Recording Payments
Record patient payments with multiple methods including cash, card, and bank transfer
Overview
Recording payments in SehaFile tracks every financial transaction received from patients. The system supports multiple payment methods (cash, card, bank transfer, insurance), links payments to specific invoices, automatically updates invoice statuses, and adjusts patient outstanding balances in real-time.
Steps to Record a Payment
- Navigate to Payments: Go to Financial > Payments from the sidebar and click + Record Payment.
- Select the Patient: Search for the patient in the Patient field. Their current outstanding balance is displayed below.
- Link to Invoice (Optional): Select an Invoice from the dropdown to link this payment to a specific invoice. The dropdown shows only unpaid and partially paid invoices for this patient.
- Enter the Amount: Type the payment Amount in EGP. For partial payments, enter less than the invoice total.
- Choose Payment Method: Select from:
- Cash (نقدي) - Physical cash received at the counter
- Card (بطاقة) - Credit or debit card
- Bank Transfer (تحويل بنكي) - Wire transfer or online banking
- Insurance (تأمين) - Payment received from insurance company
- Select Payment Type: Categorize the payment:
- Invoice Payment (دفع فاتورة)
- Consultation Fee (كشف / استشارة)
- Follow-up (متابعة)
- Procedure Fee (رسوم إجراء)
- Lab Fee (رسوم تحاليل)
- Insurance Co-pay (حصة المريض - تأمين)
- Deposit (عربون / مقدم)
- Reference Number (Optional): For card and bank transfer payments, enter the transaction Reference Number for reconciliation.
- Branch: Select the branch where the payment is being collected.
- Notes: Add any relevant notes about this payment.
- Save: Click Record Payment. The system records the payment, updates the invoice status (partial or paid), and decreases the patient's outstanding balance.
Tip: When a payment fully covers an invoice (amount_paid >= total), the invoice status automatically changes to "paid". For partial payments, it changes to "partial".
Warning: You cannot record a payment against a voided invoice. If the invoice has been voided, you must create a new invoice first.
Payment recording form with patient selection, invoice linkage, amount, payment method dropdown, and reference number field
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I record a payment without linking it to an invoice?
Yes. The invoice_id field is optional. Unlinked payments still reduce the patient's outstanding balance and appear in revenue reports.
What happens with overpayments?
If the payment amount exceeds the invoice total, the invoice is marked as paid. The patient's balance cannot go below zero (the system uses GREATEST(balance - amount, 0)).
Can I delete or reverse a payment?
Payments cannot be deleted directly. To reverse a payment, record a refund payment with a negative amount or issue a credit note against the related invoice.
Who can record payments?
Users with the admin or financial role. The system logs the user ID of who recorded each payment in the received_by field for audit purposes.
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