How to Show Balance Due on QuickBooks Invoice

Showing your customer the exact amount they owe is a fundamental step in getting paid promptly. A clear, easy-to-understand invoice reduces confusion and follow-up questions, which helps you maintain healthy cash flow. This article will show you exactly how to display the "Balance Due," "Total Paid," and other key payment details on your invoices using both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop.

Why Clear Communication on Invoices Matters

An invoice isn't just a bill; it's a key communication tool. When a customer receives an invoice that only shows the original total, they might forget about a deposit or a partial payment they've already made. This can lead to confusion, payment delays, and extra administrative work for your team as you field their questions. Taking a few moments to customize your invoice template solves this problem permanently.

By clearly showing the total invoice amount, any payments or credits applied, and the final outstanding balance, you achieve several important goals:

• Speeds Up Payments: Customers are more likely to pay quickly when they have complete confidence in the amount shown. There's no reason to question or delay when all the information is laid out clearly.
• Reduces Customer Queries: You'll spend less time answering emails and phone calls about payment history, freeing up you or your team for more valuable work.
• Improves Professionalism: A detailed invoice reflects an organized and professional operation, building trust and strengthening client relationships.
• Simplifies Record-Keeping: For both you and your client, a comprehensive invoice serves as a clear historical record of the transaction.

Showing Balance Due in QuickBooks Online

In QuickBooks Online (QBO), your ability to show payment information is controlled by the invoice template you use. QBO includes a fantastic feature called the "Account Summary" that you can easily enable for this purpose. It automatically shows a history of recent transactions, including previous balances, new charges, and payments received.

Follow these steps to customize your form so it includes this information:

1. Access Your Custom Form Styles: Click the Gear icon in the top right corner of your QBO dashboard. Under the "Your Company" column, select Custom form styles.
2. Edit Your Standard Template: You'll see a list of your templates. Most businesses have a "Standard" template. Find the template you use for your invoices and click Edit in the "Action" column at the far right. If you want to create a brand new template, you can select the New style dropdown button instead.
3. Go to the Content Tab: Once inside the template editor, you'll see three tabs: Design, Content, and Emails. Click on the Content tab.
4. Activate the Account Summary: The "Content" screen shows a preview of your invoice, broken into three sections (header, table, footer). Click directly on the bottom section of the preview—the area where your subtotals and totals appear. A set of options will appear on the right. Look for a line that says "Show on invoice" next to the Account summary checkbox. Check this box.

Once you check this box, your invoice will automatically include a tidy summary that breaks down:

• Balance Forward: The customer's total outstanding balance before the current invoice. This is incredibly helpful for clients with multiple open bills.
• Payments and Credits: Any payments or credit memos applied since the last invoice.
• New Charges: The total amount of the current invoice.
• Total Amount Due: The final, complete balance the customer needs to pay.

When you're finished, click Done. Now, every invoice you create using this template will automatically include a detailed account summary, always showing the precise balance due.

Handling Partial Payments in QuickBooks Online

Once your template is set up, QBO handles the rest automatically. When you record a payment against an invoice—even a partial one—the invoice status updates to "Partially Paid," and the internal record accurately reflects the remaining balance. To apply a payment:

1. Navigate to Sales in the left-hand menu and go to the Invoices tab.
2. Find the invoice you want to apply a payment to and click Receive payment in the "Action" column.
3. In the "Receive Payment" screen, enter the amount the customer paid in the Amount received field. This can be the full amount or a partial payment.
4. Specify the payment date, payment method, and the deposit account. Click Save and close.

After you record a partial payment, the next time you view or send that invoice, the updated Balance Due will appear correctly, reflecting the payment you just entered. The Account Summary on the invoice PDF will clearly list the payment, leaving no doubt about how the balance was calculated.

Using Statements for a Clearer A/R Picture

If you have clients with multiple invoices each month, resending individual invoices can be inefficient. A better approach is to send a Statement. A statement provides a consolidated view of a customer's account activity over a period, making open balances impossible to miss.

QuickBooks Online offers three types of statements:

• Balance Forward: These statements show a customer's balance at the start of a period, then list all new charges, payments, and credits, ending with a final balance due. It's ideal for customers you transact with frequently.
• Open Item: This is the most common type. It lists only the transactions with an outstanding balance as of the statement date. It's perfect for gentle payment reminders because it focuses only on what's still owed.
• Transaction Statement: This lists every single transaction—both paid and unpaid—that occurred within a specified date range.

To create a statement in QBO:

1. Go to Get Paid & Pay and select Customers.
2. Check the box next to the customer (or multiple customers) you want to send a statement to.
3. From the Batch actions dropdown menu at the top of the list, choose Create statements.
4. On the next screen, select the statement type, set the start and end dates, and click Apply.
5. You can now review the statements and choose to print them, or save and send them via email.

Showing Balance Due in QuickBooks Desktop

Many firms still depend on the power of QuickBooks Desktop (QBD), and it also offers robust template customization tools. The process is a bit different from QBO, but the outcome is the same: a clear invoice that shows the remaining balance.

Here's how to edit your Desktop template:

1. Open the Templates List: From the main menu bar at the top, navigate to Lists and then select Templates.
2. Select Your Invoice Template: You'll see a list of all your form templates. Find the template you use for invoices and right-click on it to choose Edit Template.
3. Access Additional Customization Options: In the Basic Customization window that appears, click the Additional Customization... button at the bottom.
4. Add Footer Items: This opens a more detailed customization screen with several tabs. Click on the Footer tab.
5. Select Your Fields: You will see a list of fields you can add to the footer of your invoice. Check the boxes for the items you want to see, such as:
   • Total Paid
   • Credit Total
   • Payments/Credits
   • Balance Due

Be sure to check the box in both the Screen and Print columns for each field. This ensures the balance due appears both when you view the invoice on your computer and when you print it or create a PDF. When you're done, click OK twice to save all your changes and exit.

Just like in QBO, once you receive a full or partial payment through the Customers > Receive Payments window, QuickBooks Desktop automatically calculates the remaining balance. The next time you create, print, or email that invoice, the custom footer you designed will provide an accurate and complete up-to-date Balance Due.

Final Thoughts

Adding a "Balance Due" field to your QuickBooks invoices is one of the quickest and highest-return adjustments you can make to your accounts receivable process. By making your invoices perfectly clear, you empower clients to pay correctly and promptly, improve your cash flow, and present a professional image. Take a few minutes to customize your templates today; it's a small change with a big payoff.

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