Does clearing payment apply the payment or does the save and new?

I'll help with your question about applying payments, alshirtsnstuff-g.

In every transactions you're doing, new or editing existing ones , you need to click Save and new/Save and close to apply the changes. 

You can also check out these articles for more details and additional guidance:

• Record Invoice Payments in QuickBooks Online
• Enter Bills and Record Bill Payments in QuickBooks Online

Feel free to check this out as well to get some of the most commonly used guide articles: Getting Started With QuickBooks Online. 

I'll jump right back if you have any other questions. We're always here to help. 

Hi alshirtsnstuff-g,

Hope you’re doing great. I wanted to see how everything is going about applying payments to your transactions. Was it resolved? Do you need any additional help or clarification? If you do, just let me know. I’d be happy to help you at anytime.

Looking forward to your reply. Have a pleasant day ahead!