# How to Apply an Open (Unapplied) Customer Payment in SyteLine > Source: https://netray.co/erp-help/syteline-how-to-apply-an-open-customer-payment > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: ERP Help ## Short answer An open payment in SyteLine AR is cash received that has been recorded but not matched to specific invoices. You apply it from the AR payment area by selecting the customer, choosing the invoices to pay and allocating amounts until the unapplied balance is zero or the remainder is left on account. Form names vary by version, so locate them through the forms search. ## Kind how-to ## System syteline ## Erp Infor SyteLine (CloudSuite Industrial) ## Module Accounts Receivable / Payments ## Query how to apply an open payment in syteline ## Alternate Queries - syteline apply unapplied payment to invoice - syteline partial payment application - syteline customer payment on account ## Applies To Infor SyteLine 8.x and CloudSuite Industrial (CSI); screens and option names vary by version and configuration ## Steps ### How to apply an open payment to invoices **Items:** - Open the AR payments form (search the forms list for Payments) and find the open payment by customer, check or reference number. - Note the payment amount, the date, the currency and the unapplied balance shown. - Open the invoice distribution or application area for that payment and list the customer's open invoices. - Select the invoices being paid and enter the amount applied to each. For a partial payment, enter less than the invoice balance. - Check discounts and adjustments. If a prompt payment discount or short pay applies, record it with the proper reason code instead of forcing the amount. - Confirm the total applied equals the payment amount, or leave the remainder as an on-account credit deliberately. - Save, post to the general ledger if your process requires it, and check the customer's statement or aging to confirm the invoices show paid. ## Sections ### Full, partial and over payments **Body:** A full payment matches an invoice balance exactly and closes it. A partial payment reduces the balance and leaves the invoice open with the remaining amount. An overpayment leaves an unapplied balance that stays on the customer account as a credit until you apply it to a later invoice or refund it. Be careful with short payments. A customer who pays less than the invoice for a dispute should leave the balance open, tied to a dispute note, rather than being written off. Write-offs have their own approval path and posting. ### Why payments end up unapplied **Body:** Common reasons are a remittance with no invoice numbers, a lump payment covering many invoices, a payment keyed before the invoice was posted, and a wrong customer. Chase the missing information instead of applying it to the oldest invoices by guess, because that hides disputes and breaks the customer's own matching. A growing list of unapplied cash distorts aging, makes credit holds fire on customers who have paid, and confuses collections. Review unapplied payments weekly. ### Checks to run after applying **Body:** Run the customer's open item or aging report and confirm the invoice statuses. Confirm that the cash receipt posting reached the bank and AR control accounts. If the customer was on credit hold because of past-due invoices, review whether the hold should now be released. For foreign currency receipts, check that the exchange rate applied matches your policy, since gain or loss is calculated when the payment is applied. ## Pitfalls - Applying cash to the oldest invoices by default when the customer meant specific ones. - Forcing a short payment to zero instead of recording a dispute or adjustment. - Applying to the wrong customer with a similar name. - Leaving unapplied cash for weeks, which triggers false credit holds. - Ignoring exchange differences on foreign currency payments. ## Ai Angle Matching remittances to invoices is a good fit for an assistant: given a payment and a remittance note, it can propose likely invoice matches from customer, amount and reference, with reasons. ERPray reads SyteLine data read-only and shows the matches and the query. A person approves and posts the application in SyteLine. ## Faq ### What is an open payment in SyteLine? **Answer:** It is a customer payment recorded in AR but not fully matched to invoices. The unapplied amount sits as a credit on the customer account until you apply it. ### How do I apply a partial payment? **Answer:** Select the invoice and enter an amount lower than its balance. The invoice stays open with the remainder, and the payment's unapplied balance is reduced accordingly. ### What should I do with an overpayment? **Answer:** Leave it on account and apply it to future invoices, or refund it according to your policy. Do not apply it to unrelated invoices without the customer's instruction. ### Why does the customer still show past due after payment? **Answer:** The payment may be unapplied, applied to different invoices than expected, or not yet posted. Check the payment's applications and the posting status. ## Search terms how to apply an open payment in syteline, syteline unapplied payment, syteline apply payment to invoice, syteline ar payments, syteline cash application, syteline partial payment, csi accounts receivable, syteline payment on account --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json