Tracking Payments

system · March 3, 2026, 3:47am

Keeping track of payments is essential for healthy cash flow. The Exoserva Payments page gives you a centralized view of all transactions, outstanding balances, and payment methods. This guide shows you how to monitor payments, filter by status, handle refunds, export transaction data, and understand your revenue at a glance.

Estimated time: 8 minutes

Before You Begin

An active Exoserva account with Owner or Manager role
At least one invoice created (see “Creating and Sending Invoices” guide)
Recommended: Stripe integration for online payment processing (see “Connecting Stripe Payments” guide)

Step 1: Navigate to the Payments Page

Click “Payments” in the left sidebar under the Financials section. The Payments page opens with a row of summary stat cards at the top and a sortable data table below. The stat cards provide an at-a-glance overview of your payment health, each displayed as a gradient-bordered card with an icon, label, primary value, and optional trend indicator. Card colors indicate meaning: green for completed/collected amounts (with a check-circle icon), yellow for pending amounts (clock icon), orange for failed transactions (alert-triangle icon), and purple for collection rate (displayed as a circular progress ring showing the percentage). Each stat card with a trend arrow shows how the current period compares to the previous equivalent period (up arrow in green means improvement, down arrow in red means decline).

Tip: Click any stat card that has a clickable state (you will see a cursor-pointer and subtle hover animation) to filter the table to that specific status. This is the fastest way to jump to exactly the payments you need to review.

Warning: If the stat cards show pulsing skeleton animations instead of data, the page is still loading from the API. Wait a moment for the data to populate before drawing conclusions about your payment status.

Step 2: View Payment Details

The data table displays all payment transactions in sortable columns: date, customer name, invoice number, amount, payment method, and status. Click any column header to sort ascending; click again for descending. The most recent payments appear at the top by default.

Click any payment row to open the detail modal. This shows the full transaction record including the linked invoice number (clickable link to jump to the invoice detail page), payment method used (card type and last four digits for Stripe payments, or method label for manual entries), exact timestamp, and any notes added during collection. Refund history is also displayed here if applicable, showing each refund amount, date, and reason as a nested list.

Tip: The invoice link in the payment detail modal is bidirectional – clicking it takes you to the invoice detail page, and from there you can navigate back to the payment. This makes cross-referencing between invoices and payments fast without navigating through separate sections.

Step 3: Filter Payments by Status and Date

Above the data table, the filter bar provides several controls. Status filter buttons let you narrow the list by payment state: All, Completed, Pending, Failed, and Refunded. The active filter button is highlighted with a distinct style. Combine the status filter with the date range selector to view payments for a specific period. Date range options include today, this week, this month, last month, this quarter, or a custom range with start and end date pickers.

Additional filters may include payment method (card, cash, check, bank transfer) and customer or account selectors. The active filter count is displayed as a badge so you can see at a glance how many filters are applied.

Tip: Use the “Failed” filter regularly – at least once per day – to catch declined credit cards or ACH failures. Following up on failed payments within 24 hours significantly improves recovery rates compared to waiting for automated retries, which may also fail if the underlying card issue is not resolved.

Warning: Combining multiple filters can sometimes result in zero results if the criteria are too narrow. If the table appears empty after filtering, check the active filter count badge and remove one filter at a time to broaden the results.

Step 4: Record Cash and Check Payments

For payments received outside of Stripe (cash payments at the door, mailed checks, bank transfers), open the associated invoice from the Invoices page and click the “Record Payment” button. A modal dialog opens with the following fields: Payment Method (dropdown with options: Cash, Check, Bank Transfer, or Other), Amount (currency input pre-filled with the outstanding balance), and an optional Reference Number field (text input for check numbers, wire transfer IDs, or other tracking identifiers). Click “Save” to record the payment. The invoice balance updates immediately and the payment appears in the Payments table with the selected method and reference.

Tip: When recording check payments, always enter the check number in the Reference Number field. This creates an audit trail that simplifies bank reconciliation at month-end and helps resolve any payment disputes. For cash payments, note the technician who collected the payment in the reference field.

Warning: Manually recorded payments are not processed through Stripe and cannot be refunded through the Exoserva refund flow. You must handle cash and check refunds outside the system and record them manually.

Step 5: Handle Refunds

To issue a refund, click a completed payment row in the data table to open the detail modal, then click the “Refund” button. For Stripe payments, a refund dialog appears where you can choose Full Refund (refunds the entire payment amount) or Partial Refund (enter a specific amount less than the total). Add a Reason for the refund in the text field for your records. Click “Confirm Refund” to process. The refund is submitted directly through Stripe and the customer is credited automatically to their original payment method. The payment status changes from “Completed” to “Refunded” (or “Partially Refunded” for partial refunds).

For cash or check payments, record the refund manually by updating the payment notes and adjusting the associated invoice balance.

Tip: For partial refunds, document exactly what portion of the work is being refunded and why. This protects your business if the customer disputes the remaining balance later. Clear refund documentation also helps your bookkeeper reconcile accounts accurately.

Warning: Refunds processed through Stripe are permanent and cannot be reversed once confirmed. Always verify the refund amount and confirm with the customer before clicking “Confirm Refund.” Note that Stripe processing fees from the original transaction are not returned by Stripe – you absorb that cost on refunded transactions.

Step 6: Review the Revenue Summary

At the top of the Payments page, the stat cards collectively serve as your revenue summary dashboard. Key metrics include: Total Collected (green card with check-circle icon, showing the sum of all completed payments for the selected period), Pending (yellow card with clock icon, showing amounts awaiting processing or customer action), Failed (orange card with alert-triangle icon, showing declined or failed transaction totals with an urgent pulse if the count is high), and Collection Rate (purple card with a circular progress ring showing the percentage of invoiced amounts successfully collected).

Each card includes a trend indicator comparing the current period to the previous equivalent period. A growing gap between invoiced amounts and collected amounts (visible when Collection Rate trends downward) signals that accounts receivable aging is increasing.

Tip: Review the Revenue Summary stat cards at the start of each week to identify cash flow trends. If the Collection Rate is declining, check the “Pending” and “Failed” cards for actionable items. A Collection Rate below 85% typically indicates that overdue follow-ups are needed or that your payment terms may need adjustment.

Warning: The trend indicators compare equivalent periods (this week vs. last week, this month vs. last month). A downward trend in a slow season may be normal and not a cause for alarm – consider seasonality before making business decisions based solely on trend arrows.

Step 7: Export Transaction Data

In the toolbar above the data table, click the “Export” dropdown button to download payment records. Available export formats include CSV (for spreadsheet import), Excel (formatted .xlsx file), and JSON (for developer integrations). The export respects your current filters – if you have filtered by status or date range, only the filtered results are exported. To export everything, clear all filters first.

The exported file includes all visible columns plus additional fields like Stripe transaction IDs, invoice references, payment method details, and refund information for comprehensive accounting import. A Print button is also available in the toolbar for generating a formatted printable version of the current view.

Tip: Schedule a monthly export routine to feed your accounting software or share with your bookkeeper. The CSV format is compatible with QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, and most accounting platforms for straightforward reconciliation. Export at the same time each month for consistent reporting periods.

Warning: Exported files may contain sensitive financial data including transaction IDs and customer payment details. Handle exported files according to your data security policies and do not share them over unsecured channels.

What’s Next?

Now that you’ve completed this guide, check out:

Need help? Post in the Tech Support category or contact support@exoserva.com.