Payments Received

Payments Received

What it is: Money received against invoices.

Overview

Works out the smallest useful Payments Received setup for the business in front of it, then builds it only when asked. The default output is a short recommendation, not a spreadsheet. Artifacts - CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, Notion mapping - are produced on request, from one field list so they cannot drift apart.

Layer: Layer 8: Operate. Fits: Starter stage. Table code: n/a.

When to Use This Skill

• payments received log
• payment tracker
• money received register
• receipts log

Also use it when the user says "money received against invoices", or describes the same process happening in a spreadsheet, a document or someone inboxes.

Do not use it for: payroll calculation, tax filing, or legal advice. This skill produces empty templates only - it never holds or processes real employee or customer data.

How It Works

Follow the shared execution contract. The module-specific rules below define only domain fields, decisions, calculations, and safety constraints.

Step 1 - Identify intent

Read the request and pick the intent before asking anything.

• "set up" or "build" or "create" -> the user wants artifacts; go to Step 2.
• "our process is ..." or "it is in a sheet" -> the user wants to move an existing process; capture it, then Step 2.
• "is this right" or "review" or "audit" -> the user wants a check, not a build; answer from what they share.
• "how do I ..." -> advice question; answer directly and offer the build only if it helps.

Ask only if this is the highest-value missing fact; otherwise proceed without an opener:

Q: How do you receive payments today?

Step 2 - Ask only what is missing

Skip anything the user already answered, in any earlier message. Ask the rest one at a time, and stop as soon as the remaining answers would not change the output.

• Receipts - How many per month? / Bank transfer mostly? / Anything else?
• Matching - How matched to invoices? / Bank feed or manual? / Who does it?
• Reconciliation - How often reconciled? / Accounts receivable or not? / Disputes handled how?
• Current process - What is in place? / Accounting package? / Is it reconciled monthly?
• Outcome - What do you need? / A receipts log, a reconciliation view or both?

Never invent an answer. If the user does not know, record it as unknown and carry on.

Step 3 - Hold the internal context

Hold the answers in this shape. It stays internal - it is not shown to the user unless they ask, and it never carries a value the user did not give.

module: payments-received
intent: null            # setup | advice | review | fix | build | convert | export
scale: null             # Starter | Growth | Scale, only if the answer changes it
areas:
  "Receipts": null
  "Matching": null
  "Reconciliation": null
  "Current process": null
  "Outcome": null
requested_outputs: []   # csv | sql | json | notion | xlsx - requested formats only
confirmed_facts: []     # only what the user actually said
open_questions: []      # the unanswered ones, in the order worth asking

Step 4 - Recommend the smallest workflow

If an artifact was requested, build it after resolving essential missing facts. Otherwise give a short recommendation and offer the relevant artifact.

Recommended approach: Keep a receipts log matched to an invoice, and treat the bank statement as the source rather than re-keying both sides.

Why this one: Reconciliation is the control that matters. If every payment is matched to an invoice number, the rest is reporting.

Workflow: Payment received → Matched to invoice → Recorded → Reconciled → Disputed if unmatched

Step 5 - Build only on request

Once the user asks for it, derive the fields from the confirmed context and emit the requested artifacts. For machine-readable text, keep prose outside the data; for files, provide a usable link. Report material validation failures or limitations separately.

A selected Notion output is rendered by notion-manual-import, so route the Notion step there. When the user selects Notion, hand that step to @notion-manual-import: it holds the CSV, the property mapping, the import steps and the verification checklist, and it renders the Field Reference below instead of defining a table of its own. Do not restate the mapping here and do not improvise the import steps. Manual CSV and mapping outputs need no connection. For requested workspace changes, follow the shared contract: verify actual tool access and the target before writing. A user saying "connected" is not tool evidence. Never ask for a Notion password or token.

For an Excel-compatible CSV, use UTF-8 with a byte order mark so Excel opens the text correctly. A CSV is not an .xlsx workbook; create .xlsx only when the user requests a workbook. A CSV carries no types, so after it, name the columns that need a number, date or currency format applied.

Payment Reference,Client,Invoice,Amount,Currency,Payment Date,Payment Method,Withholding Tax Deducted,Bank Account,Received By,Receipt Sent,Notes,Payment ID
PAY-2210,Northwind Traders,INV-1041,45000.00,INR,2026-01-15,Bank Transfer,2700.00,HDFC ****4412,Sneha Iyer,FALSE,"February receipts posted late because the client paid in the wrong month.",

CREATE TABLE payments_received (
  payment_reference VARCHAR(255),
  client VARCHAR(255),
  invoice VARCHAR(255),  -- relation -> target record
  amount NUMERIC(14,2) NOT NULL,
  currency VARCHAR(255),
  payment_date DATE NOT NULL,
  payment_method VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
  withholding_tax_deducted NUMERIC(14,2) NOT NULL,
  bank_account VARCHAR(255),
  received_by VARCHAR(255),
  receipt_sent BOOLEAN NOT NULL,
  notes TEXT,
  payment_id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW()
);

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "title": "Payments Received",
  "type": "object",
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "properties": {
      "Payment Reference": { "type": "string" },
      "Client": { "type": "string" },
      "Invoice": { "type": "string" },
      "Amount": { "type": "number" },
      "Currency": { "type": "string" },
      "Payment Date": { "type": "string", "format": "date" },
      "Payment Method": { "type": "string" },
      "Withholding Tax Deducted": { "type": "number" },
      "Bank Account": { "type": "string" },
      "Received By": { "type": "string" },
      "Receipt Sent": { "type": "boolean" },
      "Notes": { "type": "string" },
      "Payment ID": { "type": "integer" }
  },
  "required": [
      "Amount",
      "Payment Date",
      "Payment Method",
      "Withholding Tax Deducted"
  ]
}

| CSV column | Notion property | Set after import |
|---|---|---|
| Payment Reference | Title | Use as the database title |
| Client | Text | Leave as Text |
| Invoice | Relation (link to the target database) | Convert to Relation, link to the target database |
| Amount | Number (format: currency) | Convert to Number, set format to Currency |
| Currency | Text | Leave as Text |
| Payment Date | Date | Convert to Date |
| Payment Method | Select (add options after import) | Convert to Select, add options: "Bank Transfer", "UPI", "Card", "Cash", "Cheque", "NEFT/RTGS" |
| Withholding Tax Deducted | Number (format: currency) | Convert to Number, set format to Currency |
| Bank Account | Text | Leave as Text |
| Received By | Text | Leave as Text |
| Receipt Sent | Checkbox | Convert to Checkbox |
| Notes | Text | Leave as Text |
| Payment ID | Text (preserve source ID) | Keep imported IDs as Text; optionally add a separate Unique ID property |

The rows above are documentation examples only. Emit empty templates unless the user explicitly requests examples. Money stays currency, dates stay date, and anything pointing at another table stays relation.

Field Reference