Workflow Template

Cash Application Workflow

Matches incoming customer payments to invoices: intake via form, clerk matching task, automatic unapplied-amount calculation, partial-match follow-up, unmatched investigation with finance approval to post on account, final posting task, and status/notification updates throughout.

Unmatched and partially matched customer payments create manual chasing and unclear ownership for cash application clerks. This workflow captures each payment through a form, assigns a clerk to match it to invoices, calculates any unapplied amount, and routes fully matched, partially matched or unmatched payments down different paths — including a finance approval step before unmatched cash is posted on account. Clerks, and finance for approvals, run the process from task to task while the record's status and timeline update automatically.

Business Outcomes

Helps reduce time spent manually matching payments to invoices
Makes unapplied amounts visible sooner for faster customer follow-up
Adds a clear finance approval step before unmatched cash is posted on account
Keeps clerks and finance aligned with automatic status and email updates
Supports a documented timeline of every cash application from intake to posting

Workflow Steps

Steps

1
Create Cash Application Recordcreate record
Registers the incoming payment submission as a cash application record.
2
Set Status to Receivedupdate record
Sets the application status to Received.
3
Send Acknowledgement Emailsend email
Emails the clerk an acknowledgement with the record reference number.
4
Match Payment to Invoicescreate task
Assigns the clerk a task, due in 1 day, to match the payment to invoices and record the outcome.
5
Save Match Result and Calculate Unapplied Amountupdate record
Persists the match result, matched amount, notes, and calculates the unapplied amount.
6
Route on Match Result
Branches the workflow based on whether the payment was fully matched, partially matched, or unmatched.
match_result: "Fully matched"→Post Payment
match_result: "Partially matched"→Follow Up Unapplied Amount
match_result: "Unmatched"→Set Status to Investigating
Default→End
7
Follow Up Unapplied Amountcreate task
Creates a fire-and-forget task for the clerk, due in 5 days, to follow up the unapplied amount with the customer.
8
Set Status to Investigatingupdate record
Sets the application status to Investigating for unmatched payments.
9
Investigate Unmatched Paymentcreate task
Assigns the clerk a task, due in 5 days, to investigate the unmatched payment and record findings.
10
Save Investigation Findingsupdate record
Persists the investigation findings to the record.
11
Finance Approval to Post on Accountrequest approvalrequires approval
Finance approves or rejects posting the unmatched payment on account.
12
Route on Finance Approval Outcome
Routes the workflow based on finance's approval decision to post the payment on account.
approval_status: "approved"→Post Payment
approval_status: "rejected"→Return to Investigation
Default→End
13
Return to Investigationrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from the investigation task after finance rejects posting on account, up to 2 times.
14
Post Paymentcreate task
Assigns the clerk a task, due in 1 day, to post the payment and record the date posted.
15
Save Date Postedupdate record
Persists the date the payment was posted to the record.
16
Set Status to Postedupdate record
Sets the application status to Posted, its final status.
17
Send Posted Confirmation Emailsend email
Emails the clerk that the payment has been posted and the item is closed.

Fields

Show all 14 fields

FormCash Application Intake

Clerk Name*· Text
Clerk Email*· Email
Customer*· Text
Payment Amount*· Number
Payment Date*· Date
Payment Reference*· Text
Invoice Numbers Referenced*· Long text

TaskMatch Payment to Invoices

Match Result*· Choice
Matched Amount*· Number
Match Notes· Long text

TaskInvestigate Unmatched Payment

Investigation Findings*· Long text

TaskPost Payment

Date Posted*· Date

Other fields

Application Status· Choice
Unapplied Amount· Number

Clerk Name*
Clerk Email*
Customer*
Payment Amount*
Payment Date*
Payment Reference*

Forms

Cash Application Intake

7 fields

Data Views

Cash Applications

customer, payment_amount, matched_amount, unapplied_amount +1 more

Dashboard Widgets

Payments by Application Status

Recommended integrations

Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.

Send email in the workflow
AWS SES

cash applicationpayment matchingaccounts receivableremittanceunapplied cashfinance

Similar Workflows

Accounts Receivable Collections Workflow Bank Reconciliation Workflow Customer Credit Application Workflow

Similar Categories

Finance & Procurement

FAQs

How do I set up this workflow for my team?

Publish the template in your workspace and it's ready to run immediately — there's no installation or development project. You'll want to add your clerks and finance team as workspace members so tasks like matching, investigation and approval can be assigned to them.

What information does the request form collect?

The form captures Clerk Name, Clerk Email, Customer, Payment Amount, Payment Date, Payment Reference and Invoice Numbers Referenced. This creates the cash application record and starts the workflow automatically once submitted.

Who is responsible for matching the payment to invoices?

The clerk gets a task, due in 1 day, to match the payment and record the outcome, matched amount and notes. The workflow waits for this task, so the record isn't updated until the clerk finishes it.

What happens if a payment is only partially matched?

A fire-and-forget follow-up task is created for the clerk, due in 5 days, to chase the customer about the unapplied amount. Because the workflow doesn't wait for this task, the follow-up notes stay on the task itself rather than on the record.

How does the workflow handle unmatched payments?

The status is set to Investigating and the clerk gets a 5-day task to investigate and record findings on the record. Once findings are saved, finance is asked to approve or reject posting the payment on account.

What happens if finance rejects posting on account?

A rejection sends the workflow back to the investigation task, so the clerk can dig further and resubmit findings. This can happen up to 2 times before the case needs a different resolution.

Can I change the due dates or task assignments?

Yes. You can describe the change you want in plain English, or edit the steps directly in the workflow editor — for example, changing the 5-day investigation window or reassigning tasks. Earlier versions of the workflow are kept, so you can review what changed.

Does the clerk need a login to submit or track payments?

No. Clerks interact through the public request form and emailed updates, without needing an account. They receive an acknowledgement email with the record reference number and a final confirmation once the payment is posted.

How is the final posting recorded?

After a fully matched result, or finance approval for an unmatched one, the clerk gets a 1-day task to post the payment and record the date posted. That date is saved to the record, the status moves to Posted, and a confirmation email closes out the case.

Can I see the status of all cash applications at once?

Yes. Every cash application is a record with a reference number, current status, and full timeline of what happened, and table views and dashboards group records by status. This gives you visibility into how many are Received, Investigating or Posted at any time.

Ready to use this workflow?

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