# Mart step 6: customer credit (khata) and instalments

> Let regular customers buy on credit, pay part now and the rest later in instalments, set credit limits, and see who owes what in a grocery store.

Source: https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/mart/step-6-customer-credit-khata/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30  
Product: SmartPOS Hub (https://smartposhub.com)

Many grocery and kiryana stores run a **khata**: regular customers take goods now and pay at the end of the week or month, often in parts. SmartPOS Hub records this as a **credit sale** or a **part-paid sale** on the customer's ledger. This page shows the mart routine; the full step-by-step with every screen is in [Credit and part payments](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/credit-and-partial-payments/).

## Before you start

- The customer exists in **Contacts › Customers** with a phone number, or you add them from the POS.
- Decide on a **Credit Limit** per customer (leave it empty for no limit). See [Customer credit limits and advances](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/customer-credit-limits-and-advances/).

## Example: 20 %, then 50 %, then the rest

A regular buys groceries for 10,000.

| Day | What happens | Paid | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Sale of 10,000; the customer pays 2,000 (20 %) at the till | 2,000 | 8,000 |
| Next week | The customer pays 5,000 (50 %) | 7,000 | 3,000 |
| End of month | The customer pays the last 3,000 | 10,000 | 0 |

## Sell on credit or part payment

1. At the POS, pick the **customer** (search by name or phone, or add a new one with the + button).
2. Scan the items as usual.
3. For **no payment now**: click **Credit Sale**. The whole amount becomes due.
4. For **part payment**: click **Pay**, enter only the amount paid now (2,000), and click **Complete sale**. The rest stays due on the sale.
5. The receipt shows the amount paid and the balance due.

![Payment window where the cashier can enter less than the amount due to leave a balance on the customer's account](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/mart-pos-v2-payment.C7T1buj0.png) (web app page: `/pos-v2/create`)
*Enter only what the customer pays today; the remainder is recorded as due.*

## Collect the next instalments

1. Open **Contacts › Customers** and find the customer.
2. Use **Pay Due Amount** (in the Actions menu or on the customer's page).
3. Enter the amount (5,000), the method and the date, and save. The payment is applied to their oldest due sales.
4. Repeat at each visit until the due is 0.

You can also open a single sale in **Sell › All sales** and use **Add payment** on it.

## See who owes what

![Customers and Suppliers report with total purchase, total sale, sell return, opening balance and due per contact](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/kiryana-customer-supplier-report.BMCu3bFn.png) (web app page: `/reports/customer-supplier`)
*Reports › Supplier & Customer Report: the Due column is your khata at a glance.*

- **Customer Ledger**: every invoice and payment for one customer, with a running balance; download or e-mail it as PDF. See [Customer ledger](https://docs.smartposhub.com/customers/customer-ledger/).
- **Payment by Age** report: how long dues have been open.
- In the **SmartPOS Business app**, the customer's page shows their balance and lets you export the ledger.

## Good practice

- **Always use a real customer** for credit, never Walk-In Customer.
- **Set credit limits** for new khata customers and raise them as trust grows.
- **Collect at the till**: when a khata customer shops, remind them of the due shown on their customer.
- **Advance payments**: a customer can also pay in advance and buy against it; see [Customer credit limits and advances](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/customer-credit-limits-and-advances/).

  - [Credit and part payments (full guide)](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/credit-and-partial-payments/)
  - [Step 7: Purchases from suppliers](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/mart/step-7-purchases-and-suppliers/)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a walk-in customer buy on credit?

No. A credit or part-paid sale needs a named customer, because the balance goes on their ledger. The POS asks for a name and phone and creates the customer in seconds.

### How does a customer pay off a balance in several instalments?

Each time they pay, record a payment against their due sales from the customer's page (Pay Due Amount) or on the sale itself. The due goes down with every payment until it reaches zero.

### What happens when a customer reaches the credit limit?

The POS stops the credit sale and shows the limit, what is already due and what this sale would make. Raise the limit on the customer page if you want to allow it.

### Where do I see everyone who owes money?

Reports › Supplier & Customer Report shows total sales, returns, opening balance and due per customer. The customer's Ledger shows every invoice and payment.

### Can I send a customer their statement?

Yes. Open the customer, go to Ledger, pick the dates and download or e-mail the ledger as a PDF.

### Can customers see their own balance?

Yes, if they use the customer portal or the SmartPOS Shopper app with your store; both show their account balance and bills.