due and credit limit at a glance.

The Ledger tab lists the sale and every payment with the running balance. Download it as PDF or send it with E-mail / Send ledger.

Ledger tab with account summary total invoice 721.65, total paid 460.00, balance due 261.65 and lines for the sale, a 200 payment and a 260 payment noted Instalment 1 of 2 — Ledger: the sale, the down payment and the first instalment.

The Sales tab shows each invoice with its Payment Status, Total paid and Sell Due.

Customer Sales tab with invoice NY-00281, payment status Partial, total amount 721.65, total paid 460.00 and sell due 261.65 — Sales tab: the instalment invoice is Partial until fully paid.

Follow up on late payments

Reports › Payment by Age: unpaid invoices grouped by how many days they are overdue, based on the pay term.
Reports › Supplier & Customer Report: total sales, payments and due per customer.
Reports › Sell Payment Report: every payment received, by date and method, for checking the instalments collected each month.

Tips and mistakes to avoid

Always add payments to the original invoice. Don’t make a new sale for an instalment; that would count the appliance twice.
Agree and note the plan on the sale so every cashier gives the same answer.
Keep the down payment large enough to cover your cost of delivery and installation.
Use a Credit Limit for customers who buy on instalments often.

Next: step 6: after-sales service.

Credit and part payments

Customer credit limits and advances

Customer ledger

Frequently asked questions

Does SmartPOS Hub have an instalment plan module?

No. Instalments are done with part payments on one invoice. The down payment is the first payment on the sale, each monthly instalment is another payment on the same invoice, and the invoice moves from Partial to Paid when the last instalment arrives.

Can the system calculate the monthly amount for me?

No. Agree the plan with the customer (for example down payment 30 percent, then 3 equal monthly payments) and write it in the sale note. Each payment is entered by hand when it is received.

What does the pay term do?

It sets when the unpaid amount is due, for example 1 month or 30 days after the sale. Overdue invoices then show up in Reports › Payment by Age. It does not split the amount into instalments.

Can I sell with no down payment at all?

Yes. In the POS, use Credit Sale. The whole amount stays due. Always choose the named customer, never Walk-In Customer, so you know who owes the money.

What happens if the customer's credit limit is reached?

A new credit sale that would take the customer's unpaid balance over their Credit Limit is stopped with a Customer Credit Limit Exceeded message. Leave the limit blank for no limit.

Can I add a finance charge?

Not automatically. Add a service product such as Instalment service charge to the sale, or include it in the price.

Can the customer pay several invoices at once?

Yes. On the customer's page, Add payment (Pay Due Amount) takes one payment and spreads it over their unpaid invoices.

Can I send the customer a statement?

Yes. The customer's Ledger tab can be downloaded as PDF or sent by e-mail with Send ledger.