When a client settles their bill — at the front desk after a consult, by tapping a card on the in-clinic terminal, or by clicking a link you've emailed them — that money needs to land against the right invoice in Lupa so the balance clears, the receipt goes out, and the day's takings reconcile cleanly. The Add Payment dialog handles all of this in one place, whether the client is paying in cash, card, by online link, or any mix of methods.
💡 In short: Open Add Payment from the client's Transactions tab (or directly from an invoice), pick how they're paying, tick the invoices the money should clear, and create the payment — Lupa updates each invoice's status and emails the receipt in a single step.
Why this matters
⚠️ Record a payment, don't add a credit note. When a client actually hands over money — cash, card, terminal, online link — always create a payment. Credit notes are for waiving balances, goodwill gestures, or correcting an invoice you can't reverse cleanly. They don't represent money that came into the practice. Mixing the two breaks your daily cash-up and makes refunds confusing later.
Benefit | What it does for the practice |
Invoices stay accurate | Outstanding balances drop the moment money lands. The Transactions tab, statements, and reminders all reflect reality without manual cleanup |
One payment, many invoices | A client paying for two pets and three appointments doesn't need three separate transactions — one Add Payment can clear the whole tab |
Mix payment methods | Manual, online link, or in-clinic terminal — same dialog, same workflow. Staff don't have to relearn it for each scenario |
Receipts go out automatically | Tick Send payment confirmation and Lupa emails the client a receipt with the paid invoice attached, no copy-paste |
Atomic and audited | The payment, the allocation, and the audit log are written together. Either the whole thing happens or none of it does — there's no half-saved state |
When to take a payment
Scenario | What you do | Where you start |
Client pays at reception after a consult | Manual payment, method = cash / card / cheque | Client profile → Transactions |
Client pays in clinic on a card terminal | Terminal payment via your DOJO or Lupa Pay device | Same dialog → Terminal tab |
Client wasn't there — you want them to pay later | Online payment, send a link via email, Lupa Chat, or WhatsApp | Same dialog → Online tab |
Two pets, multiple unpaid invoices | One Add Payment, tick every invoice the money clears | Client profile → Transactions |
Splitting one bill across cash and card | Create two payments — one per method — against the same invoice | Repeat Add Payment for each method |
How to take a payment — step by step
Step 1: Open the Add Payment dialog
There are three natural starting points. Pick whichever matches what the client is asking about.
Where you are | What to click |
Client profile → Transactions tab | Add Payment button at the top of the transactions area |
An invoice page | Create payment — opens the dialog with that invoice pre-ticked |
Appointment details page | Add Payment in the appointment's billing section |
📍 The client's net balance, credit balance, and outstanding debts are summarised at the top of the Transactions tab in the client page. If the client already has credit on file, you'll see it offered as an alert inside the payment dialog (more on that below).
If you open the appointment details page, you'll also see a Client owes overall figure on the invoice card — this is the client's total across all unpaid invoices, less any account credit, plus any unfinalised drafts. It gives you the full picture before you open Add Payment.
Step 2: Pick how the client is paying
While Lupa checks whether a card reader is connected, the payment-method section shows a loading state and the Create payment button is disabled — invoice selection still works normally during this moment. Once the check completes, the dialog lands on the right tab automatically: Terminal if a connected Lupa Pay reader is found, otherwise Manual. There are three modes:
Tab | When to use it |
Manual | The client has handed over money in person. Choose a method — Cash, Card, Cheque, Bank Transfer, Insurance, or Other — and Lupa records the payment immediately. Use this even for card payments taken outside Lupa (e.g. a card machine that isn't integrated) |
Online | The client isn't with you. Generate a payment link to share or copy. The payment posts automatically once they pay. Requires Lupa Pay or Stripe to be configured |
Terminal | The client is paying with their card on an in-clinic terminal connected to Lupa (DOJO or Lupa Pay). Lupa drives the terminal directly and waits for the result |
Step 3: Tick the invoice (or invoices) the money clears
The right-hand panel lists every unpaid invoice for this client under Unpaid invoices, with a running total at the top. Tick one or more — the Amount field on the left auto-fills with the combined total. To check the details of an invoice before ticking it, hover over (or tab to) the outstanding amount shown on that row — a preview of the invoice appears without affecting your selection. Clicking the amount also opens the preview rather than selecting the invoice.
For a partial payment (the client only pays some of what they owe), leave the invoices ticked and lower the Amount. Lupa allocates the payment to each ticked invoice up to its outstanding balance, in order.
For a single invoice, ticking it pre-fills the exact balance.
A blue alert at the top of the dialog tells you if the client already has existing credit that could be applied first. Use Allocate Credit in that alert to apply credit before creating a payment.
💡 Multi-invoice on Manual or Terminal — flexible on Online. Manual and Terminal payments can clear several invoices in one go. Online payment links cover one invoice at a time unless your practice is on Lupa Pay, in which case multi-invoice links work too. If the client has no outstanding invoices, you can still create an online payment link — the money lands on their account as credit to apply to future invoices.
Step 4: Review the summary and create the payment
At the top of the dialog, Lupa shows the client's current balance position. If the client has no unfinalised draft invoices, you'll see a single Total owed figure (or Balance if they are in credit). If they do have drafts, the header shows an equation so you can see exactly how the total is made up:
Client owes money: Balance owed + Draft Balance = Total owed
Client has credit on account: Draft Balance − Credit applied = Total owed
If the figures cannot be loaded, the header shows Unable to load balance instead.
The Payment Summary on the right recalculates as you tick invoices and edit the amount:
Invoice total — the combined balance of every ticked invoice
Payment applied — how much of your Amount lands against those invoices
Remaining balance — what's still outstanding on those invoices after this payment
If the client has an email address, leave Send payment confirmation ticked and Lupa emails them a receipt with the paid invoices attached the moment the payment is created. If you need to send the confirmation later — or want to check what was sent — you can do that from the payment row on the invoice (see below).
When you're happy, click Create payment for [amount] — the button shows the exact figure being charged, so you can confirm it before submitting. (If you're taking money against a deposit invoice, the button reads Create deposit instead — see below.) You'll see a Payment created successfully toast.
⚠️ Once created, a payment is final. To correct a mistake, refund the payment or issue a credit note from the Transactions tab — don't try to "undo" by creating a negative payment. See the Refunds, credit notes and write-offs article for the right approach.
Sending or reviewing the confirmation email after payment
Once a payment has been created, each payment row on the invoice shows an email icon. What it does depends on whether a confirmation has already been sent:
No confirmation sent yet — click the icon to open the email editor, pre-filled with the payment details and the invoice attached. The button is labelled Send payment confirmation email. Edit the subject or body if needed, then send.
Confirmation already sent — click the icon (now labelled View payment confirmation email) to open the Email Details pop-up, which shows the rendered email exactly as the client received it.
The subject line and body pre-fill from your practice's saved payment receipt email template if you have one set up — or fall back to Payment Confirmation as the subject and a short default message if no template is saved. The paid invoice is always included as an attachment. You can edit the subject or body before sending.
Online payment links
The Online tab generates a link the client clicks to pay themselves. This is the right choice when the client has already left, owes money on a no-show, or you're chasing an outstanding invoice by email.
The flow is:
Tick a single invoice (or multiple, if you're on Lupa Pay). If the client has no outstanding invoices, you can skip this step — the link will collect the amount as credit on their account instead.
Click Create payment link
Either copy the link to send through your own channel, or click Share to send it directly to the client. The Share list shows the channels available for that client:
Send via email — opens Lupa's email editor with the link pre-filled. In the editor toolbar, use Insert Template to pull in either your dedicated Payment Link template or any of your practice's general email templates — the payment button stays in the email whichever template you choose
Send via Lupa Chat — opens the client's Lupa Chat thread with the payment link pre-filled in the message box (only shown if the client uses the Lupa app)
Send via WhatsApp — sends the link via a WhatsApp message template (only shown if WhatsApp is enabled for your practice and the client has a phone number on file)
The payment posts automatically as soon as the client completes it — you don't need to do anything else. If the link expires or the client doesn't pay, the invoice simply stays open.
📍 The Online tab needs Lupa Pay or Stripe enabled at the practice level. If it shows Online payments are disabled, head to your payment-provider settings — see the Setting up Lupa Pay article.
Terminal payments
Terminal payments use a card terminal that's paired with Lupa — typically a DOJO or Lupa Pay device sitting at reception. Lupa starts the transaction on the terminal, the client taps or inserts their card, and the result comes back into the dialog.
On the Terminal tab, pick which terminal you want from the dropdown
Tick the invoices to clear — same as Manual
Click Create payment for [amount]. The terminal lights up and prompts the client to tap or insert
Lupa shows Processing payment... while it waits. You'll see Payment completed once the terminal confirms
For chip-and-PIN transactions, you may be asked Is client's signature verified? — confirm or reject as appropriate
🔒 Don't close the dialog while a terminal payment is processing. Lupa shows "Wait until the payment is completed to close this dialog" and blocks the close button — for good reason. Closing early can leave the terminal in an inconsistent state. Cancel the transaction on the device first if you need to abandon it.
If your practice doesn't have terminals set up, the tab will say No terminals available or Lupa Pay is disabled — see the Payment terminals article.
Special cases
Deposits (paying before the appointment is done)
For pre-payments against an estimate or upcoming procedure — for example a £200 surgery deposit collected at booking — open the dialog from the deposit invoice and you'll see Create deposit instead of Create payment for [amount]. The money is held against the deposit invoice and automatically credits the final invoice when treatment is completed and the estimate is finalised.
Overpayment (the client pays more than they owe)
Type an Amount larger than the ticked invoice total and the surplus stays on the client's account as credit. You'll see Credit added to account in the Payment Summary. That credit is then available for future invoices — it shows up in the blue alert "This client has £X.XX of existing credit, which can be applied to invoices" the next time you open Add Payment.
For cash payments, you can flip the Add change to customer account as credit switch off if you'd rather hand the change back physically — the summary updates to Return as change and the surplus isn't recorded as credit.
Existing credit on the client's account
If the client already has credit (from an overpayment, a goodwill credit note, or a voucher), the dialog shows a blue Allocate Credit alert at the top. Click it to apply credit to invoices first — this clears balances without taking new money. Once credit is allocated, you can still take a payment for the remainder if there's anything left to collect.
Tips for clean payment records
✅ What practices that run Lupa well do every day:
Always tick the invoice the money is for. A payment with no invoice ticked goes onto the client's account as unallocated credit. That's fine if it's truly a deposit, but most of the time it's a missed allocation that confuses the next person who reads the file
Take card payments through the Terminal tab when you can. It auto-records the result and matches your daily cash-up against the device's settlement
Use the Description field for context, not the line items. A short note like "Insurance settlement R&L Direct, claim #4421" helps anyone reviewing the audit trail later
Leave Send payment confirmation ticked by default. It's the cleanest way to give the client a receipt — and the email arrives instantly while they're still at reception
Resolve draft invoices before taking the payment. If the dialog warns "This client has X draft invoices", complete or void those first. Drafts can't be paid and they distort the client's apparent balance
For partial payments, lower the Amount, don't untick the invoice. Lupa caps the payment per-invoice automatically and the invoice goes to Partially paid — exactly the state you want
Troubleshooting
Problem | What to do |
Create payment for [amount] button is greyed out | Check Amount is greater than zero, Date is filled, Payment method is picked, and at least one invoice is ticked. Required-field validation appears in red beneath each input. If the dialog has only just opened and the payment-method tabs haven't appeared yet, wait a moment — Lupa is checking for connected card readers and the button enables once that check completes |
Add Payment is disabled or hidden on a transaction row | Only completed invoices with a positive outstanding balance can take a payment. If the invoice is in Draft, Estimate, or already Paid, the option is hidden — completing the invoice first usually unblocks it |
The unpaid invoices list is empty but the client clearly owes money | The invoice is probably still in Draft. Open the invoice, finalise it (move to Completed), then come back to Add Payment. Note: on the Online tab you can still create a payment link even with no invoices — the money will land as client credit |
The Online tab says Online payments are disabled | Lupa Pay or Stripe isn't configured for this practice. Settings → Payments. See the Setting up Lupa Pay article |
The Terminal tab says No terminals available or Unable to load terminals | No terminals available means no card terminals are paired with this practice yet — see the Payment terminals article. Unable to load terminals means Lupa couldn't reach your terminal settings; close and reopen the dialog to try again. If the problem continues, check your terminal settings in Lupa Pay |
The terminal payment is stuck on Processing payment… | Don't close the dialog. Check the terminal screen — the customer may need to retry or remove their card. If the device shows the transaction is finished, give it 30–60 seconds for the result to come back to Lupa. If it never resolves, cancel on the device first, then close the dialog |
A red error appears: The payment couldn't be created | The most common cause is an invoice that became locked or paid in another browser tab while the dialog was open. Close the dialog, refresh the client page, and try again |
The date field rejects the date you typed | The date falls inside a financially locked period. Pick today's date instead, or ask whoever owns financial locking at the practice. See the Payment methods, cashups and financial locking article |
Frequently asked questions
Can I take one payment that covers multiple pets or appointments?
Can I take one payment that covers multiple pets or appointments?
Yes. Open Add Payment from the client (not from a single invoice), and the Unpaid invoices list shows everything the client owes across all their pets and appointments. Tick whichever invoices the money should clear and Lupa allocates the payment across them.
Can I split one invoice across two payment methods (e.g. £50 cash + £50 card)?
Can I split one invoice across two payment methods (e.g. £50 cash + £50 card)?
Yes — create two payments. Open Add Payment, tick the invoice, set the Amount to the cash portion, choose Cash, click Create payment for [amount]. Then re-open Add Payment for the same invoice (now showing the remaining balance), set the card portion, choose Card or use the Terminal tab. Both payments allocate against the same invoice and the invoice ends up fully paid.
The client paid more than they owed — what happens?
The client paid more than they owed — what happens?
The surplus is added to the client's account as credit. You'll see it in the Payment Summary under Credit added to account, and it'll be offered to apply to future invoices the next time you open Add Payment. For cash, you can instead flip the toggle to Return as change so the surplus isn't kept as credit.
Can I edit or delete a payment after I've created it?
Can I edit or delete a payment after I've created it?
Payments are final once created — you can't edit them. To correct a mistake, refund the payment (which reverses it) or issue a credit note for the difference. See the Refunds, credit notes and write-offs article for which to use when.
Will the client receive a receipt automatically?
Will the client receive a receipt automatically?
If they have an email address on file and Send payment confirmation is ticked when you create the payment, yes — Lupa sends them an email with the receipt and the paid invoices attached. If you didn't send it at the time, or want to send it again, click the email icon on the payment row on the invoice and choose Send payment confirmation email — the editor opens pre-filled from your saved receipt template (or a default message if no template is set). To see what was sent, click the same icon — once a confirmation has gone out it switches to View payment confirmation email and opens the sent email for you to review.
What if the client wants to pay later — can I just record an IOU?
What if the client wants to pay later — can I just record an IOU?
Don't. Leave the invoice unpaid; that's already an "IOU" — the outstanding balance carries forward, shows on statements, and triggers reminders if you have those configured. When the client comes back to pay, open Add Payment and clear it then. Recording an artificial payment to a non-existent method confuses the daily cash-up.
Why does Lupa block me from picking a date in the past?
Why does Lupa block me from picking a date in the past?
The date you picked falls inside a financially locked period — once the practice has closed off a day or month for accounts, no new payments can be backdated into it. Pick today, or speak to whoever owns the cash-up. See the Payment methods, cashups and financial locking article.