Luminous gives you a complete Accounts Receivable (AR) management workflow — view what's owed by client or channel, record incoming payments, and apply them to open invoices individually, in bulk by invoice ID, or automatically starting with the oldest first.

Overview

The AR management tools in Luminous let you track invoice aging across your customer base and apply incoming payments to outstanding invoices without leaving the platform. Payments can be applied via auto-apply (oldest invoices first), bulk invoice ID paste, or manual per-invoice entry. This is the primary workflow for teams managing B2B billing and collections directly in Luminous.

How It Works

Step 1: Review Invoice Aging

  1. Navigate to the AR / Invoice Aging view in Luminous by going to Sales > Accounts Receivable > Invoice Aging
  2. Break down outstanding invoices by client or channel.
  3. Toggle between invoice count and invoice amount views to get the perspective you need.
  4. Use this view to identify which clients have the most overdue balances before processing payments.

Step 2: Record a New Manual Payment

Use this step when a client payment arrives (check, wire, ACH, etc.) and needs to be logged in Luminous.

  1. Under Sales > Accounts Receivable > Client Payments, Click New Payment.
  2. Select the client the payment is from. If the client is not yet confirmed, you can leave the client field blank.
  3. Enter the payment amount (e.g., $500).
  4. Click Create Payment to save the payment.

The payment record will now show:

  • Client: the selected client (or blank if none was selected)
  • Amount: the entered amount
  • Status: Unapplied
  • Source: Manual

The payment is held in an Unapplied state until you explicitly apply it to one or more invoices. No invoice balances change until application is confirmed.

Step 3: Apply the Payment to Invoices

Once a payment is recorded, navigate into Apply Payments under Accounts Receivable. You will see a list of all open invoices. From here, choose one of three application methods:

Option A: Auto-Apply (Oldest First)
  1. Open the payment you would like to work with. Click Auto-allocate oldest-first to automatically distribute the payment starting with the client's oldest outstanding invoices. This will show a preview of which invoices will get paid.
  2. Click Apply to complete the payment.

Use this when a client sends a lump-sum payment without specifying which invoices it covers.

Option B: Paste Invoice IDs (Bulk Selection)
  1. Copy the invoice IDs you want to pay off (e.g., from a remittance advice or client communication).
  2. Paste all invoice IDs into the invoice ID field on the Apply Payments page that says "Paste invoice #s from remittance.." and select Match.
  3. Luminous will match and apply the payment to those specific invoices.

Use this when a client provides a remittance list specifying exactly which invoices their payment covers.

Option C: Manual Per-Invoice Entry
  1. In the Apply Payments page, view the full list of open invoices for that client.
  2. Select which payment awaiting application you would like to apply, then select the check box of the invoice you would like to pay off.
  3. Select "Apply" to apply that payment.
  4. Work through each invoice and click to apply each allocation.

Use this when applying a partial payment to specific invoices or when splitting a payment across invoices at non-standard amounts.

Key Features / Options

FeatureDescription
Invoice Aging ViewBreaks down outstanding invoices by client or channel; toggle between count and amount views
Manual Payment EntryRecord a payment received outside the platform; supports Unspecified client
Unapplied Payment StateNewly created payments are held as Unapplied — no invoice balances change until application is confirmed
Auto-Apply PreviewPreview which invoices will be paid and how much will remain unapplied before committing
Auto-Apply (Oldest First)Automatically distributes payment starting from the oldest open invoice forward
Paste Invoice IDsBulk-apply a payment to specific invoices by pasting their IDs directly
Manual Per-Invoice EntryManually enter the exact amount to apply to each individual invoice

Tips and Best Practices

  • Always use Preview before auto-applying. The preview shows exactly how many invoices will be settled and whether any balance remains unapplied. This takes seconds and prevents applying a payment in a way the client didn't intend.
  • Use Unspecified client for unattributed receipts. If a payment arrives and you can't immediately confirm which client sent it, save it as Unspecified and update it once confirmed — this keeps your records clean without blocking other work.
  • Use paste invoice IDs when clients send remittances. If your client emails a list of invoice numbers their payment covers, the bulk paste option is the fastest way to apply accurately without manually hunting each one.
  • Use manual entry for partial or split payments. When a client pays a non-round amount or specifies a different amount per invoice, manual entry gives you full control over allocation.
  • Break down by channel for multi-channel businesses. Viewing aging by channel instead of client helps isolate collection issues to a specific sales line rather than mixing them across your entire AR.