Credit on Account
Money the association holds for a member: where it comes from, who can see it, and how it is used, refunded or given as a donation.
Credit on account is money your association holds for a member: they paid more than they owed and chose to keep the extra. It is a record of money the association owes the member, so it is not income. It is kept as a dated list of entries that is never edited or deleted. A mistake is put right with a new entry that points at the one it undoes.
Where credit comes from
- Receive Payment, when you choose credit for the extra on a payment (see When a Member Pays More Than a Charge Asks).
- An import of opening balances, when you choose opening credit for members who had paid more than they owed.
- An online payment that lands after the charge was already settled. The money was taken and the member did not choose to give it, so it is kept for them.
It is never used automatically
A member may not want to spend their credit, so it is not applied to new charges, now or later. It accumulates until it is used, and that is always a manual action: by the member in their portal, or by an administrator on their behalf, usually because the member asked. This rule has no exceptions.
The Credit on Account page
Under Finance, Credit on account. It has two lists. Members holding credit shows each member with credit held, how much of it is set aside (waiting for a decision) and the date of the last movement. Refunds and donations shows requests and their outcome. A badge on the menu shows how many are waiting for a decision.
Using credit for a member
Choose Use credit on the member's row
You need the same permission as Receive Payment (permission to verify payments).
Say how much and for what
Enter the amount (up to what is available), then settle the oldest charges first or tick only the charges you want. The amount cannot be more than the member holds, nor more than the chosen charges owe.
Confirm
It is recorded as a payment made from the credit account, so the charges, statements and reports treat it like any other payment. The member is emailed to say their credit was used.
How it shows in statements and reports
- The member statement has a Credit on account block: held at the start, received, used on charges, refunded, given as a donation, and held at the end. It is shown beside what the member owes and is never subtracted from it, so a member never looks less in debt than they are.
- Arrears ageing shows Credit held for members on the chosen day under the table, again separate from the amounts owed. Choose an earlier date and it shows what was held then.
- A member who has never had credit sees no difference anywhere.
How credit ends
| Outcome | Who decides | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Used on charges | The member, or an administrator for them | Manual, any time, no approval needed beyond the permission to receive payments. |
| Refunded | One person prepares, another approves | The money itself is paid back outside Zenith AMS. See Refunding or Donating a Member's Credit. |
| Given as a donation | One person prepares, another approves | Only with the member's agreement written down, or offered by the member in their portal. |
Related articles
When a Member Pays More Than a Charge Asks
A member gives 100,000 on a 5,000 levy. Receive Payment accepts it and asks what the extra is for: an extra contribution, or credit kept for the member.
Refunding or Donating a Member's Credit
How to pay credit back to a member, or record it as a donation they agreed to, with a second person approving.
Receiving a Payment and Spreading It
Record cash, a transfer or a cheque from a member and apply it across everything they owe, with a preview of where every naira goes.
Statements, Arrears and Payment Status
Read a member's statement, see who owes what and for how long, and understand the Paid, Partly paid, Overdue and Not yet due labels.
Account Credit & Plan Changes
What account credit is, how it is applied to your next payment, and what happens when our team moves you to another plan.