Overview
This article explains how charges, bills, payments, and invoices are connected in Amenitiz and how they interact throughout a booking's lifecycle.
Use this article to understand why certain actions are available or blocked, how amounts due are calculated, and how invoicing and refunds affect a reservation.
This is especially useful if you are unsure why a bill is open or closed, why charges cannot be edited, or how payments appear on invoices.
Before you start
This article explains system behaviour only; it does not replace step-by-step guides
The explanations apply to desktop usage
Some actions may require cancelling an invoice before changes are possible
How the billing logic works in Amenitiz
1. Understand charges
Charges represent everything the guest owes for a booking, such as:
Accommodation
Extras
City taxes
Custom charges
Charges are always linked to a booking and are grouped into bills.
2. Understand bills
Bills are containers that group charges together.
A bill is either Open or Closed:
Open Bill — contains charges that are still active.
Charges can be edited or deleted directly
New charges are automatically added to the Open Bill
Only one Open Bill can exist per reservation at a time
Shows the Open badge
Closed Bill — contains charges that have been finalised.
A bill closes as soon as a payment is linked to it, or an invoice is issued for it
A reservation can have multiple Closed Bills
Once Closed, the bill no longer shows the word "Closed" — instead it shows a payment status badge (see below)
Once a bill is Closed, it shows a payment status badge that reflects how much has been paid:
Unpaid — no payment received yet
Partially paid — partly paid; the remaining balance is shown as Due
Paid — fully settled
Overpaid — payments received exceed the bill total
⚠️ Important
The payment status badge never locks charges. A Paid or Partially paid badge does not prevent you from editing the charges in that bill. Charges become locked only when:
An invoice is issued for the bill — cancel the invoice (which creates a credit note) to regain edit access, or
A pending scheduled payment exists for the bill (for example, a payment link sent to the guest) — cancel the scheduled payment first to regain edit access.
A Closed Bill not linked to an invoice and with no pending payment can also be split into multiple bills — see How to split a bill into multiple bills.
Pro forma invoices do not close bills.
3. Understand payments
Payments represent money received from the guest.
Important rules:
Payments are linked to the reservation, not to specific charges
A booking can have multiple payments
Payments can cover one or several bills
The booking's amount due is calculated by comparing:
Total charges across all bills
Total payments received
When payments settle the charges of a bill, the system may finalize those charges, which will cause the bill to move from Open to Closed.
4. Understand invoices
Invoices are fiscal documents created from one or more bills.
When you issue an invoice:
The selected bill(s) are closed
Charges in those bills become non-editable
The related bill becomes Closed
The invoice can include one or several payments
Pro Forma invoices:
Are non-fiscal preliminary documents — they do not affect your fiscal records
Do not close bills
Can be edited, sent to the client, or converted into a final issued invoice
Receive their own unique sequential number and are digitally signed
Are available under
Invoices → Pro Forma Invoices
For full instructions, see How to create and manage Pro Forma invoices.
To issue or cancel an invoice, see How to create and issue an invoice.
5. How edits and cancellations affect the flow
Charges are locked when an invoice is issued for the bill, or when a pending scheduled payment exists on the bill
To unlock charges locked by an invoice: cancel the invoice (a credit note is created), edit the charges, then re-issue
To unlock charges locked by a pending payment: cancel the scheduled payment, then edit the charges
Cancelling an invoice reopens the related bill and makes charges editable again
A payment-status badge alone (Paid, Partially paid, Unpaid, Overpaid) never locks charges
A Closed Bill not linked to an invoice and with no pending payment can be split into multiple bills — see How to split a bill into multiple bills
6. How refunds fit into the process
Refunds must always be linked to the payment they refer to.
Issued refunds return money to the guest
Logged refunds are accounting entries only
Refunds do not automatically modify issued invoices
The refund flow is not affected by the bill structure
For step-by-step instructions, see How to refund a payment.
FAQs
Can I split a closed bill into multiple bills?
Can I split a closed bill into multiple bills?
Yes — if the bill is closed and not linked to any invoice. The closed bill is replaced by the new bills you define, and payments and refunds linked to the original are redistributed across them. See How to split a bill into multiple bills.
Why can I see an amount due even if a bill is closed?
Why can I see an amount due even if a bill is closed?
A closed bill only means the charges were invoiced. The amount due depends on payments received, not on whether a bill is open or closed.
Does the payment badge (Paid, Partially paid, Unpaid, Overpaid) lock my charges?
Does the payment badge (Paid, Partially paid, Unpaid, Overpaid) lock my charges?
No. The payment status badge never locks charges in a Closed Bill. Charges are only locked when an invoice is issued for the bill, or when a pending scheduled payment exists. As long as neither is true, click Edit at the top of the Closed Bill to enable editing mode and modify the charges.
Why can't I edit charges even though the bill is open?
Why can't I edit charges even though the bill is open?
This usually means one of two things:
A pending scheduled payment is associated with the bill — for example, a payment link sent to the guest. Cancel the scheduled payment to regain edit access.
An older invoice configuration is still in place — if you need a preliminary document that does not block editing, use a Pro forma invoice instead. Pro forma invoices do not lock charges and can be converted into a final invoice when you are ready.
Can I invoice multiple bills together?
Can I invoice multiple bills together?
Yes. You can include several closed bills and charges from the Open Bill in a single invoice.
What happens if I delete a charge after the booking was paid?
What happens if I delete a charge after the booking was paid?
The amount due is recalculated. The booking may become overpaid or show a new balance due. You may need to refresh the page to see the update.
Can payments be split across invoices?
Can payments be split across invoices?
Yes. Payments are not tied to specific charges, so you can choose which payments appear on each invoice.
What is the difference between a Pro Forma invoice and an issued invoice?
What is the difference between a Pro Forma invoice and an issued invoice?
A Pro Forma invoice is a non-fiscal preliminary document. It does not close bills, does not affect your fiscal records, and can be freely edited. When you are ready to finalise, you can convert a Pro Forma into an issued invoice. An issued invoice is a fiscal document that closes the related bill and locks the charges.