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House Accounts

Admin

House accounts (also called charge accounts or employee tabs) let you extend in-store credit to specific customers. When a sale is paid by house account, the amount is charged against that customer's balance. You collect payment later and record it through the admin customer page or the POS customer profile.

Feature flag required

House accounts require two independent toggles to be enabled:

  1. Store-level feature flag — enable_house_accounts must be on for the feature to appear in the system. This is enabled by default for new stores.
  2. Payment method toggle — Under Settings > Edit Settings > Operations > Payment Methods, check "Enable House Account / Charge Account Payments" (payment_house_account_enabled). This makes the House Account button appear on the POS tender screen.

Both must be enabled for staff to charge purchases to a house account at the register.

How It Works​

Each customer record can independently have a house account enabled or disabled. The system tracks a running balance and a credit limit on the customer record.

  • Balance starts at $0.00. A charge makes it negative (customer owes money). A payment brings it back toward zero.
  • Credit limit (default $500.00) caps how much debt a customer may carry. Charges that would push the balance below -(credit limit) are rejected.
  • Available credit = credit limit + balance. For example, a customer with a $500 limit and a $−200 balance has $300 of available credit.

Every charge, payment, and adjustment is recorded as a HouseAccountTransaction with the balance before and after, the amount, the type, an optional note, and a link to the sale (for charges).

Transaction Types​

TypeWhat it does
ChargeCreated automatically when a sale is paid by house account. Reduces the balance.
PaymentRecorded manually by staff when the customer pays their bill. Increases the balance toward zero.
AdjustmentManual correction by a manager. Can go in either direction.

Enabling House Accounts for a Customer​

  1. Open the customer's record in the Admin Panel (Customers > [customer name] > Edit).
  2. In the House Account section, check "Enable house account (charge account / employee tab)".
  3. Set the Credit Limit (default is $500.00 — adjust to match the customer's agreement).
  4. Click Save.

The house account section and its fields only appear when the checkbox is checked. Once enabled, the current balance is displayed in read-only form on the edit page.

Recording a Payment or Adjustment (Admin)​

When a customer with a house account pays their bill:

  1. Go to Customers > [customer name] > Edit, scroll to the House Account section.
  2. In the Record Payment field, enter the amount received (e.g., 50.00).
  3. Optionally enter Payment Notes (e.g., "Cash payment", "Cheque #1042").
  4. Click Save.

To make a balance correction, use the Adjustment field instead. Enter a positive number to reduce the debt (e.g., 25.00 to forgive $25) or a negative number to increase the debt (e.g., -25.00). Add an Adjustment Reason for the audit trail.

Permission required

Recording payments via the POS customer profile panel requires the Manage Store Credits permission.

Customer Detail Page (Admin)​

The customer's detail page shows the house account panel when the customer has one enabled. It displays:

  • Balance — highlighted red when negative (customer owes money)
  • Credit Limit
  • Available Credit
  • A "Record Payment / Adjust" link that anchors to the edit form
  • A full House Account History table listing every transaction with date, type, amount, running balance, and notes

POS Behavior​

Tender Button​

When payment_house_account_enabled is on, a House Account tender button appears on the POS payment screen alongside Cash, Debit, and other enabled methods. The button is counted in the total of enabled payment types and will trigger the split payment option when more than one method is available.

Charging a Sale​

  1. Add items to the cart and select the customer.
  2. Press House Account on the tender screen.
  3. The House Account Modal loads and fetches the customer's current balance and available credit from the API.
  4. The modal displays:
    • Total due
    • Customer name
    • Current balance
    • Credit limit
    • Available credit
    • Amount that would be charged
    • Projected balance after the charge
  5. If the customer has sufficient available credit, a Charge button is shown. Press it to complete the sale.
  6. If the charge would exceed the available credit, the button is hidden and a message suggests using split payment to combine house account with another tender method.

Requirements for a house account charge to succeed:

  • A customer must be selected on the cart.
  • The customer must have a house account enabled on their profile.
  • The customer must have enough available credit to cover the full cart total (for a straight house account payment).

Split Payment with House Account​

The house account method is fully supported in split payment. Staff can allocate part of an order to the house account and cover the remainder with cash, debit, or any other enabled method.

Customer Profile Panel (POS)​

When a customer is loaded on the POS and they have a house account enabled, their profile panel shows:

  • Owes — the amount currently owed (absolute value of the negative balance, highlighted red when non-zero)
  • Available credit
  • Up to 5 recent transactions with date, type, and amount

Staff with the Manage Store Credits permission see a Record Payment form inline in the profile panel to accept a payment without going to admin.

Sales Reports​

House account charges are tracked as a distinct payment method in the Sales Report. The payment method breakdown shows:

  • House Account — total dollar amount charged to house accounts in the period
  • Transaction count alongside the total

This data also appears in Z-Reports (cash drawer close reports) when house account activity occurred during the session.

Best Practices​

  • Set conservative credit limits when first enabling a house account. You can always increase the limit later as trust is established.
  • Record payments promptly. The balance is live — if a customer charges another purchase before a payment is recorded, the available credit reflects the unrecorded debt.
  • Use Payment Notes to indicate how payment was received (cash, cheque number, e-transfer confirmation). This appears in the transaction history and helps reconcile accounts.
  • Use Adjustments sparingly. Always include a reason so the audit trail is clear. Adjustments do not link to a sale.
  • Review the House Account History table on the customer page when resolving disputes — it shows every transaction in chronological order with before/after balances.

What's Next​

  • Customers — How to create and manage customer records.
  • Store Credits — The prepaid credit system (distinct from house accounts).
  • Gift Cards — Stored-value cards as an alternative payment method.
  • Feature Flags — Enable or disable house accounts at the store level.