Payments Tab in Sparkforge Calendars: Track and Collect
The Payments tab on a Sparkforge appointment centralizes balances, attendee-level payment status, transactions, and a Collect Payment action. Enable Accept Payments on the calendar to activate it.
The Payments tab on the appointment modal centralizes payment tracking and collection for any booking. View balances, attendee statuses, transactions, and collect remaining amounts in one place.
Key Benefits
- Single source of truth: Appointment-level amounts, attendees, and transactions in one place.
- Faster collections: Trigger Collect Payment from the modal to charge a card or record an offline payment.
- Attendee clarity: See who paid, partially paid, or still owes — ideal for Add Guests bookings.
- Discount visibility: Coupon use and adjusted totals appear in the summary and transactions.
- Cleaner bookkeeping: A linked Order is created automatically when calendar payments are enabled.
Key Features
Payment Summary
- Amount Paid: Total collected for the appointment.
- Remaining Balance: Pending amount.
- Total Amount: Cost after discounts and coupons.
Attendee-Wise Payment Details
Each attendee (Booker plus Guests) shows status:
- Paid: Full payment received.
- Partially Paid: Some amount pending.
- Remaining: Outstanding balance.
Transaction History
The full list of transactions tied to the appointment.
Collect Remaining Payments
If a balance is due, click Collect Payment:
- Charge a Card: Process credit/debit payments directly.
- Record Manually: Mark payments collected outside the system (cash, check, etc.).
How Payments Work Behind the Scenes
- Enabling payments on a calendar auto-creates a linked product in the Products tab with a Calendar tag.
- Calendar-linked products cannot be deleted directly from the Products tab.
- An order is automatically created when an appointment is booked, visible in the Orders tab.
Common Payment Scenarios
| Scenario | Setup or Action | What You See |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in full at booking | Enable Accept Payments on the calendar; book normally | Amount Paid equals Total; attendee statuses Paid; transactions show charges |
| Deposit (partial payment) | Enable Partial Payment/Deposit; collect deposit at booking | Remaining Balance shows due; collect later via Collect Payment to mark Paid |
| Coupon applied | Enable Coupon Codes; customer enters code on widget | Discount (Coupon) line; Total reflects discount; transactions on discounted total |
| Add Guests post-booking | Edit appointment, add guests, collect per attendee | Initial booking order; new orders may be created when Collect Payment for Guest is on |
| Recurring — first only | Collect only for first occurrence on the widget | First appointment shows payment; later occurrences show balances due |
| Recurring — all occurrences | Collect for all occurrences on the widget | Series total collected upfront; record shows full paid total |
How to Use the Payments Tab
Enable Payments on a Calendar
- Go to Calendars → Settings and edit the calendar.
- Toggle Accept Payments. Sparkforge auto-creates a Product tagged Calendar.
- Optionally toggle Coupon Code to add a coupon field on the widget.
- Optionally configure Partial Payment/Deposit rules.
- For recurring bookings, choose First Appointment Only or All Appointments on the widget.
Find the Payments Tab
- Go to Calendars → Appointments.
- Open any appointment.
- Click Payments.
Collect or Log a Payment
- Open the appointment and go to Payments.
- Click Collect Payment and choose Charge a Card or Record Manually.
- Complete the fields and save.
- Confirm Amount Paid, Remaining Balance, and attendee statuses update.
Limitations
- Not supported for bookings on the older Service Menu (v1).
- Not supported for custom recurring appointments created via the in-app modal.
- Group bookings: one order is created at initial booking for the full group.
- Editing an appointment to add guests with Collect Payment for Guest enabled can create a new order on each save. Plan edits carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do coupon discounts show after booking?
On the appointment's Payments tab. The Payment Summary shows Discount (Coupon) and the Total after discount. Transaction History shows charges against the discounted total.
Can I refund a charge from the Payments tab?
Refunds are managed in Payments → Transactions or via your gateway (e.g., PayPal). Once refunded, the appointment's Transaction History reflects the refund.
Does PayPal work with the Payments tab?
Yes. PayPal transactions collected via the booking widget appear in Transaction History tied to the appointment's order.
How do recurring series charges display?
Collecting for the first appointment only shows balances due on later instances. Collecting for all appointments shows the total paid upfront on the initial booking.
Why is the Payments tab missing on my calendar?
Accept Payments must be toggled on for the calendar. Open Calendars → Settings and enable it to activate the tab.
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