How to Track Customer Billing History | Love Invoicing
How to Track Customer Billing History: Invoices, Payments and Balances
To track a customer’s billing history, keep their invoices, recorded payments and credits together, then use a customer statement to see what they’ve paid and what they still owe. If you need to check when a particular payment came in, open the payment history on that invoice.
Say you’ve done a boiler service and a repair for the same landlord. A bank transfer comes in, and a week later the landlord asks, “Have I paid for both jobs?” You need to see which invoice the payment went against and what’s left to pay. A folder of invoice PDFs only tells you what you billed.
What should a customer’s billing history show?
A useful billing history lets you answer four questions without opening every invoice:
- What did I charge? See the invoices issued to that customer and their original amounts.
- What has the customer paid? Check the amounts recorded against each invoice.
- Have I applied any credits? Keep track of credits that reduce the amount due.
- What’s still outstanding? See the balance on each invoice and across the customer’s account.
The key is to record money against the invoice it settles. If a customer pays by bank transfer, cash or card outside your invoicing app, record the payment once you’ve confirmed it. If they pay part of an invoice, record the amount that arrived and leave the remaining balance open.
How to check which invoices have been paid
Start with the Invoices screen when you want to check payments across the business. Look for invoices marked Paid, Partially Paid or Overdue. If you’re answering a question about one customer with several invoices, open their statement for the account-level view.
A worked example for a plumbing business
You’ve invoiced a landlord £120 for a boiler service and £480 for a repair. They paid the service invoice in full, then transferred £200 towards the repair.
- Boiler service: £120 invoiced, £120 paid, £0 left.
- Repair: £480 invoiced, £200 paid, £280 left.
- Across both jobs: £600 invoiced, £320 paid, £280 outstanding, assuming there are no credits or other invoices.
If the landlord asks what they still owe, send the statement showing both invoices and the £280 balance. If they ask whether you received the £200 transfer, open the repair invoice and check the payment entry there. For a walkthrough of that step, see how to record partial invoice payments.
How to view a customer’s billing history in Love Invoicing
- Open Customers and find the customer.
- Open the three-dot menu and select View Statement.
- Review the individual invoices, then check Total Invoiced, Total Paid and Net Balance Due in the summary. Check any credits shown if the balance is different from what you expected.
- Tap View PDF to preview the statement or Send Statement to share it with the customer.
Before sending it, check that any recent payments you’ve received have been recorded. A statement reflects what’s in your records when you view it. If yesterday’s bank transfer hasn’t been recorded, the balance can still show the amount as due.
When should you send a customer statement?
Send a statement when a customer asks for an account summary, pays several invoices in one transfer, or needs to see what’s outstanding across multiple jobs. It’s useful for repeat customers such as landlords, letting agents and businesses that book regular maintenance.
If you’re chasing a single overdue invoice, a reminder for that invoice may be enough. If several invoices are open, the statement gives the customer one place to check the figures. For a view across all your customers, see how to track paid, part-paid and overdue invoices.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a customer statement and invoice payment history?
A customer statement summarises invoices, payments, credits and balances across a customer’s account. Invoice payment history shows the payments recorded against a specific invoice. Use the statement to answer “What do I still owe you?” and the invoice history to check “Which invoice did my last transfer go against?”
How do I track a customer who pays in instalments?
Record each payment against the relevant invoice as it arrives. For example, if a customer pays £300 towards a £900 invoice, record the £300 and check that the remaining balance shows £600. When the next payment arrives, record it against the same invoice so you can see the sequence of payments later.
Can I see what one customer owes without opening every invoice?
Yes. In Love Invoicing, open Customers → View Statement and check Net Balance Due. The statement also shows the invoices behind that figure, so you can explain the balance if the customer asks.
Try it with one customer
Pick a customer with two invoices or a part payment. In Love Invoicing, open their statement and check whether you can answer three questions straight away: What did I invoice? What have they paid? What’s left to collect?