Take an advance payment on a proforma

Record what the client paid in «Advance payments», or let them pay the whole proforma online in the portal. It moves to the invoice when you convert.

People with the «Treasury» permission in edit mode. In view mode you see the card, but you can't add a payment.

Without the «Treasury» permission the card doesn't appear, even with «Sales». Assigning the order's payments when you create the proforma needs «Sales» in edit mode.

Collecting before the job is the usual reason for a proforma. Money the client pays against it is an advance payment: it waits on the proforma until you invoice, then moves to the invoice and reduces what's left to collect.

Landmark Venues has transferred the 50 % of the wedding. Let's record it on the proforma.

Record a payment the client made

Open the proforma On its page, go to the «Advance payments» card.
Click «Add payment» The «Register payment» window opens.
Enter the amount Type it in «Amount», or click «Pay full balance» to fill in what's left.
Fill in the details Choose the «Date», the «Account» where the money arrived and the «Payment method». «Description» is optional.
Save Click «Save».

The «Register payment» window for Proforma #PF260002, $6,741.00, from Landmark Venues LLC. «Amount» holds 2000, with «Pending balance: $6,741.00» and «Pay full balance» below it; «Date» is 10/21/2026, the «Contact» is Landmark Venues LLC, «Account» is «Main Account», «Payment method» is «Bank transfer» and «Description (optional)» reads «Proforma deposit». At the bottom, «Link existing payment», the «Deposit» switch, «Cancel» and «Save». — «Link existing payment», at the bottom left, picks a payment already in Treasury.

The payment is recorded in Treasury and assigned to the proforma. The card adds up «Total», «Total advances» and what's still pending, and the list shows a payment badge next to the proforma's status.

The «Advance payments» card on the proforma page after saving: a yellow badge next to the title, and the payment +$2,000.00, «Bank transfer», 10/21/2026 · Main Account. «Add payment» stays at the top right. — The payment now shows on the proforma.

If the payment is already recorded in Treasury, choose «Link existing payment» in the same window and pick it from the client's payments.

What happens next

When you convert the proforma into an invoice, its advance payments move to the invoice and stop counting as free money. See Convert a proforma to an invoice.
Security deposits don't move to the invoice; only payments do.
An advance payment doesn't create an invoice on its own.
Deleting the proforma doesn't delete its payments in Treasury, but they keep pointing to it. Reassign them first.

Other ways to take an advance

Assign the order's payments when you create the proforma

If the order already has payments that aren't on any document, tick them in «Assign payments» in the «Create proforma» window. They become the proforma's advance payments. If the assignment fails, the proforma is created without them and Filmo doesn't warn you, so check the «Advance payments» card.

Bring a quote's payments along

A proforma created from a quote shows the quote's payments as its own advance payments.

The same payment can show twice

Proformas copy a quote's payments without using them up. If you make several proformas from the same quote, they all show the same payment until an invoice takes it, so their totals aren't separate money. Invoice from only one of them.

Let the client pay in the portal

With the «Proformas» section and «Online payments» on in your , and your Stripe account accepting charges, the client sees a button to pay the proforma on its page in the portal.

They pay the whole total of the proforma, in one go. Part payments aren't offered.
It's offered on a «Pending» proforma that hasn't expired, or on a «Confirmed» one, as long as its total is above zero and no payment is recorded on it yet, not even a part payment.
Paying confirms a «Pending» proforma. There's no setting to change that.
Until Stripe confirms the charge, the portal shows the payment as processing. A bank transfer on its way doesn't count yet.
Once Stripe confirms it, Filmo records the payment in your Stripe treasury account, assigns it to the proforma and emails the client. It doesn't create an invoice.

What the client sees and needs: Approve and pay in the client portal.

If you see an error

What you see	What to do
No «Advance payments» card on the proforma	You don't have the «Treasury» permission. Ask for it, or record the payment from Treasury.
Amount must be greater than zero	Enter the amount the client paid.
Treasury account is required	Choose the «Account» where the money arrived.
No treasury accounts configured	Create a treasury account first, then record the payment.

If the client can't pay in the portal, see Why can't the client sign or pay the proforma?.

Frequently asked questions

Still stuck? Contact support