This is a Level 4 and higher feature.

In the lower part of the Main Invoice Screen you'll find the "Net Days" field.  This is where you enter the "Terms" of the invoice, the number of days from the date of invoice that you allow the customer before payment is due.  Normally, customers are given a grace period in which they can pay their bill.  Commonly this is 30 days, but it might be 60, 90 or 120-days depending upon the customer.  Or you may have other types of terms.  The following describes how you can set up your own terms.

Setting Up Your Own Invoice Terms

To design your own terms, select MAIN TASKS >> VIEW/MODIFY CODE LISTS >> INVOICE TERMS. A spreadsheet appears which allows you to add or modify codes for invoice terms, below:

All codes must be negative numbers starting with -10.  For example, you might set up the following terms for -30 (minus thirty).

TERMS: 2% - 10 NET 30

That means if the customer pays within 10 days, they can take an early payment discount of 2%. Otherwise, they have 30 days to pay the full amount of the invoice.  Note: the negative code number that you select should correspond to the net days (more information on this below).

If desired, you may also include the following 'Early Payment' message on the invoice:

You may deduct an additional xx% ($ xxx.xx) for a total of  xxx.xx if your payment is RECEIVED BY xx/xx/xx

To include the Early Payment message, check "Include Message."  Indicate the early discount (xx%) as a fraction: 5%=.05000.

Finally indicate how many days after the invoice date you wish to establish the "Received By" date (xx/xx/xx).  For example, let's say you enter "15" in the "Number of Days" column.  That means to get the early payment discount, the customer has 15 days from the invoice date before the payment is due in your office.  If the invoice date is Jan 1, the payment would need to be received by Jan 16.

Calculation Method: Normally the discount is calculated on the Total Due (including shipping and taxes).  However, you may also calculate it on the subtotal before shipping and taxes by placing a checkmark on "SubTotal."

The Code Number Should Correspond to Net Days

If you plan to use the billing statements part of the program, the code number that you use is important. Remember, it must be a negative number, but it also must correspond to the number of days the customer has to pay the full amount.  In other words, it corresponds to the net days.  If the customer has 30 days to pay the full amount then you should use -30.  If the customer has 60 days to pay the full amount, then use -60.  If the customer has 90 day, then use -90.  Because there are only three places available in this field, use -96 through -99 for customers that have 120 days to pay the full amount.

If for some reason, you have more than one code in which the customer has 30 day to pay the full amount, you can use -30 through -39.  If you have more than one terms code in which the customer has 60 days to pay the full amount, you can use -60 through -69.  If you have more than one terms code in which the customer has 90 days to pay the full amount, you can use -90 through -95.  As mentioned above you can use -96 through -99 if the customer has 120 days to pay the full amount.

Exception to the Net Days Rule: You also may be creating terms that do not involve a number of days for full payment.  For example, you may create the following terms:  "Payment Due to the Shipper."  For these cases, use a negative number between -10 and -29.

AnyOrder's Built-in Terms

Terms are indicated in the "Net Days" blank on the Main Invoice Screen.

Before discussing codes, let's review how the "Net Days" field works.  Normally, you type in a 30, 60, 90 or 120.  This indicates the number of days from the date of invoice that you allow the customer before payment is due.

When the invoice is printed, the grace period will be stated like this: "TERMS: NET 30 DAYS."  In other words you are saying to the customer that you have terms for providing them credit to buy products from you.  Those terms are that you expect them to pay the net amount ("net amount" means no further discounts) of the invoice in 30 days.  This is the most common way of dealing with dating periods.

To use AnyOrder's internal billing engine, you'll want to keep your terms to 30, 60, 90 or 120.  In other words, do not use such numbers as 45, 70, 115, or other odd intervals.  If you don't plan to use AnyOrder's internal billing engine, then you can use whatever intervals you desire.

Additionally, AnyOrder has several other built in terms.  These are useful for situations when you may not want terms printed on the bottom of the invoice.  Or you may wish to indicate that payment is due immediately, not in 30 days. These and other alternative terms messages can be trigged by using one-digit negative numbers:

•        1 Nothing.  By typing in a -1 in the Net Days blank, you are telling the AnyOrder that you don't want the terms line to print.  If desired, you can explain your terms by your own note at the bottom of the printed invoice.  See Invoice Message more information on preparing a note for the printed invoice. Note that -1 takes precedent over all messages including notations which say "Credit" or "Paid - Thank You!"  It's usually best to use -1 only on invoices in which the customer owes you.

•        2 "Terms: Payment Due Upon Delivery." By typing in a -2 in the Net Days blank, the terms line at the bottom of the printed invoice will say: "Terms: Payment Due Upon Delivery."

•        3 "Terms: Payment Due Upon Receipt of Invoice." By typing in a -3 in the Net Days blank, the terms line at the bottom of the printed invoice will say: "Terms: Payment Due Upon Receipt of Invoice."

•        4 "Payment Due." By typing in a -4 in the Net Days blank, the terms line at the bottom of the printed invoice will say simply: "Payment Due"

Using Your Own Terms Codes

As described above, you don't need to set-up any specific codes for 30, 60, 90 or 120 dating.  You just type in the number.  However, if you've set up codes for terms such as 2% 10 Days, Net 30, then you need to enter the code in the Net Days field.  The code is two-digit negative number.

To access your codes,  place your cursor in the Net Days blank. Then double-click or pressing CTRL+L.  A dialog box will appear (below):

A list of terms that you've created will be listed on the lower part of the dialog box.  Select the one you want and the code will entered in the blank.  When printed, the appropriate terms will appear on the invoice.

Early Payment Message

When you set-up the terms code, you can also indicate whether you want to include an early payment message on the printed invoice.  Here's an example:

"You may deduct an additional 2% (4.55) for a total of 222.85 if your payment is RECEIVED by 10/11/2005."

You can view the early payment message by clicking the "View Sample Terms Message."  The message that appears will be based on the totals currently showing on the invoice.

AnyOrder does not generate the final terms message until you print the invoice.  That's the reason for the "xx" nomenclature in the Notes area.  The "xx's" are not filled in with real numbers until printing occurs.  This system allows you to make adjustments to the invoice without locking in the terms message.

Removing the Terms Message

In some situations, particularly when you are creating packing slips for drop shipments, you may not want the final customer to see the terms message (i.e. "30 days Net from Invoice Date.).  You can do so by checking the appropriate box in More Options accessed from the Print Invoices dialog box.  Note that this feature is also available on a customer to customer basis.  You can remove the terms message for selected customers by checking the appropriate box in the Customer Database (MAIN TASKS >> CUSTOMER ADDRESSES & NUMBERS).