Net Terms & Credit Limits for WooCommerce

Overview

Let approved business customers order now and pay your invoice later, with the credit you decide to give them. Each customer has payment terms (Net 15, 30, 60, any number of days, or end of month) and a credit limit. At checkout "Pay on invoice" is offered only when the order fits the available credit, and the server checks it again when the order is placed.

After the order the plugin keeps track of the invoice: its due date, the PO number, every payment you record or the customer makes online, reminders before and after the due date, and the account hold when an invoice stays unpaid too long.

Key features

• Pay on invoice payment method for the block checkout and the classic checkout, with an optional or required PO number.
• Credit limit and terms per customer, defaults for whole user roles (for example a "Wholesale" role), "no limit" for trusted accounts.
• Credit check at checkout: above the available credit the method is hidden, or the order is accepted and held for credit review (your choice). Paying on invoice can also pause while an invoice is overdue.
• Due dates from the order date or from the end of the order month (EOM). The terms, due date and PO number appear on the thank-you page, in My Account and in the order e-mails.
• My Account > Credit account: limit, balance, available credit, overdue amount, every invoice with its status and a Pay now button, a printable statement, and the credit application form.
• Pay online: open invoices are paid on the normal "pay for order" page with any of your other payment methods; the payment is recorded on the invoice by itself.
• Record payments on the order screen: full or part payments with date, method and reference; remove a wrong entry; change the due date or the PO number.
• Reminders: a daily job e-mails the customer a few days before the due date, on the due date and every few days while overdue. "Send reminder now" on the order.
• Automatic hold: accounts with an invoice more than a set number of days overdue are put on hold and e-mailed; the hold is lifted by itself once paid.
• Credit applications with approve (limit and terms) and decline (reason) e-mails.
• Receivables overview, invoice list, accounts and an aging report (current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90, 90+ days), with CSV export.

Compatibility

• WordPress 6.7+, WooCommerce 10.1+ (tested with WordPress 7.1.3 and WooCommerce 11.2.1), PHP 7.4 - 8.3.
• High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS) and the legacy order storage; Cart and Checkout blocks and the classic checkout; block and classic themes.
• All five e-mails are WooCommerce e-mails: edit or switch them off under WooCommerce > Settings > Emails.

What it does not do

• It does not create PDF invoices. The order is the invoice record; use your invoice plugin or accounting software for the document.
• It does not take part payments online. A customer pays the whole open amount online; part payments are recorded by you.
• One currency per invoice: the amounts of an invoice are in the order currency, the account totals in the store currency.

Installation

Requirements

• WordPress 6.7 or later, WooCommerce 10.1 or later (tested with 11.2.1), PHP 7.4 - 8.3
• WP-Cron or a real cron job, for the daily reminders (WooCommerce's Action Scheduler runs the job)

Install

1. Download kv-net-terms-kv.zip from My licences > Downloads on woocommerce.kaviolabs.com.
2. In WordPress: Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, choose the zip, Install Now, Activate.
3. Open WooCommerce > Settings > Net terms and enter your licence key at the bottom. The plugin works for 14 days without a key.
4. Check that Pay on invoice (net terms) is switched on under WooCommerce > Settings > Payments. Its title and description can be changed there.

First steps

1. Under WooCommerce > Settings > Net terms set the default credit limit and the default payment terms.
2. Choose who gets an account:
   • whole user roles under Approved by role (for example your wholesale role), or
   • single customers under WooCommerce > Net terms > Accounts > Open a credit account, or on the customer's user profile (Credit account section), or
   • customers apply themselves under My Account > Credit account and you approve them under WooCommerce > Net terms > Applications.
3. Place a test order as one of these customers and choose "Pay on invoice".

Update

Upload the new zip the same way and choose Replace current with uploaded. Settings, accounts and invoices are kept.

Uninstall

Deactivating stops the daily job. Deleting the plugin removes its settings, accounts and applications only when Remove data on uninstall is ticked. Orders and their invoice details (due date, PO number, payments) are never changed or deleted.

Configuration

All settings are under WooCommerce > Settings > Net terms.

Accounts

Checkout

Reminders

Each reminder is sent once per invoice. If the daily job could not run for a few days it sends only the reminder that fits today, not every missed one. Changing the due date on the order starts the reminders again.

Single customers

On the customer's user profile (Users > Edit, section Credit account (net terms)):

• Status: Approved by role (default), No credit account, Approved, On hold, Declined
• Credit limit: empty = the default, 0 = no limit
• Payment terms (days): empty = the default
• Hold reason: shown to the customer while the account is on hold

The section also shows the balance, the available credit and the overdue amount.

E-mails

Under WooCommerce > Settings > Emails:

The order e-mails of WooCommerce (processing, on hold, completed) show the payment terms, the due date and the PO number automatically.

Licence

Own-site edition: enter the licence key at the bottom of the settings. Without an active licence, new orders on invoice and new applications are not offered. Existing invoices, payments, reminders and every admin screen keep working.

Usage

At checkout

A signed-in customer with an approved account sees Pay on invoice next to your other payment methods, in the block checkout and in the classic checkout. Under it: the payment terms, the due date of an order placed today, the available credit and the PO number field.

When the order does not fit (above the available credit, an overdue invoice, account on hold), the method is not offered and a short note says why: above the payment methods in the classic checkout, in the order summary of the block checkout. The server checks the account and the credit again when the order is placed, so a forged request cannot place an order on invoice.

The order gets the status you chose (Processing or On hold) and stock is reduced as usual. The thank-you page, My Account and the order e-mails show "Payment terms: Net 30, due ..." and the PO number.

My Account > Credit account

The customer sees the credit limit, balance, available credit and overdue amount, the payment terms, and the invoices (Open, Paid, All) with the due date, the amount still to pay and the status. Pay now opens the normal "pay for order" page with your other payment methods. Print statement opens a printable statement.

Customers without an account see the application form.

WooCommerce > Net terms

• Receivables: outstanding and overdue totals, accounts on hold, waiting applications, the aging bar and the largest balances. "Run now" runs the daily reminders and holds at once.
• Invoices: Open, Overdue, Paid, Void and All, search by order number, company, e-mail or PO number, CSV export.
• Accounts: every customer with an account or an invoice, with terms, limit, balance, available credit and overdue amount; Statement and Edit per customer; Open a credit account for any customer.
• Applications: approve with a limit and terms (empty = the defaults) or decline with a reason; the customer is e-mailed.
• Aging report: open amounts per customer in Current, 1-30, 31-60, 61-90 and 90+ days, with totals and CSV export.

On the order

The Net terms invoice box shows the state, terms, due date, PO number, amount, paid and to pay.

• Record payment: amount (the open amount is filled in; more than the open amount is capped), date, method and reference. When the invoice is paid in full it closes and the order gets a note.
• × next to a payment removes it (for example a wrong amount).
• Send reminder now e-mails the customer at once.
• Change the due date or the PO number and click Update.

Orders you create in the admin with "Pay on invoice (net terms)" as payment method become invoices with the customer's terms when you save them.

Cancelled, failed and fully refunded orders become void and no longer count in the balance. A part refund lowers the amount to pay.

Reminder e-mail

FAQ

Who sees "Pay on invoice"?

Only signed-in customers with an approved account whose order fits the available credit, or, if you allow it, orders held for credit review. Guests never see it.

How is the available credit calculated?

Credit limit minus the open amount of all open invoices of the customer (orders paid on invoice that are not paid, cancelled or refunded). Orders held for credit review count too.

What does "no limit" mean?

A credit limit of 0 means the customer can order any amount on invoice. The other checks (account on hold, overdue invoices) still apply.

Can a customer pay part of an invoice online?

No. Online the whole open amount is paid. Part payments (for example a bank transfer of half the amount) are recorded by you on the order. After a part payment the "Pay now" button is not shown any more.

Which payment methods can pay an invoice online?

Every payment method of your store that works on the "pay for order" page, for example card or PayPal gateways. Cash on delivery and "Pay on invoice" itself are not useful there. The payment is recorded when the gateway reports it as complete.

Does the plugin create PDF invoices or credit notes?

No. Use your invoice plugin (for example our EU E-Invoicing for WooCommerce) or your accounting software. The order holds the terms, due date, PO number and payments.

What happens when a customer's role changes?

Accounts by role follow the role. A status set on the customer's profile (Approved, On hold, Declined) stays until you change it.

Do reminders go out when WP-Cron is off?

The daily job runs through WooCommerce's Action Scheduler, which needs WP-Cron or a server cron that calls wp-cron.php. You can also run it by hand: WooCommerce > Net terms > Receivables > Run now.

Is it compatible with HPOS and the block checkout?

Yes, both are declared and tested, and so are the legacy order storage and the classic checkout.

What happens without an active licence?

New orders on invoice and applications are not offered. Everything you already have keeps working: invoices, payments, reminders, statements and the admin screens.

What is removed when I delete the plugin?

The licence state and the daily job always; the settings, credit accounts and applications only with Remove data on uninstall. Orders and their invoice details are never touched.