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How to apply an unapplied customer payment in NetSuite

Find fully unapplied customer payments with a saved search, apply one to an eligible invoice, and prove the payment has dropped out of the exception list.

Published 5 min read Watch the walkthrough

The quick answer

Build a payment-based transaction search with Main Line is false, Amount Remaining is above 0 is true and Applied To Transaction is - None -. Open a result with View, click Edit, tick the invoice on the Apply subtab and save. The Summary box should read Unapplied 0.00, and the payment drops out when you rerun the search.

This walkthrough applies PMT-52740 to INV-52610 for Northstar Parts. The screenshots use sample data and fictional names.

01 · Find the unapplied payment

Create a Transaction saved search and add four criteria on Criteria > Standard: Type is Payment, Main Line is false, Amount Remaining is above 0 is true, and Applied To Transaction is - None -. Main Line has to be false because the application state lives on the payment's lines, not its header.

The four criteria on the Standard subtab. Amount Remaining is above 0 is a yes/no field, so its description reads is true.

On Results, add Date, Document Number, Name, Amount, Amount Remaining and Status. Click the arrow beside Save and choose Save & Run.

Two fully unapplied payments. Amount is negative because the search returns the A/R credit line; Amount Remaining is the cash still available.

Click View on PMT-52740. Before you touch anything, check the customer, A/R Account, currency and subsidiary against the invoice you plan to apply it to, and read the Summary box: Applied 0.00, Unapplied 360.00. Balance shows 430.00, which is the customer's 790.00 of open invoices less this 360.00 of unapplied cash. That number will not change when you apply the payment.

02 · Apply it to the invoice

Click Edit and stay on the Apply subtab. Tick the Apply box on the INV-52610 row. NetSuite fills the Payment column with 360.00 and the Summary box flips to Applied 360.00 and Unapplied 0.00. If you only want to apply part of the payment, overwrite the Payment cell before saving. Then click Save.

INV-52610 ticked with 360.00 in the Payment column. The Summary box already shows Applied 360.00 and Unapplied 0.00 before saving.

03 · Verify the allocation

The saved payment opens with a Confirmation banner. INV-52610 sits in the applied list with 360.00, the Summary box reads Applied 360.00 and Unapplied 0.00, and Balance is still 430.00. Applying is a non-posting link between two transactions that already hit A/R, so nothing about the customer's balance moves.

The saved payment: Applied 360.00, Unapplied 0.00, Balance unchanged at 430.00, INV-52610 in the applied list.

Then rerun the search from Reports > Saved Searches > Open Customer Payments. PMT-52740 is gone and only PMT-52741 remains.

The rerun search returns one row. PMT-52740 no longer has a positive Amount Remaining, so it drops out.

Check the result

  1. Applied is 360.00 and Unapplied is 0.00 on PMT-52740.
  2. Balance still reads 430.00.
  3. The rerun search lists only PMT-52741.

Common questions

How do I include partially applied payments?

Copy the search and remove only Applied To Transaction is - None -. Keep Amount Remaining is above 0 is true so fully applied payments stay excluded.

Should I filter Applied To Transaction or Applying Transaction?

Use Applied To Transaction for the payment-to-invoice direction shown here. Applying Transaction describes the opposite relationship.

Is Amount Remaining the invoice balance?

No. On this payment search it is the received payment amount still available to apply. The invoice's own open balance shows in the Amt. Due column on the Apply subtab.

Why is Amount negative in the results?

With Main Line is false the search returns the payment's A/R line, which is a credit. Read Amount Remaining for the unapplied cash and ignore the sign on Amount.