Advance 5,000, balance later

22 February 2025, a man from Hiran Magri, Udaipur, put 5,000 cash on my counter.

He wanted a phone that was not in my shop. Purple colour. I had to call wholesaler in Ahmedabad side contact.

He said book it. I will take next week. Balance at delivery.

I opened invoice page like a fool. Full bill. Full amount 18,999. Paid 5,000. Looks neat.

My hand stopped. Phone not here. Sale not finished. If I give invoice, my stock book will cry.

Invoice means goods moved, or at least the sale is done in the head of accounts.

This was only booking.

Advance 5,000, what actually happened

I closed invoice. Opened proforma invoice on BillOnDesk.

I wrote the phone model, colour purple, rate 18,999. Advance received 5,000. Balance 13,999. Note: goods not delivered. Booking.

DRAFT / ESTIMATE on it. Good. I am not GSTN. This is not a final tax invoice.

He took PDF. He also took a payment receipt for the 5,000 so his wife know where cash went.

Two papers. Proforma for the deal. Receipt for the money.

Next week phone came. He paid balance on UPI. Then I made the real invoice. Different number.

Proforma was PF-UDP-007. Invoice was INV-UDP-112.

I did not rename the same PDF title. I made new paper. New date. Paid in full.

If he had cancelled, I had a rule. Advance return minus 500 if I already ordered. I wrote that on proforma note.

He didn't cancel. Clean.

I used to take advance in notebook only. "5000 purple phone". Then fight on colour. He said he said blue. Notebook had purple. His memory had blue.

Proforma with colour written save that. He signed a print. I kept shop copy.

August 2026 I still do this for any booking above 2,000.

Small 200 rupee advance on a cover I don't make proforma. I put in notebook. If I forget, I lose 200. Okay.

Phone, laptop, big repair, I make proforma.

What people mix.

They call proforma as bill. They call advance as full payment. They call quotation as proforma.

Quotation is rate, maybe no money.

Proforma is I am showing the bill shape, often with advance.

Invoice is the actual bill after.

Quotation maker I use when they only ask price.

Proforma when money come and item still coming.

A hotel in Fatehsagar wanted 6 power banks. They sent 5,000 advance on UPI. Rest later.

I sent proforma on mail. They paid rest. I sent invoice. Hotel accounts said this is correct. First time a hotel uncle said I am correct. I remember.

Another customer, a tourist, paid 5,000, took a box that was dummy display. I should not have given dummy. That is another mistake. Paper was proforma. He thought invoice. He went to bus stand. I ran. Got the dummy back. Gave him tea. Shame.

Don't give goods on proforma if the paper say goods not delivered. And don't give dummy as real.

Udaipur tourist season make brain slow. Write the paper. Read the paper. Then hand the box.

If advance is 5,000 and total is 5,000, then it is not advance. It is full pay. Then invoice. Don't use proforma for a completed small sale.

Proforma is for later.

Balance later must be on the paper. 13,999 due. Mode later. Don't hide due.

If I hide due, customer think he paid full. Then at delivery he shout.

How I make the proforma for advance

I show due in bold in the note. Balance due on delivery.

I also write account of advance. Cash. Date. If UPI, last 4 of UPI ref if I can see.

When final invoice come, I write less advance 5,000, then net payable.

Some CA want that. My CA in Udaipur said yes, show it.

I am not CA. BillOnDesk is not CA. I copy the habit that didn't get me scolded.

GST on proforma. I put estimated 18 percent so the 18,999 is not a shock later.

I write tax extra or tax included, whatever I actually will do on final. Same.

If final invoice tax different, I have to explain. Better match.

Don't collect GST in advance in a confused way if you don't know. Ask CA. I asked. He said for my size, take advance as advance, tax on final invoice. I followed. Your CA may say other. Ask yours.

I don't invent.

Cancellation. One girl booked a phone, 5,000, then her father bought from Reliance.

She wanted full 5,000 back. I had already ordered. I deducted 500 as I wrote. She cried. I showed the proforma note. She paid 500 loss. Her father came and paid the 500 extra and took the phone himself. Family drama. Paper held me.

Without note, I would have returned 5,000 and eaten wholesaler cost.

Write the condition when head is cool. Not when they cancel.

I keep proforma series separate. PF. Not INV.

If I use INV for booking, my numbers jump and goods didn't go. Month end stock vs bills, CA make a face.

Face of CA is expensive.

Print two copies. Customer. Shop. Same as invoice habit.

If they only want WhatsApp, I still print shop copy.

Tab close problem. I save PDF as PF-UDP-007 in phone.

Purple phone man, he came in August 2026 for a cover. He said that 5,000 paper helped his family meeting. They saw remaining money. They planned.

So proforma is also for their home. Not only for me.

I tell customers, this is not the final bill. Don't give this to accounts as purchase bill.

Hotel almost did that once. I called their uncle. Stop. Final invoice will come.

He said okay. Close.

Draft watermark stay. I don't remove to look final. Final is the later invoice.

If someone ask, remove DRAFT from proforma so bank release loan. I say no.

I don't help that. Bank should see what it is. Booking paper.

Not my job to dress a booking as a sold invoice.

Shop in a town, people will put 5,000 and talk sweet. Paper must stay strict. Sweet talk disappear. PDF remain.

I still take 5,000 in a steel box under counter, not mix with daily cover money, until the phone is ordered.

When ordered, I move. Mental account. Small shop jugaad. Proforma is the written jugaad.

If wholesaler delay, I message customer. I don't hide. I don't keep 5,000 and silence.

Silence is how police complaint start. Message is cheap.

The Hiran Magri man got his purple phone. He paid balance. I made simple invoice that day because he didn't need GST column. He was a person, not a company.

If he was a company, GST draft after delivery.

Right paper after right event.

Advance 5,000 is not a sale. It is a promise with money.

Write it like that. Then sleep.