Match payments to specific bills (New / Against Ref)

Split one receipt across the specific invoices it settles, so outstanding is tracked per bill — Tally's New Ref / Against Ref. The unallocated part stays on account, and over-allocation is refused at the database, so a bill can never be paid twice.

A customer pays you ₹50,000 against three open invoices at once. Which bill did they clear? Bill-wise references let you split one receipt across the specific invoices it settles, so outstanding is tracked per bill — not just as one lump against the client. It's Tally's New Ref / Against Ref, built into the payment form.

Allocate one receipt across bills

On Add payment, pick the client and the amount, then the bill-allocation panel lists their open invoices with each one's balance. Type how much of the receipt goes to each — the panel keeps a running allocated and on account total as you go. What you don't allocate stays on account as an advance, ready to apply to a future bill.

Against Ref vs New Ref

Against Ref settles an invoice that already exists — the everyday case. New Ref earmarks part of the receipt against a specific invoice as a first-time reference (an advance tied to that bill). Both are bounded by the invoice's outstanding balance; the unallocated remainder is the on-account portion, not a separate line.

Per-bill outstanding, no double-count

An allocation is the detail of the same paid amount, never an extra payment. Each rupee is attributed to at most one invoice (or to on-account), so the per-reference balances reconcile exactly with the receivables ageing on Outstanding — the same allocated amounts feed each invoice's paid figure. An invoice flips to paid the moment its allocations cover its total.

Over-allocation is impossible

The rules are enforced in the database itself, not just the screen: every allocation must be more than zero, no more than that invoice's outstanding, and the sum can never exceed the receipt. A try to over-allocate is refused at the write — so you can never pay a bill twice or allocate money you didn't receive, whether you do it in the app or over the API. All the arithmetic runs in whole paise, so nothing drifts by a rounding rupee.

Access & control

Owners and assistants record and allocate payments; an invited accountant sees the allocations read-only. Re-allocating a payment is just remove-and-add — one allocation row per invoice per payment.

Frequently asked questions

How do I apply one payment to several invoices?

On Add payment, pick the client and amount, then the bill-allocation panel lists their open invoices. Type how much of the receipt goes to each; a running allocated / on-account total keeps you honest. Each invoice flips to paid when its allocations cover its total.

What's the difference between New Ref and Against Ref?

Against Ref settles an invoice that already exists — the everyday case. New Ref earmarks part of the receipt against a specific invoice as a first-time reference (an advance tied to that bill). Both are bounded by the invoice's outstanding; the unallocated remainder simply stays on account.

Can I accidentally allocate more than the invoice or the receipt?

No. Each allocation must be more than zero and no more than that invoice's outstanding, and the sum can never exceed the receipt — enforced in the database itself, so an over-allocation is refused whether you do it in the app or over the API.

Does a bill-wise receipt get double-counted against receivables?

Never. An allocation is the detail of the same paid amount, not an extra payment, and each rupee is attributed to at most one invoice (or to on-account). The per-bill balances reconcile exactly with the receivables ageing on Outstanding.

Clients, projects and invoices

Add clients with GSTIN + state auto-fill. Send invoices — tax invoice, bill of supply, export invoice, receipt or credit note — start from an estimate, or split an invoice into a deposit + milestone schedule.

Estimates, deposits and payment schedules

Send an EST-numbered estimate with a hosted accept link — your client accepts with a typed name recorded with a timestamp — convert it to an invoice in one tap, and collect through a deposit or milestone schedule that chases itself.

Progress billing and invoice templates

Bill an estimate, sales order or retainer in tranches — by percentage or amount — with a running billed/remaining tally that can never over-bill the job to the paisa, and pick from three invoice PDF templates that each keep your show-on-PDF custom fields.