The Payments tab is your money dashboard. It shows how much you've received, how much is still pending, and exactly which clients owe you, without scrolling through UPI history or old WhatsApp chats. Every booking appears here with its total, balance and payment status.
In this tutorial
Step 1: Open Payments
Go to Finance → Payments (or Payments in the desktop sidebar). At the top you'll see three totals:
- Pending: money clients still owe you
- Received: money you've collected
- Total: the full value of your bookings
Step 2: See every booking's status
Each booking shows its Total Amount, Balance Due and a status:
- Not Paid: nothing received
- Partial: advance or part payment received
- Paid: settled
Use Search payments… to find a client, and Period (All Time, Last 7 Days, Last 30 Days, This Month) to focus on a time range.
Step 3: Record a payment
When money arrives, tap Add Payment on that booking, enter the amount and method, and tap Record Payment. The balance, status, invoice and dashboard all update straight away. More detail in recording advance and part payments.
Step 4: Check the history
Tap Payment History to see every payment for a booking with dates and methods. It's useful when a client asks "how much have I paid so far?".
Step 5: Keep an eye on your dashboard
The Pending Payments card on your dashboard lists who still owes you. When it says All Caught Up!, every booking is fully paid.
Step 6: Export for your accountant (desktop)
On desktop, use Export to download your payments list. It's handy for monthly bookkeeping or tax time.
A polite payment reminder you can copy
When a balance is due, send a friendly nudge on WhatsApp along with the invoice link:
Before the event
Hi Ritu! Hope the wedding prep is going well 🌸 Just a gentle reminder that the balance of ₹25,000 is due by 12 Feb. Here's your invoice with payment details: [link]. Thank you!
After the due date
Hi Ritu, just following up on the balance of ₹25,000 for your wedding makeup (invoice INV-2026-07), which was due on 12 Feb. You can pay by UPI or bank transfer using the details here: [link]. Please let me know once it's done. Thanks so much!
Find more ready-to-use messages in late payment reminder templates and how to handle late-paying clients.
Frequently asked questions
Does Brightdesk collect payments for me? No. Clients pay you directly (UPI, bank, cash, PayPal), so there are no extra fees. You record each payment in Brightdesk to keep track.
Why does a booking still show Partial when the client says they paid? The payment hasn't been recorded yet. Tap Add Payment to log it.