Why does my Credit Memo payment also create a $0.00 payment?

I know why this happened, dcox1.

You'll see a zero amount on your credit memo because the invoice payment and the credit have the same amount. You can create a credit memo to credit a customer's balance. Here are a couple of ways you can use a credit memo for:

• Customer's payment is higher compared to was is owed on the invoice
• Customer returned a product
• Requests a credit for a service
• Rewarding a customer with store credits

You can refer to this article to learn more about credit memos.

Please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

I don't think this is what the poster is asking.  I have the same question.  When a credit memo is applied, it generates a completely new line on the customer transaction list, which is "payment" of $0.00.  It has nothing to do with the invoice, nothing to do with the credit memo or the application of the amount of the credit memo to the invoice.  It's is completely extraneous.  Why is it?  Can it be avoided and please get the engineers to get rid of it as it's obviously dragged on with this annoying element for years.

Hello, highwater999. 

Thank you for reaching out to the Community. The reason why it generates a new line on the customer transaction list, there is an open invoice on that said customer and where the credit memo is applied. 

We can mark check it to apply toward payment, and once done, the invoice will close, and the balance will zero out. 

To learn more about credit memo and how it works, you can refer to this article: Create and apply credit memos or delayed credits in QuickBooks Online. 

That's it! Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with. I'm just one post away. Stay safe, and happy holiday!

That does not answer the question.  

In Quickbooks Desktop for example, when you create and apply a credit memo it does not then create an additional $0 payment.  In QBO however, it does create a $0 payment in addition to the credit memo.  QBO creates the $0 payment when the credit memo is applied to the payment.  Why does QBO do this?  For me, this is a huge issue because I can no longer quickly eyeball if a client is properly paying their bills.  

I want to ensure you'll be able to quickly see payments made by your customer, @jlieberthal.

QuickBooks Online (QBO) creates a payment transaction to show a record that a credit memo was applied to an invoice as a payment. To quickly get data that shows whether an invoice was paid by your customer, you can simply filter the All Sales page or run the Invoice List report. Please refer to the outlined steps below:

See paid invoices on the All Sales page

1. In your QBO account, go to the Sales menu.
2. Then, select All Sales.
3. Next, click the Filter button.
4. From the Type field, choose Invoices.
5. Select Paid in the Status drop-down and set the correct date range.
6. You can also choose a specific customer.
7. When done, click Apply.

Run the Invoice List report

1. Navigate to the Reports menu.
2. Scroll down to the Who owes you section and click Invoice List.
3. Next, select the Customize button.
4. Set the correct date range in the Report period field.
5. Then, from the Rows/Columns section, check the box for A/R Paid.
6. Once finished, select Run report.

Also, in case you'll want to make your invoice forms more personalized to reflect your business identity, you can customize the templates you use.

If you have any other concerns viewing your customer payments in QBO, don't hesitate to post a reply below. I'm just around and willing to help you further. Keep safe always.