Overview
A partial payment is any charge that doesn’t settle the full bill. DishInk supports two shapes of partial payment:- Deposits / part payments — customer pays part now, rest later. Session stays Billing with a live balance.
- Overpayment → Tip — customer hands you K200 for a K180 bill. DishInk asks: Give Change or convert the K20 to a tip?
Deposits & Part Payments
When you charge less than the bill total, DishInk records the payment against the session and shows the Remaining Balance on the Bill View. The session stays Billing — items can still be added, and the remainder can be charged later using any payment method.Step by Step
1
Open the bill
Pick the session in Active Tables. Note the Grand Total.
2
Charge a part
Tap Charge. Pick the payment method (Cash / Mobile Money / Card). Type an amount less than the total. Confirm.
3
Receipt prints
A part-payment receipt prints showing:
- Amount paid
- Payment method
- Balance Due: K…
4
Return later
Reopen the session — the Bill View now shows a running Payments list and the outstanding balance.
5
Charge the balance
Tap Charge again. The Charge Modal pre-fills with the remaining amount.
Each part-payment is submitted to ZRA as a separate Smart Invoice line entry, linked to the session ID. The final invoice consolidates all parts. See ZRA Integration.
Overpayment → Tip
When the tendered amount is more than the bill:- DishInk shows the overage in green: “Overpayment: K20.00”
- Two buttons appear: Give Change and Tip · K20
- Cashier picks one:
- Give Change — the till drawer suggestion prints on the receipt, session closes as normal.
- Tip — the K20 is booked to the waiter’s tips ledger and shown on the receipt as Tip: K20.00.
Explicit Tip (before overpayment)
You can also add a tip before charging. Below the Amount field is a Tip collapsible section with:- % chips: 5% · 10% · 15% · 20%
- Fixed chips: K10 · K20 · K30 · K50
- Custom field
Tips can be pooled or waiter-attributed depending on your settings. See Tips.
Split-Payment Method (Split Bill on the Charge Modal)
For customers who want to split payment methods (K100 cash + K80 card) without splitting the bill by guest, use Split Bill inside the Charge Modal (only available if enabled by the manager). Enter each method’s amount; the modal keeps a running balance until zero. For splitting the bill between guests, use the Split Bills flow instead.Cancelling a Partial
You can’t reverse a part-payment mid-session with a normal void — it’s already been printed and (if online) submitted to ZRA. To reverse:- Same day, online — issue a Refund for the paid part using ZRA credit-note code 01 – Reversal. See Refunds.
- Offline / next day — flag the session for manager review. The Batch Invoice Cash Out shows the discrepancy under Manager Overrides.
Charge Modal with an overpayment showing Give Change vs Tip.
Tips & Best Practices
- Print the part-payment receipt and hand it to the customer — it’s their proof of deposit.
- For deposits on future bookings, open a Quick Sale ticket named “Deposit — Booking #123” and charge as a normal sale. Redeem it later as a manual discount on the actual bill.
- When a customer overpays with cash, always read out both options: “Would you like change, or shall I add it to the tip?” — cultural norms differ, don’t assume.
Common Mistakes
- Typing the full total by mistake — the Charge Modal treats it as a full payment and closes the session. Use the Amount field carefully; the on-screen NumPad shows the current amount clearly.
- Forgetting the balance is due — trained staff should always check the Bill View for a Balance Due flag before letting the customer leave.
- Refunding a part-payment when you actually needed a Void — voids are for same-day mistakes; refunds are for customer-driven reversals. See the difference: Voids vs Refunds.