---
title: Taking and Applying Client Deposits
description: Taking and Applying a client deposit
---
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# Taking and Applying Client Deposits
## v7
A deposit is money taken in advance and tied to one appointment. It is held against that appointment and applied to the invoice for the visit. A deposit is not the same as client credit. Client credit is a general balance the client can spend against any bill, and it comes from overpayments, deposit remainders and goodwill. A deposit belongs to one appointment until it is applied, forfeited or refunded. Deposits are available from version 7.3.5. They stay hidden until deposits are turned on for the clinic and a deposit is set on the appointment type.
To setup client deposits see the [Setting Up Client Deposits](https://help.vetlinkpro.com/vetlinkpro/setting-up-client-deposits) article
Download full section from the manual on [Client Appointment Deposits](https://help.vetlinkpro.com/hubfs/Other%20Documents/Client%20Appointment%20Deposits.pdf) here
**Take a deposit at booking**
1. Book the appointment on an appointment type that needs a deposit, and save it.
2. The deposit amount fills in from the appointment type. Change it on the appointment if this client is paying a different amount. Setting it to 0 means no deposit.
3. At the prompt, choose one of:
1. **Pay now** - take the payment at the desk. The deposit becomes *Held*, the appointment is confirmed and a receipt is issued.
2. **Charge to account** - an unpaid receipt is created. The deposit stays *Pending* until that receipt is paid.
3. **Leave** - no deposit is taken now. The appointment still shows that one is required.
4. A coloured **$** icon on the appointment in the diary shows the deposit status at a glance
**Note**: taking the payment needs billing access. If nobody is logged in for billing you will be asked to pick a staff member first.
**Pay a deposit that is still pending**
1. Click **Pending Deposits** on the **Financial** tab. This lists every unpaid deposit for the clinic.
2. Find the client's deposit and choose **Take Payment**.
3. Complete the payment.
4. The deposit moves to *Held* and drops off the list.
**Send the client a deposit payment link**
Use this for phone bookings, or when the client is not paying at the desk. The clinic needs VetlinkPay for this.
1. Book the appointment and choose to send a deposit link instead of taking payment.
2. The link goes to the client by email or text.
3. The client opens the link and pays.
4. Once it is paid the deposit is recorded, the appointment is confirmed and the client is emailed a receipt.
**Note**: where several appointments are booked as a linked series and more than one needs a deposit, one link covers the whole chain. The payment settles each deposit oldest first, and anything left over becomes client credit.
**Apply a deposit to the invoice**
1. Create the invoice for the visit as normal.
2. At the payment screen the appointment's held deposit is offered and applied.
3. Take payment for whatever is left owing.
**Note**: if you reverse an invoice that used a deposit, the deposit goes back to *Held* and can be applied again.
**Forfeit a deposit**
Use this when the client cancels late or does not turn up, and the clinic is keeping the cancellation fee.
1. Open the client record and click the **Deposit** button to open the deposit ledger.
2. Right click the held deposit and choose **Forfeit Deposit**.
3. Choose either:
1. The cancellation fee set on the appointment type. The clinic keeps that percentage and the rest becomes client credit.
2. Full credit. The whole deposit becomes client credit and no fee is taken.
**Note**: a deposit is never forfeited automatically when you cancel an appointment. You will get a message saying a deposit is held, and it is left to you to forfeit or refund it. The one exception is a no show - an overnight process forfeits held deposits on no show appointments using the cancellation fee for that appointment type.
**Note**: money returned to a client from a deposit always becomes client credit. It never pays out as cash.
**Refund a deposit**
1. Open the client's deposit ledger.
2. Right click the held deposit and choose **Refund Deposit**.
3. Complete the refund.
4. The deposit is marked *Refunded*. It stays in the ledger as a record and is no longer offered when you apply a deposit.
**Note**: a deposit that has already been applied to a bill cannot be refunded. Reverse that bill first to release the deposit.
**Where to see deposits and credit**
1. **Client record** - the held deposit total and the available credit show as two separate figures, each with a button through to its ledger.
2. **Deposit ledger** - every deposit for that client with its date, amount, how much has been applied, what is available, its status and the appointment it belongs to.
3. **Credit ledger** - every credit movement with a running balance.
4. **Financial tab** - the **Pending Deposits** list for the whole clinic.
5. **Diary** - the coloured **$** icon on the appointment, and a **Deposit Ledger** button on the ribbon.
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