PayMatch - Quick Start Guide
> For small service business owners (contractors, handymen, cleaners, consultants...)
> PayMatch helps you match the money customers send you (Zelle, Venmo, Cash, Check) to the right invoices - so you never chase the wrong person for payment.
What PayMatch Does
**One sentence:** It connects "money you received" to "invoices you issued", so you always know who paid, who didn't, and what's still owed.
**The problem it solves:**
- Customer pays you via Zelle/Venmo/Cash/Check without writing the invoice number
- You can't tell which invoice that payment belongs to
- You're afraid to send a reminder to someone who already paid
**PayMatch fixes this:** record the payment, match it to the right invoice (you decide), and know exactly who still owes.
Quick Start (5 steps)
Step 1: Create your account
- Open PayMatch → Register with your email + password
- Login → you're in
Step 2: Add your customers
- Go to **Customers** tab → New Customer
- Enter: Full Name, Nickname (optional, helps tell same-name customers apart), Phone, Payment Account (their Zelle email / Venmo @name)
- Tip: You can also type a customer name later when creating an invoice or recording a payment - PayMatch will create the customer for you automatically.
Step 3: Create invoices
- Go to **Invoices** tab → New Invoice
- Search & select customer (or type a name - if not found, click to create)
- Enter amount, service date (default today, change if backfilling), service note
- Save → invoice gets a number like INV-20260801-XXXX
Step 4: Record payments
- Go to **Payments** tab → Record Payment
- Select channel (Zelle/Venmo/Cash/Check/CashApp/Other)
- Enter amount
- Search & select customer
- Add a note if needed (e.g. "paid by friend", "partial payment")
- Submit
**What happens after you submit:**
- ✅ If the customer has unpaid invoices, PayMatch shows them - **you pick which one** this payment belongs to
- ✅ If the invoice wasn't created yet, the payment goes to the **Unmatched** pool - create the invoice later, then use the **Refresh** button on that payment to match it
Step 5: Match payments to invoices
- In **Today's Records** (Payments tab), payments that can be matched show a **Refresh** button
- Click Refresh → PayMatch lists the customer's unpaid invoices → pick the right one
- The invoice shows: paid amount, remaining balance
- Partial payments work: pay half now, rest later - the invoice tracks it
The Unmatched Pool (your weekly cleanup)
- Payments you couldn't match sit in the **Unmatched** tab
- These are payments where either:
- The customer hasn't been identified yet, OR
- The invoice hasn't been created yet
- **Weekly routine:** open Unmatched → for each one, either create the missing invoice or match it to the right one
- When the Unmatched pool is empty = every dollar has a home = you can safely send reminders to everyone with unpaid invoices
Understanding Status
| Status | Meaning |
|:-------|:--------|
| **Unpaid** (red) | Invoice issued, no payment received yet |
| **Partial** (orange) | Some money received, balance still owed |
| **Paid** (green) | Fully paid |
| **Unmatched** (in pool) | Payment received but not linked to an invoice yet |
Editing & History
- **Edit any record:** Customers, Invoices, Payments all have Edit buttons
- **Change history:** Every change is logged (who changed it, what changed, when) - view it in the invoice/customer details
- Fix mistakes freely - everything is traceable
Tips for Smooth Use
1. **Record payments as soon as you get them** - even if you don't know who paid yet, record the amount + any note. Better to have it in the system than to forget.
2. **Use nicknames** for customers - "Jim" for "James K." helps you pick the right person fast.
3. **Ask customers to put the invoice number in the transfer note** - but don't rely on it, PayMatch handles missing notes too.
4. **Do a weekly Unmatched cleanup** - Friday morning, 5 minutes, everything accounted for.
5. **The invoice number is your friend** - INV-20260801-XXXX is what ties everything together.
Feedback
Found a bug? Want a feature? Use the **Feedback** button (bottom right) - we read everything and improve fast.
*PayMatch - Simple tools that solve real problems.*