Manual Payments & Advances
Comprehensive usage guide for the Payments & Advances feature in the Purchasing module of Swifto ERP. This document covers creation, tracking, multi-document supplier payments, advances paid, postdated payments, proofs of payment and bank reconciliation.
Module overview
The Payments & Advances section centralizes the management of all supplier payments in Swifto ERP. It lets you pay several invoices or several delivery notes from the same supplier in a single operation, manage advances paid, postdated checks and drafts, with full traceability to the Finance module for bank reconciliation.
Business goal
- Pay several invoices or delivery notes in a single operation
- Manage supplier advances and convert them
- Track postdated checks and drafts with alerts
- Archive multi-format proofs of payment
- Ensure bank reconciliation via the Finance module
- Export PDF and Excel statements for accounting
Target audience
- Accountants — Record and track payments
- Cashiers / Treasurers — Enter the payments
- Purchasing managers — Track supplier debts
- ERP administrators — Configure the payment methods
The 3 ways to access a payment
Multi-document
Via the Payments / Advances menu — several invoices or delivery notes in a single operation
By Invoice
Via the Invoices menu — document by document only, no grouping
By Delivery Note
Via the Delivery Notes menu — document by document only, no grouping
Key advantage of the Payments / Advances menu
This menu is the only entry point that lets you settle several invoices or several delivery notes from the same supplier simultaneously in a single operation. It also provides management of advances not yet applied and tracking of postdated items.
Access and navigation
To access the Payments & Advances section of the Purchasing module, follow these steps from the main page.
Authentication
Sign in with your credentials. You are redirected to the main page showing all the active modules of the current company.
Go to the Purchasing module
Click the Purchases card on the main page or use the left-hand side menu.
Click "Payments / Advances"
In the Purchasing module submenu, click Payments / Advances. The list of payments for the current month is displayed automatically.
Default view — Current month
The list only shows the payments and advances for the current month. To view other periods, use the Search button at the top of the list and set the desired date range. You can also filter by supplier and by payment method.
List of payments & advances
The main screen shows the table of payments for the current month, grouped by supplier and by invoice(s) or delivery note(s) paid in the same operation.
| Origin | Date | Supplier | Company account | Type | Amount | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invoices: FA-0051 | ||||||||
| Invoice | 12/05/2024 | Supplier ABC | Banque BNA | Check | 4,700.000 TND | |||
| Delivery notes: BL-0031 | ||||||||
| DN | 14/05/2024 | Import Tech SARL | Banque BIAT | Draft | 2,850.000 EUR | |||
| Advances: | ||||||||
| Advance | 20/05/2024 | Delta Supply | Main Cash Register | Transfer | 1,000.000 TND | |||
Grouping the table rows
The table groups rows by document via greyed-out header rows. The header varies according to the origin of the payment, and the Origin column shows a badge:
| Group header | Origin column badge | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Invoices: … | Invoice | Payment linked to one or more purchase invoices. |
| Delivery notes: … | DN | Payment linked to one or more delivery notes. |
| Advances: | Advance | Payment made with no document applied — recorded as an advance in the supplier statement. |
Real-time postdated notification
On the day a postdated check or draft falls due, a notification banner is automatically displayed at the top of every page of the Purchasing module, as a reminder to generate the bank deposit slip and carry out the accounting entry.
Global action bar
The toolbar (top-right corner of the panel) offers 4 buttons in this order: PDF Excel New Search. The PDF and Excel buttons show only an icon (tooltip on hover); New and Search show their label.
Generates a PDF statement consolidating all the payments and advances currently displayed. Useful for treasury reports for the accounting department.
Excel
Icon only · All displayed itemsExports all displayed payments and advances to Excel format (.xlsx). Handy for cash-flow analysis and bank reconciliations.
New
Main actionOpens the form to create a new payment or a new supplier advance. This menu is the only place that allows multi-document payment. Visible based on the creation privilege. See Section 6.
Search
Multi-criteria popupOpens a popup window to filter the list by period and supplier. See the popup detail below.
About deletion
No button in the toolbarThe toolbar does not contain a "Delete" button (present in the code but hidden). Deleting a payment goes through the "Confirm deletion" confirmation dialog (Cancel / Delete buttons). It resets the related invoices or delivery notes to unpaid status and restores the remaining amount due.
Search popup
4 fieldsThe window titled Search offers exactly four fields:
Row actions
Each row of the table has, in this order from left to right, an Attachment button followed by a Details button.
Attachment
Depends on the payment methodThis button (1st position) changes appearance depending on the payment method and on whether a document is already archived:
Download
The method allows a document and a proof is already attached: the button downloads the file directly (download-cloud icon).
Attach (Edit popup)
The method allows a document but none is attached yet: the button (paperclip, orange) opens the "Edit" popup to upload the proof.
Disabled
The payment method does not manage a document: the download button is greyed out / disabled.
Detail
Read-onlyMagnifying-glass iconThe Details button (magnifying glass, 2nd position) opens the read-only view of the payment. The fields shown, in this order, are:
Create a new payment
Click New to open the creation form. The form is saved via the Save button and discarded via Cancel (both icon-only in the toolbar). The process runs in 3 key steps.
Date, Type, Origin, then Supplier
First enter the Payment date, then toggle the Type switch between Payment and Advance, and (in Payment mode) the Origin switch between Invoice and Delivery note. Then choose the Supplier (autocomplete): this selection determines the invoices/delivery notes to settle and shows the supplier's available advances.
Select the documents to settle
Tick one or more invoices or one or more delivery notes from the supplier. For an unapplied advance, tick no document. See Section 7.
Enter the payment information
Select the Currency and the Company account, choose the Payment method, enter the Amount and the fields specific to the method (Number, Disbursement date, Proof…). See Section 8.
This supplier has 2,500.000 TND of advances in the same currency.
The Advance / New toggle appears: use an existing advance (Advance) or enter a new payment (New).
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Payment date | Required | Date of the operation. |
| Type | Toggle | Payment / Advance toggle switch. In Advance mode, the form asks for neither a document nor an origin. |
| Origin | Toggle (Payment mode) | Invoice / Delivery note toggle switch; shows the corresponding list of documents. |
| Supplier | Required | Autocomplete field (≥ 2 characters). Determines the documents to settle and shows the total available advances. |
| Currency | Required | Payment currency; reloads the corresponding documents and accounts. |
| Σ Advances | Read-only | Shown only if the supplier has advances > 0. |
| Company account | Optional | Bank account / cash account for disbursement (filtered by currency). |
| Invoices / Delivery notes | Multi-select | Checkbox menu of outstanding documents; updates the "Remaining to pay". |
| Payment method | Required | Determines the dynamic fields displayed. 100% configurable via the Settings menu. See Section 8. |
| Amount | Required | Numeric entry (between 0.001 and the remaining amount to pay). Can be lower than the total of the documents (partial settlement). |
| Dynamic fields | Depends on method | Number (check), Account number, Disbursement date, Credit note / Credit note amount, Proof — shown according to the payment method's configuration. |
Selecting documents to settle
After the supplier is selected, the system shows all the documents not yet settled. You can select one or more documents of the same type to settle them in a single operation.
| Doc. No. | Date | Amount incl. tax | Already paid | Remaining | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FA-2024-0051 | 10/05/2024 | 8,407.50 TND | 3,707.50 | 4,700.00 | |
| FA-2024-0052 | 14/05/2024 | 3,200.00 TND | 0.00 | 3,200.00 | |
| FA-2024-0053 | 20/05/2024 | 1,800.00 TND | 900.00 | 900.00 |
| Selection rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Same supplier required | All selected documents must belong to the same supplier. No mixing across suppliers. |
| Invoices or delivery notes — not both | In a single operation, select invoices or delivery notes, but not both types at the same time. |
| Advance = 0 documents ticked | To record an unapplied advance, tick no document. The payment will be recorded as an advance (AVA- prefix) in the supplier statement. |
| Partially paid documents | Documents already partially settled appear with their remaining amount in the dedicated column. |
| Flexible amount | The entered amount can be lower than the total remaining (partial settlement) or equal to it (full settlement of all selected documents). |
Automatic allocation of the amount
If the entered amount is lower than the total of the selected documents, Swifto ERP automatically allocates the amount across the documents in selection order (FIFO). Each document is applied to until the available amount is exhausted.
Configurable payment methods
One of the strengths of Swifto ERP is that all payment methods are 100% configurable via the menu Purchasing → Settings → Payment methods. The administrator can create as many methods as needed and precisely configure the fields to be entered for each one.
A payment method is defined by its label and by a series of checkboxes that turn each dynamic field in the payment form on or off. Here are the options actually available:
| Method option | Effect on the payment form |
|---|---|
| numCheque Check number | Shows the Number field (free text: check number, draft number, reference…). |
| numCompte Account number | Enables the Account number field (hidden by default in the current screen). |
| decaissement Disbursement | Shows the Disbursement date field; combined with antidate, allows a future date. |
| antidate Postdated | Allows a disbursement date later than today (term check/draft). Without this option, the date is capped at today's date. |
| document Document | Shows the Proof field (upload of a supporting document) and enables the "Attachment" button in the list. |
| avoir Credit note | Replaces the Amount field with the selection of a Credit note (with Credit note invoice and Credit note amount) — settlement by credit note offset. |
| banque / retenueALaSource | Additional method indicators (bank, withholding tax) managed in the settings. |
Total configuration flexibility
The administrator can create any payment method (check, draft, transfer, cash, "Mobile payment", "Letter of credit"…) by entering its label and ticking the options above. The corresponding fields appear dynamically in the form.
Postdated vs. immediate payment rule
| Condition | System behavior | Postdated menu |
|---|---|---|
| antidate method + disbursement date > today | Payment recorded + row added to Postdated | ✔ Added |
| Disbursement date = today or in the past | Payment recorded normally, no postdated processing | ✘ Not added |
| Method without disbursement or antidate | Immediate settlement, no disbursement date | ✘ Not applicable |
Supplier advances & conversion
An advance is a payment made to a supplier without being applied to a specific invoice or delivery note. Swifto treats it as a reserve whose remaining amount is consumed through successive draws: the same advance can partially settle several cases, as long as a balance remains.
Recording an advance
When creating, toggle the Type switch to Advance. The form hides the origin and the documents: enter only the supplier, the payment method, the account and the amount. The payment is recorded as an advance in the supplier statement.
Using an advance ("Advance / New" toggle)
In Payment mode, if the supplier has advances in the same currency, an Advance / New toggle switch appears above the payment method:
Σ Advances: 2,500.000 TND
Advance = apply an existing advance; New = enter a payment.
Lifecycle of a supplier advance
Partial consumption (reserve + draws)
On each application, the amount taken from the advance = min(advance balance, remaining on the case). The remaining amount of the advance decreases accordingly and it keeps being offered as long as a balance remains — it can therefore partially settle several cases. A draw creates no new treasury movement (the money left when the advance was created); same logic as customer advances on the sales side.
Payment details
The Detail button (magnifying glass) opens the full payment or advance record, in read-only mode.
Fields shown according to the payment method
The Details page only shows the Disbursement date, Number, Account number, Credit note and Proof fields if the payment method activates them. A "cash" method with neither disbursement nor document will show neither a disbursement date nor a proof.
Postdated payments
A payment is said to be postdated when its date is later than the entry date (e.g., a check made out for 30/06 entered on 12/05). This mechanism is essential for managing checks and bank drafts issued for a future date.
Purchasing Postdated menu
Every postdated payment is automatically recorded in the menu Purchases → Post-dated in addition to appearing in Payments / Advances. This menu centralizes all items awaiting maturity.
Due-date notification
On the due date, a banner is automatically displayed on every page as a reminder to:
- Generate the bank deposit slip
- Carry out the bank reconciliation via the Finance module
- Verify that the check or draft was actually cashed
Notification banner — example
Full workflow of a postdated check
Entry (Day D) — Payment created with check date = D+45. The targeted invoices move to "partially paid" or "paid" status depending on the amount.
Postdated recording — A row is automatically created in the Post-dated menu with the status "Awaiting due date".
Due date (D+45) — Notification banner automatically displayed on every page of the Purchasing module.
Deposit slip generation + reconciliation — The user generates the bank deposit slip and reconciles it with the bank statement in the Finance module.
"Postdated" screen — actual columns
The Postdated screen (under the Purchasing module) shows a paginated, read-only list (no action bar). The columns, in order, are: Supplier, Type (payment method), Number, Company account, Payment (date), Disbursement (date) and Amount.
| Supplier | Type | Number | Company account | Payment | Disbursement | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier ABC | Check | 00185234 | Banque BNA | 12/05/2024 | 30/06/2024 | 4,700.000 TND | |
| Import Tech SARL | Draft | TR-00921 | Banque BIAT | 14/05/2024 | 15/07/2024 | 2,850.000 EUR | |
| Delta Supply | Check | 00190007 | Banque BNA | 02/05/2024 | 10/05/2024 | 1,200.000 TND |
Proof of payment
The Attachment button (the Proof field in the form) on each row lets you archive or download the document proving the payment. It is only available for payment methods whose document option is enabled.
Attaching a proof
The paperclip button opens the "Edit" popup containing a Select file field (max 10 MB). Accepted formats:
Drag and drop the file here
or click to browse
Downloading an existing proof
If a proof has already been archived on this payment, the button triggers its immediate download with no popup.
Best practice — Systematic archiving
Always archive the proof (transfer order, scan of the check handed over, cash receipt) immediately after entering the payment. This guarantees documentary traceability for accounting audits and tax controls, without having to search through emails or external files.
Payment method configuration
The menu Purchasing → Settings → Payment methods lets the administrator freely create and configure all the payment methods used in the company.
Swifto ERP strength
This flexibility lets every company adapt the payment forms to its own processes without any development work. A change to a method is immediately active throughout the Payments / Advances module. Examples of custom methods: "Flouci mobile payment", "LC letter of credit", "Inter-company offset".
Important business rules
Functional constraints and automations to master for correct use of the Purchase Payments & Advances module.
Multi-document exclusive to the Payments / Advances menu
The ability to settle several invoices or several delivery notes simultaneously is only available via this menu. The Invoices and Delivery notes menus only allow document-by-document settlement.
No mixing invoices + delivery notes in one operation
In a single operation, it is not possible to select invoices and delivery notes at the same time. Choose one or the other for a given supplier.
Postdated = payment date > current date
A payment is classified as postdated if its date is later than today. It is then automatically added to the Postdated menu and a notification will appear on the due date.
Advance = payment with no linked document
Any payment recorded without selecting any invoice or delivery note is automatically classified as a supplier advance (AVA- prefix) in the account statement. It applies to no document until its conversion.
"Advance / New" toggle at payment
If the supplier has advances in the same currency as the payment, Swifto ERP automatically shows the Advance / New toggle switch: "Advance" applies an existing advance (Receipts selector), "New" enters a regular payment.
100% configurable payment methods
All payment methods (check, transfer, draft, cash, etc.) are configurable via the Settings menu. The dynamic fields shown in the payment form depend directly on this configuration.
Deletion = resets the linked documents
Deleting a payment cancels its impact on all linked invoices or delivery notes. They return to their previous status (unpaid or partially paid, based on their prior history).
Automatic FIFO allocation
If the entered amount is lower than the total of the selected documents, Swifto ERP automatically allocates the amount across the documents in selection order (FIFO): first document selected = first applied to.
Default view = current month
When the menu opens, the list shows only the payments for the current month. For any other period, supplier or payment method, use the Search popup.
Usage scenarios
Practical cases covering the most common workflows of the Purchase Payments & Advances module.
Scenario 1 — Grouped payment of several invoices by check
Multi-documentClick New
Select the supplier (e.g., Supplier ABC)
Leave Type = Payment and Origin = Invoice, then tick FA-0051 and FA-0052 in the "Invoices" list
Choose the currency and the account (e.g., Banque BNA), select the Check method, enter the amount 4,700.000 TND
Enter the check-method fields: Number 00185234, Disbursement date 30/06/2024 (future date = postdated)
Click Save → PAY-0087 created, FA-0051 and FA-0052 updated, postdated row created
Scenario 2 — Paying an advance to a supplier
AdvanceClick New
Toggle Type = Advance (origin and documents hidden)
Select the supplier (e.g., Delta Supply)
Select the Transfer method, an account (e.g., Cash), enter the amount 1,000.000 TND
Save → AVA-0012 created in the supplier statement. No invoice applied.
Scenario 3 — Converting an advance into an invoice payment
Advance conversionCreate a new payment for Delta Supply
Tick invoices FA-0053 and FA-0054 to settle
The system detects the 1,000.000 TND advance (same currency) and shows the Advance / New toggle
Switch to Advance, choose the advance in the Receipts selector — it is applied to the selected documents
Save → advance fully or partially consumed, remaining balance carried forward if any
Scenario 4 — Processing a supplier check that has come due
PostdatedWhen the module opens, the notification banner shows 2 checks due today
Click the link → redirected to the Post-dated menu
Locate payment PAY-0087 and check the details (supplier, amount, bank)
Generate the bank deposit slip and submit it to the bank
Carry out the reconciliation in the Finance module with the bank statement received
Scenario 5 — Finding a supplier's payments for the year
Advanced searchClick Search from the list
Enter: Period 01/01/2024 → 31/12/2024, Supplier = Supplier ABC
Click Search — all the year's payments for this supplier are displayed
Export via the Excel button (or PDF) for an annual account statement or an audit report
FAQ & Tips
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between paying from Invoices and from Payments / Advances?
Via the Invoices or Delivery notes menu, you can only settle one document at a time. Via the Payments / Advances menu, you can group several invoices or several delivery notes from the same supplier into a single operation — ideal for a check covering several due dates.
How do I find payments from previous months?
The list shows only the current month by default. Use the Search button and set the desired period (e.g., 01/01/2024 → 31/12/2024). You can also filter by supplier or by invoice / delivery note number.
How do I add a new payment method (e.g., mobile payment)?
Go to Purchasing → Settings → Payment methods, click Add, enter the label (e.g., "Flouci mobile payment"), tick the fields to enable and save. The new method will be immediately available in the payment form.
If I delete a payment, what happens to the settled invoices?
Deleting a payment resets the linked invoices or delivery notes to their previous status: they return to "Unpaid" or "Partially paid" based on their prior history. The applied amount is reset to zero and the remaining amount due is restored. This action is irreversible.
How do I avoid forgetting to process a check that is due?
Swifto ERP shows an automatic notification banner on the due date on every page of the Purchasing module. Also check the Postdated menu every morning to see the due dates for today and the coming week.
Does the Excel export include all payments or only the ones displayed?
The export only contains the payments currently displayed in the list. To export a wider scope (several months, all suppliers), first run an Advanced search with the desired filters, then launch the Excel export.
💡 Tips for advanced users
Group payments for the same supplier
Use multi-document payment to group all of a supplier's outstanding invoices into a single monthly check or transfer. This simplifies accounting and reduces bank fees.
Check postdated items every morning
Check the Purchasing Postdated menu daily. Process checks/drafts that have come due immediately to avoid delays in bank deposits and tension with suppliers.
Apply advances quickly
Do not let advances pile up in supplier statements. As soon as a new invoice is received, use the Advance / New toggle at payment to apply them and keep balances up to date.
Systematically archive proofs
Always attach the proof (transfer order, check scan, cash receipt) via the Proof button. This guarantees traceability for accounting audits and makes tax controls easier without manual searching.
Swifto ERP · Purchasing module · User Manual v1.0
Payments & Advances — Internal documentation