A unique number is assigned to each document you add to an invoice batch. The number is a combination of:
- A prefix that identifies the transaction type.
- A number that is assigned sequentially, starting with the number you specify.
You can enter separate prefixes and document numbers for invoices, credit notes, debit notes, interest invoices, and recurring charge invoices.
You can also enter prefixes and numbers for prepayment and unapplied-cash documents (on the Numbering tab of the A/R Options screen).
You can also enter your own document numbers with each invoice, credit note, or debit note you add on the A/R Invoice Entry screen, ignoring the numbers that Accounts Receivable assigns. The only restrictions are that document numbers can contain no more than 15 characters and each number must be unique.
You may be able to continue using your current numbering scheme. At any time, you can also specify different prefixes and next numbers on the A/R Options screen for Accounts Receivable to assign. However, you cannot make a change that would create duplicate document numbers.
Prefixes, Length, and Next Numbers
You can use up to six characters for each prefix. Each prefix must be unique, to prevent duplicate document numbers.
You can set the length of these numbers using a maximum of 22 characters, including prefixes, in document numbers.
If you do not enter prefixes and document numbers, Accounts Receivable automatically assigns 1 as the first document number and uses the following prefixes for documents:
| Document Type | Prefix |
|---|---|
| Invoice | IN |
| Credit note | CN |
| Debit note | DN |
| Interest invoice | INT |
| Recurring charge invoice | RC |
| Receipt | PY |
| Prepayment | PP |
| Unapplied Cash | UC |
| Adjustment | AD |
| Refund | RF |
If you use separate numbering for retainage, you can also specify the prefixes and next numbers for retainage documents. Accounts Receivable uses the following prefixes as defaults:
| Document Type | Prefix |
|---|---|
| Retainage invoice | RIN |
| Retainage credit note | RCN |
| Debit note | RDN |
Sequence Numbers
When you add a transaction in the Invoice Entry, Receipt Entry, Quick Receipt Entry, or Adjustment Entry screens, Accounts Receivable assigns a document number based on the prefixes and document numbers specified for the type of transaction on the A/R Options screen.
Numbers assigned to each type of document can go as high as 999999999, and then they are automatically reset to 1.
If you use the assigned number, Accounts Receivable updates the Next Number for the transaction type on the A/R Options screen.
You can also enter your own document numbers when adding transactions. If you do, the information on the A/R Options screen is not updated, even if you use the same number as the program would have assigned.
Changing the Next Document Number
If you want to change the next number to assign on the A/R Options screen to a lower number, you may want to change the prefix for the document type, to prevent Accounts Receivable from assigning the same document number twice to a customer.
Important! You cannot post two documents with identical document prefixes and numbers.