# Let trusted customers pay later on Net 30

URL: https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/net-terms

Let trusted B2B customers order now and pay later: turn on Pay on Account for their group, set credit limits and Net 30 terms, and choose how to invoice.

> **Quick summary**
>
> - You'll end up with trusted customers who can choose **Pay on Account** at checkout, within a credit limit, on terms such as Net 30. They see their balance, limit and terms in My Account.
> - Allow about 30 minutes, plus a minute for each customer you give terms to.
> - Pay on Account, credit limits and net terms are on every plan. [SparkLayer Invoices](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/invoices.md) needs the Growth plan or above.
> - Works on every platform. Credit limits and terms live in a customer [metafield](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/glossary.md#metafields); on Shopify, SparkLayer adds it for you.

[Net terms](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/glossary.md#net-terms) are the number of days a customer has to pay for an order they didn't pay for at checkout, such as 30 days on Net 30. There are 2 ways to pay later. **Pay on Account** charges the order to the customer's account, within their credit limit and on their net terms. **Pay by Invoice** lets them order without payment details, and you invoice them. Credit limits only apply to Pay on Account. See [Which method to offer](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/payment-methods.md#which-method-to-offer). 

## Before you start

- **Which customers get terms**, their credit limits and their terms, such as Net 30.
- **How you'll invoice them**: SparkLayer Invoices, your store, your own invoice files or an app. See [Choose how to send invoices](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#choose-how-to-send-invoices).
- **Access to edit customers** in your store admin, where the terms are stored.

## Set it up

### Step 1. Put trusted customers in their own group

Optional, but it keeps card-only customers separate. Go to **Customers > Groups** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/groups)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers > Customer groups** in the Shopify app, click **Create customer group**, name it, for example "Trade 30 days", and add the customers to it. See [Create a customer group](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups.md#create-a-customer-group).

### Step 2. Turn on Pay on Account for the group

Open the group, click **Override** next to **Payment methods** (on the Base group, **Customize**), tick **Payment on account** and click **Save**. Keep **Card at checkout** ticked if they can also pay by card.

See [Choose which payment methods a customer group can use](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/payment-methods.md#choose-which-payment-methods-a-customer-group-can-use). [Take the 1-minute tour](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups?tour).

### Step 3. Add the payment on account metafield

Credit limits, balances and net terms all live in one customer metafield, **Credit Limit and Account Balance** (`sparklayer.payment_on_account`). You add it once.

**Shopify only:**

Go to **Integrations > Platform** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/configuration/integrations/platform)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Integrations > Platform** in the Shopify app. In the **Metafields** card, click **Configure** next to **SparkLayer metafields** and enable it. See [Add metafields automatically](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/platforms/shopify/metafields.md#add-metafields-automatically).

**BigCommerce and Wix and WooCommerce and Magento only:**

Ask your developer to add it, using the settings in [The payment on account metafield](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#the-payment-on-account-metafield) and the [developer docs](https://docs.sparklayer.io/developers.md).

### Step 4. Set each customer's credit limit and terms

Fill in the form with the customer's limit and terms, and copy the value it writes. For a 1,000 credit limit on Net 30, it's `{"credit_limit":1000,"net_terms":"30_days"}`. Then open the customer in your store admin, paste the value into the metafield and save.

**Lots of customers? Fill them in one table (Shopify):** in your Shopify admin, go to **Customers**, tick the customers and click **Edit customers**. Click **Columns**, tick **Credit Limit and Account Balance** under **Metafields**, type the values and click **Save**. See [Shopify's guide](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metafields/bulk-edit-metafields).

Terms can be 7, 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90 days. To add an opening balance, or a currency, see [Set a credit limit and account balance](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#set-a-credit-limit-and-account-balance) and [Set net payment terms](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#set-net-payment-terms).

**Example: $250 to spend**

Available credit is the `credit_limit` minus the `balance`, which is what the customer owes you. To give them $250 to spend, enter `{"credit_limit":250,"balance":0}`. After a $77.80 Pay on Account order, the balance is 77.80 and they have $172.20 left. Don't set `balance` to 250: that means they've already used it all. See [Worked example](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#worked-example).

**More detail**

By default, a customer can't pay on account for an order over their credit limit. To allow it, see [Let customers order over their credit limit](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#let-customers-order-over-their-credit-limit).

### Step 5. Decide what happens to their orders

**Shopify only:**

Pay on Account orders arrive in Shopify as draft orders, with **Payment terms** and a due date filled in, such as "Payment due on 19 June 2023 (Net 30)". To complete them automatically and collect payment later, turn on **Auto-complete draft orders** at **Integrations > Platform > Shopify order actions** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/configuration/integrations/platform)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Integrations > Platform > Shopify order actions** in the Shopify app. See [Process your B2B orders in Shopify](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/process-orders-in-shopify.md).

**BigCommerce and Wix and WooCommerce and Magento only:**

Orders are placed without payment details, and you collect payment later. On Wix, they arrive with a payment status of "UNPAID": mark them as paid once you've been paid. See [How orders arrive in your store](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/payment-methods.md#how-orders-arrive).

### Step 6. Choose how to send invoices

To let customers download a PDF invoice from My Account, turn on **Invoices** at **Settings > Configurations > Quotes and invoices** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/configuration/settings/general)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Settings > Configurations > Quotes and invoices** in the Shopify app (Growth plan and above). Add your bank details with **Invoice Settings**. See [Turn on invoices](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/invoices.md#turn-on-invoices). [Take the 1-minute tour](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/dashboard/settings?tour).

An invoice is created once the order reaches **Processing**, so draft orders get one when they're completed. For other ways to invoice, see [Choose how to send invoices](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#choose-how-to-send-invoices).

## Check it worked

- **In SparkLayer**, open the customer at **Customers** in the SparkLayer Dashboard ([open](https://app.sparklayer.io/customers/list)), or **SparkLayer Wholesale > Customers** in the Shopify app. Under **Financial details**, **Payment on account** shows their **Credit limit** and **Net terms**.
- **In My Account**, signed in as the customer, **Financials** shows their balance, credit limit and payment terms.
- **At checkout**, **Pay on Account** is offered. Place a small test order with it.
- **In your store**, the order arrives unpaid, with its terms. On Shopify, it's a draft order with **Payment due later** ticked.

## If something's not right

- **Only card payment shows at checkout.** Check the group allows **Payment on account**. See [Payment methods](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/customers/customer-groups.md#choose-payment-methods).
- **Pay on Account is blocked for a customer you've just given credit.** Check their `balance` is 0, not the same as their limit. See [Worked example](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#worked-example).
- **Pay on Account disappears for a large order.** The order would take them over their credit limit. See [What happens when a customer goes over their credit limit?](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/credit-net-terms-and-invoicing.md#what-happens-when-a-customer-goes-over-their-credit-limit)
- **The balance in the metafield doesn't change.** That's expected: SparkLayer works out the live balance itself. See [Why is the "Payment on Account" metafield not updating?](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/payment-methods.md#why-is-the-payment-on-account-metafield-not-updating)
- **An order has no invoice.** Draft orders and orders awaiting approval get one once they're completed. See [When invoices are available](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/invoices.md#when-invoices-are-available).

## Next steps

- [How payments work](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/how-payments-work.md): Follow each payment method from checkout to payment
- [Process your B2B orders in Shopify](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/process-orders-in-shopify.md): Complete drafts, take payment and send invoices
- [Give a key account their own prices](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/key-account-prices.md): Set different prices for your best customers
- [Get B2B tax and VAT right](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/guides/tax-and-vat.md): Make sure tax is charged once, at checkout