Wallet and retainer invoices

For billing staff, firm owners, and admins, a retainer invoice records a client deposit before the related work is billed in detail.

Employees with wallet or invoice access can also use this guide; see Permissions and Visibility if wallet or retainer controls are hidden.

What a retainer invoice is

On the invoice form, the retainer option uses this product copy:

• This is a retainer (deposit) invoice
• Retainer invoices have no tax. Funds are added to client wallet when paid.

When a successful non-wallet payment is recorded against a retainer invoice, Assisterp adds the same amount to the client’s wallet as a credit. That is why a paid retainer invoice can appear later as wallet activity.

The Wallet payment method is not available on retainer invoices. A retainer payment adds funds to the wallet, so paying that same retainer invoice from the wallet would move funds out of and back into the same wallet.

For the invoice creation and payment-record steps, see Invoices and payments.

Find wallet activity

Open Accounting > Wallet to see the firm-wide wallet list. The list shows wallet number, balance, client code, contact name, email, phone, and created date. Select a wallet to open its detail page.

The wallet detail page shows wallet number, available balance, active status, and a transaction list. Each transaction row includes transaction number, amount, the balance after that transaction, reference, transaction type, description, and created date. Open a row to see the audit detail — who created the transaction, when, and from which employee record. The same detail page renders inside a client record from the Wallet tab and inside Accounting > Wallet from the firm-wide list.

Add a wallet transaction

The wallet transaction form records the client when opened from the firm-wide wallet list, then records Transaction Type, amount, reference, and description.

The five transaction types change the wallet balance mechanically:

• Credit increases the wallet balance.
• Debit decreases the wallet balance. Assisterp blocks the entry if the wallet does not have enough balance.
• Refund increases the wallet balance.
• Adjustment Credit increases the wallet balance as an adjustment.
• Adjustment Debit decreases the wallet balance as an adjustment. Assisterp blocks the entry if the wallet does not have enough balance.

These labels describe how the balance changes.

Wallet entries cannot be edited or deleted

Wallet transactions are immutable once saved — there is no edit or delete control on a wallet row.

To reverse an entry, add a balancing transaction using the matching transaction type. For example, to undo an Adjustment Credit of $100, record an Adjustment Debit of $100 with a reference that points back to the original entry. This keeps the wallet’s running balance auditable.

When a wallet-funded invoice is deleted

Deleting an invoice that was paid from the wallet does not automatically refund the wallet. The original wallet Debit remains.

If you need to return funds to the client’s wallet after a paid invoice is deleted or replaced, add a Credit or Refund transaction for the amount manually. The same applies to retainer invoices: deleting a retainer invoice after the wallet credit has been recorded does not remove the credit.