Detect the payment
The incoming amount, bank reference, and date picked up from the feed.
Flowwiz / ReconciliationMatch the payment.
[Cash application]
Match the payment.
Explain the exception.
One payment, several invoices, and the allocation still sitting in a remittance email. That gap is where unapplied cash lives.
Find the remittance
The email that explains how the payment should be allocated.
Match and validate
Invoice references read, totals checked, partial payments kept visible.
Cash application workflow
From an incoming payment to a cleared invoice.
One consolidated payment, several invoices, and the allocation still sitting in a remittance email. That gap is where unapplied cash accumulates.
- 01Detect
The incoming payment is picked up from the bank feed with its amount, reference, and date.
- 02Find
The remittance email that explains the allocation is located in the customer thread.
- 03Match
Invoice and project references are read out of the remittance and matched to open items.
- 04Validate
Totals are checked against the invoices, including partial payments and short payments.
- 05Apply or route
The match is posted, or the exception goes to a person with the evidence attached.
Payment context · Meridian LabsHigh confidence
Incoming payment$6,000Reference ML-1042
=Matched
Invoice INV-1042$6,000Remittance attached
| Amount | Agrees to the cent |
| Reference | ML-1042 appears on the invoice and in the remittance |
| Remittance | Applies the full balance to a single invoice |
| Next step | Post the match, or hold for review before applying |
One payment, many invoices
When the allocation is not one-to-one.
A single transfer often settles several invoices, spans projects, or arrives short. The workflow reads the intended allocation rather than guessing from the total.
Atlas Services · payment $9,200Needs review
| Invoice | Remittance line | Amount | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| INV-1051 | Applied in full | $6,000 | Ready |
| INV-1055 | Applied in full | $2,400 | Ready |
| INV-1058 | Short by $180 | $800 | Short payment |
Exceptions
What holds a match back.
An unclear reference is not a failure. It is a task for a person, and it should arrive with everything they need to decide.
- 01Keep the evidence
Payment, remittance, and candidate invoices stay together on one screen.
- 02Explain the gap
The workflow says what does not line up: amount, reference, period, or confidence.
- 03Route to an owner
The exception goes to the person responsible, not to a shared queue.
- 04Resolve and resume
Once decided, the match is posted and the collection sequence continues.
Unapplied cash · exceptions3 open
Unidentified payer$3,400Needs owner
Northstar Studio$800Short payment
Meridian Labs$2,850Ambiguous
Coverage
Everything that goes into clearing unapplied cash.
Reconciliation works from the same records the collections workflow uses, so a match and a reminder never disagree.
- 01Bank feed payment detection
- 02Remittance email location
- 03Invoice and project reference matching
- 04Partial and short payment handling
- 05One-to-many allocation
- 06Duplicate payment detection
- 07Confidence scoring per match
- 08Exception routing with evidence
- 09Cash application posting
- 10Unapplied cash reporting
- 11Customer self-service remittance
- 12Close-ready reconciliation status
FAQ
Before you go further.
What should I review before accepting a match?
The amount, the bank reference, and the remittance line together. The evidence panel shows all three against the candidate invoice so the decision takes seconds rather than a search.
How are unclear references handled?
They stay visible as exceptions with their supporting detail attached, and route to the person responsible rather than being auto-applied or dropped.
What happens to short payments?
The difference is kept as an open item on the invoice, and the collection workflow picks it up rather than treating the invoice as settled.
Does this reduce unapplied cash?
It is designed to. Payments that would otherwise sit unmatched until someone reads the remittance email are matched from the allocation details instead.
Does it work with one payment covering several invoices?
Yes. The remittance lines are read individually and matched to their invoices, so a consolidated transfer is allocated correctly.
Where does the remittance come from?
The customer email thread. Finance Inbox has already classified it as a remittance, so the allocation detail is already tied to the right account.
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