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Craftygal75
Level 2

Writing a check for a credit memo

Hello,

I'm having trouble recording transactions that I need for my business. I have set up customers (these are people that rent a booth in my store). I need to show the following transactions:

1. Booth rental that they owe me.

2. Payout to the customers for sales they made in the store.

 

I typically subtract their booth rent from the sales they made and then either pay them the difference or they owe me the difference if they didn't make sales to cover the booth rent. I don't have an issue when the customer owes me. I create an invoice and it's pretty straightforward.

 

My problem is when I owe the customer for sales after I've taken out their rent. I cannot find a way to show these transactions so that I can reconcile my bank account for the payment against the customer transaction. I tried using a credit memo, but then I can't match the bank payment to that credit memo to zero it out. I need to show that this payment transaction goes to my COGS account as it is money I have collected for the customer and am now just paying him out from those sales. 

 

I hope this isn't too complicated. It seems like I should be able to do something like this in QBO, but I've spent many days on this, trying different things and I can't get it to work out.

 

Thanks,

Rhonda

2 Comments 2
JoesemM
Moderator

Writing a check for a credit memo

It’s nice to see you in the Community, @Craftygal75.

 

I appreciate the detailed information about your concern. Based on the scenario, you’ll have to record a refund to your customer using Check and use the COGs account. This way, it will properly be recorded and reduce your bank's balance, and offsets/ paying the customer's prepayment. Let me show you how.

 

  1. Click the + New icon and select Expense or Check.
  2. Choose the customer you want to refund from the Payee drop-down list.
  3. From the Payment account drop-down arrow, select the bank account where you deposited the payment.
  4. On the first line of the Category column, select an Accounts Receivable.
  5. Enter how much you want to refund in the Amount field.
  6. Fill out the other fields as you see fit, then click Save and close.

 

Step 2: Link the refund to the customer's credit.

 

  1. Select the + New icon and click Receive Payment.
  2. Choose the same customer you used for the check or expense.
  3. Fill out the other fields as you see fit.
  4. Under the Outstanding Transaction section, select the checkbox for the Expense or Check you created.
  5. Make sure the payment is equal to the open balance, then click Save and close.

 

For detailed steps, click this article: Record a customer refund in QuickBooks Online.

 

Once done, you can now record a bank deposit, so you can match it in the bank register. For more information, check out these resources: 

 

 

When you're ready to assess your business financials, you may consider checking out this article: Reconcile an account in QuickBooks Online. This contains a video tutorial and tips on how to fix any issues during the reconciliation process.

 

In addition, you can run the Transactions List by Customer report in QuickBooks Online. This will show you the list of income and expense transactions grouped by customers. Just go to Reports and open the Transactions List by Customer report.

 

Please don't hesitate to tag my name in the comment section below if you need further assistance. I'd be happy to help you succeed. Take care and have a blessed day!

Craftygal75
Level 2

Writing a check for a credit memo

@JoesemM thanks for trying to help me! I think I need to start at the beginning. Not sure I'm using the accounts correctly.

 

1. The deposit from the store comes through in my checking account - where should I categorize this deposit? 

2. When adding the category to the first line of the check, you say to use an A/R account, but the A/R account doesn't show up as a choice that I can use. Is this because I'm not linking the deposit correctly in my checking account?

 

I actually have no idea if I have any of my accounts set up right! I'm so confused! 

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