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Open Finance → Retainers to track client deposits received in advance. Each deposit belongs to one project. Recording it in Atelier does not collect or transfer money.

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Record a deposit

  1. Choose Record deposit.
  2. Select the Project and enter the Amount actually received.
  3. Check the Received date, choose the payment Method, and add a Reference and notes if needed.
  4. Save the deposit and check the project’s balance.
The available methods are Bank transfer, Check, Credit card, Cash and Other. Use a bank reference or other clear identifier so the entry can be reconciled later.

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Read the balances

Open a project row to see Deposits received and Applied to invoices. Draft invoices also reserve their retainer amount, so two drafts cannot use the same available deposit. Voiding an invoice releases its claim.

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Apply a retainer to an invoice

  1. Open the invoice form for the same project.
  2. In Columns, enable Retainer applied.
  3. Enter the amount under Retainer applied ($). The form shows what is available; use Apply all or Apply the balance when offered.
  4. Save and review the invoice’s retainer deduction and Balance due.
  5. Return to Finance → Retainers to check the updated Applied and Available amounts.
The invoice balance is its total minus the applied retainer and payments recorded against that invoice, with a minimum balance of zero. For example, a 3,000invoicewith3,000 invoice with 1,000 of retainer applied and a separate 500paymenthas500 payment has 1,500 left to pay. Do not also record the same applied deposit as a new invoice payment: that would count the same money twice. A deposit on one project cannot be applied to another project’s invoice.

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Correct an entry

Expand the project row and use Remove this deposit to remove an incorrect deposit record. Atelier refuses removal when it would leave less received than invoices have already claimed. Correct the relevant invoice applications first, then record the correct deposit if needed. Removing a record does not refund money. Check the actual payment history before changing financial records. See Invoices for recording additional payments and Finance dashboard for the separate invoice summary.