--- title: "Adding a Payment and Applying It to Sales" description: "Choose which sales a payment covers when you add it in Auction Conductor or Event Manager, and split one payment across several sales." url: "https://help.aesauctions.com/article/90bcwgpe0z-adding-a-payment-and-applying-it-to-sales" category: "Payments & Refunds" updated_at: "2026-10-30T15:50:24Z" --- # Adding a Payment and Applying It to Sales Every payment you add in Auction Conductor or Event Manager is applied to specific sales, such as a ticket, an auction win or a donation. You choose which sales a payment covers, and you can split one payment across several sales by editing the amount applied to each. This keeps each contributor's balance due accurate and shows exactly what every payment paid for. **This article covers:** - How payments are applied to sales - Adding a payment in Auction Conductor - Adding a payment at Event Manager checkout - Splitting a payment - Payments in a household - Refunds and the Sale/Payment Export ### How payments are applied to sales - When you add a payment, you select the sales it pays for, and the payment amount is calculated from your selection. - You can edit the amount applied to any sale. The payment total adjusts to match. - A sale can have more than one payment, so a partly paid sale can be paid off later. - Later payments can only be applied to sales that are unpaid or refunded. ### Adding a payment in Auction Conductor 1. Go to **Contributors** and open the contributor's record by clicking the edit (pencil) icon in their row or double-clicking the row. 2. Open the **Activity** tab. 3. Expand the **Payments** section and add a new payment. 4. Select the sales this payment covers. The payment amount updates to match. 5. To apply less than the full amount to a sale, edit the amount on that sale. 6. Choose the payment type (credit card, cash or check, depending on your event settings) and enter the payment details. Cards already on file appear in the list. A credit card payment is sent for approval right away, and you see whether the bank approved or declined it. ### Adding a payment at Event Manager checkout 1. In Event Manager, open **Check-Out** and search for the guest by name or bidder number. 2. Click the guest's underlined name in the results to open their record. 3. Add a payment. Select the sales it covers and edit any amounts, the same way as in Auction Conductor. 4. Choose how the guest is paying and process the payment. 5. If the guest is paying part of the balance another way, such as a second card or a check, add another payment for the rest. 6. When the balance is paid, click **Finalize** to print or email the receipt. ### Splitting a payment #### One payment across several sales Select every sale the payment covers, then edit the amount on each one. For example, a guest hands you a $500 check toward a $400 ticket and a $300 auction win. Apply $400 to the ticket and $100 to the auction win. The remaining $200 stays as a balance due on the auction win. #### One sale paid with more than one payment Add the first payment and edit the amount on the sale to what the guest is paying that way. Then add a second payment for the same sale to cover the rest. For example, a guest who wants to put $600 of a $1,000 package on a card and pay the other $400 by check makes two payments on the same sale. ### Payments in a household Household members share purchases, bids and payments, and any member can pay with another member's card on file. The household gets one receipt showing every member's purchases and payments, with the billing contact's information at the top. At Event Manager checkout, you can change the billing contact by opening the checkout details and clicking **Switch Billing**. See [Contributor Households](/article/ct7aso0918-households). ### Refunds and the Sale/Payment Export - **Refunds.** In Auction Conductor, you refund by editing the payment and unchecking the sales you're refunding. Then delete or edit those sales so the balance due is correct and the guest isn't charged for them again. If the guest still owes for an item, for example because they'll pay with a different card, keep the sale and add a new payment for it. See [Refund a Payment](/article/hs1omnrnld-processing-refunds). - **Sale/Payment Export.** The export shows which payments paid for each sale. A sale with more than one payment gets one row per payment, with the sale amounts split in proportion to each payment, and a sale with money still owed gets a **BALANCE DUE** row. See [Sale/Payment Export](/article/ck3f9aygn6-sale-payment-export). - **Payments from before July 16, 2025.** These aren't tied to sales and show as **INCOMPLETE** in the export until you connect them. See [Connecting Incomplete Payments to Sales](/article/rsainqb3qh-connecting-incomplete-payments-to-sales). ### Frequently asked questions - **Can a guest pay part of their balance now and the rest later?** Yes. Apply the payment to part of a sale, or to only some sales, and the rest stays as a balance due. For tickets, sponsorships, donations and other multi-unit purchases, you can also send a payment link for part of the balance. See [Creating and Sending Payment Links](/article/vfezd75bjt-creating-and-sending-payment-links). - **Why can't I apply a payment to a sale?** Payments can only be applied to sales that are unpaid, partially paid, or refunded. A sale that's already paid in full can't take another payment. - **Can guests split a payment themselves online?** No. The event microsite and the mobile bidding app take one payment per checkout. Splitting is done by staff in Auction Conductor or Event Manager. - **How do I collect for a purchase that's waiting for approval?** Approve it and send the buyer a payment link. See [Delay Payment for Review](/article/tkozdacpxv-delay-payment-for-review).