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Move Client Money Between Retainers, Proposals, and Invoices

Learn how to Move Client Money in Cash Receipts to transfer funds you've already received from one Retainer, Proposal, or Invoice to another, all in a single window.

Written by Jeremy Powers

Common reasons to move client money include:

  • Moving a deposit from one Proposal to another Proposal

  • Moving a Proposal deposit to an Invoice (this reason is only recommended when payment was applied to a Proposal after an Invoice was created)

  • Using a Retainer to pay the deposit on a Proposal or to pay an Invoice

  • Applying a credit Invoice (client credit or refund) to pay another Invoice

Before you start, it's important to know that Moving money doesn't change your cash balance. You aren't receiving or refunding any money; you're only reallocating funds that are already recorded.

Applying a Retainer within a project? You can also apply a Retainer to a Proposal or Invoice directly from the project. Learn more about applying a Retainer to a Proposal or an Invoice in a Project.

How to Move Client Money

1. Go to Accounting > Cash Receipts in the navigation.

2. Click + Add in the top-right corner and select Move Client Money. The Move Money window opens.

3. Under 'What are you moving money from?', choose Project or Client in the first dropdown, then select the project or client that holds the funds.

4. Under 'Where are you moving it?', in 'Move From', select the Retainer, Proposal, or Invoice you want to take the funds from. In 'Apply To', select the Proposal or Invoice that should receive the funds.

5. In Amount to Move, enter the amount to transfer as a positive number. To pay a Proposal or Invoice in full, enter its full balance due.

6. Review the Payment Details:

  • Date defaults to today. Change it if the transfer belongs in a different date

  • Payment Type defaults to CASH. Any payment type works, but Cash is recommended because it keeps internal transfers easy to find in reports

  • Check/Ref No. is optional. Use it to note the source, such as "From Retainer" or "From Inv 10135"

  • Deposit Slip No. defaults to CASH

7. Click Save to save the transfer as a draft to be posted later, or Save & Post to save and post it to the fiscal month in one step.

Check the new balance

Reprint the document that received the funds with Deposits/Payments shown. The transfer appears as a payment, and the balance due reflects the funds you moved.

You can also see this transfer under the Existing tab of Cash Receipts.

Frequently asked questions

Why are Save and Save & Post grayed out?
Both buttons stay disabled until you've selected a project, a Move From document, an Apply To document, and an Amount to Move greater than $0.00.

Does moving money affect my bank deposits?
No. The transfer nets to $0.00, so no funds move into or out of your bank account.

Can I still move money the old way?
Yes, you can still tag documents on the New tab and enter offsetting "This Payment" amounts, but Move Client Money is faster and avoids entry errors.

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