💡 Top tip: If you have generated a statement of account which you believe is incorrect, check the date range you have set for the statement before actioning any troubleshooting. Ensure it includes the earliest date possible and is up to today's date, to ensure you have a complete picture of the patient's balance.
Balance is negative/lower than expected
A negative balance (an amount below 0) means the patient has a credit on their account. If the balance is lower than expected, check for:
Overpayment
Patient may have paid more than they should have.
Check the 'Payments' tab - look for duplicates (eg. got charged twice) or unallocated payments (eg. paid more than invoiced, or paid for family member).
If there is an unintentional duplicate, refund it or convert it to a deposit.
If a payment was made for a family member but allocated to the wrong account, ensure the patients are linked as family members, then allocate it to the other patient's invoice.
Accidental negative payment
Verify whether a minus amount was entered by mistake, or whether a refund was erroneously processed twice.
If it's a duplicate, delete the payment (you may need to unallocate it first).
If the negative payment should have been positive, delete the payment, then take a new payment for the correct positive amount and allocate as needed.
Negative opening balance
If you've migrated from another system, the patient may have a negative opening balance carried over.
If you believe this is an error, follow the same steps as for overpayments and accidental negative payments above.
Errors in data migration
If you've migrated from another system, previous payments may have been recorded incorrectly, eg. recorded as patient correspondence rather than payments, creating an apparent debt.
Cross-check the patient's account against your historical records from the previous system.
If they don't match, adjust the balance manually.
If invoices are showing as unpaid, despite already being paid, record a new payment and allocate it.
Balance is positive/higher than expected
A positive balance (above 0) means the patient owes money.
Underpayment
If a patient was charged less than they should have been, at least one invoice will show as not fully allocated.
Check the 'Invoices' tab for invoices not fully paid off.
Contact the patient to take a new payment, then allocate it to the outstanding invoice.
Positive opening balance
If you've migrated from another system, the patient may have a positive opening balance carried over.
If the patient doesn't actually owe money, delete the payment to return their balance to 0.
If they do owe the practice money, convert it to a new invoice, so the amount can be assigned to the correct practitioner.
Errors in data migration
If payments have been recorded incorrectly during migration, follow the steps above.
Other possible discrepancies
Unallocated payments
The balance may be correct, but they might have invoices showing as unpaid in your records.
Check the 'Payments' tab for any payments not allocated to an invoice, or allocated to the wrong invoice. Unallocate and reallocate as needed.
Discounts
If a discount was applied when it shouldn't have been, the patient paid less than intended - their balance may be 0, but they still owe money.
If it was applied in the treatment plan, delete the invoice and payment. Reopen the treatment plan, remove the discount, and charge through again. Take a new payment, and then chase the patient for the outstanding amount, or write it off.
If it was applied in the invoice, manually edit the invoice to remove the discount. The balance should now reflect what they owe.
If a discount wasn't applied when it should have been, the patient was charged the full amount - their balance may be 0, but they overpaid.
Unallocate the payment, and delete the invoice.
Take the payment again and allocate it to the new invoice. Any remaining credit can be refunded or converted to a deposit.
💡 Top tip: If you've checked our troubleshooting tips and you're still unsure, reach out to support. Remember to follow our best practice to avoid balance discrepancies.