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Invoice Settings

Account Credit Limit, then On Hold when they go over

Last updated: 27 August 2026

This is the Account Credit Limit block on Invoice Settings, plus the same field on the customer. It is not a separate credit-control product and it does not raise invoices or credits. It writes a number, compares it to unpaid work, and can tick the On Hold box the office already uses next to Ceased Trading and Cash Only.

A hold the system puts on because the limit was exceeded can come off again when the unpaid total drops. A hold you tick yourself is stamped manual. The system will not clear that one, even if they pay the lot.

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Invoice Settings, Account Credit Limit: Default Credit Limit field and the auto-hold checkbox

Invoice Settings holds the company default

Open Invoice Settings and find Account Credit Limit. Default Credit Limit is the figure every customer inherits if their own field is blank. Leave it at 0 if you only want a limit on a few accounts. 0 means no default limit.

The checkbox under it is labelled Automatically place customers on hold when they exceed their credit limit. That starts on. Switch it off and the Credit chip can still go red. The system will not tick On Hold for you.

On the customer record the same field is labelled Account Credit Limit. The help text is the live one: Customer auto-goes on hold when outstanding invoices exceed this. Blank = use default setting. 0 = no limit. Type 5000 for that customer and they ignore the company default. Clear the field and they go back to inheriting it.

The Credit chip only appears when there is a limit

If the effective limit is greater than 0, the customer header shows a chip labelled Credit. The value is used / limit in your company currency, plus a percent badge. Hover it and the tooltip says how much of the limit is used.

Green stays under 80%. Amber starts at 80%. Red is when they have gone over. There is no chip that reads No limit. If the effective figure is 0, that chip is simply not there. Outstanding and Overdue sit next to it either way. Those two chips are invoice stats, not this hold engine.

Customer header Credit chip showing used versus limit and percent

A tick you make is not the same as a credit hold

Tick On Hold yourself and it is treated as a manual hold. Paying the invoices, raising a credit, or lifting the limit will not clear it. Someone in the office has to untick the box. Untick it while they are still over the limit and auto-hold can put them back on, unless you turned that checkbox off.

When the system puts them on hold for the limit, the badge reads ON HOLD CREDIT LIMIT EXCEEDED. A hold you set by hand just says ON HOLD, same as a cash-only or ceased-trading flag. The Live Feed line for an automatic hold is was put ON HOLD (credit limit exceeded). That write is stamped as the system, not the last admin who opened the record.

Customer record badge reading ON HOLD CREDIT LIMIT EXCEEDED

Outstanding for the hold is not the same as the reports

The hold adds the gross of invoices that are not deleted and not marked paid. It then subtracts credit notes that are not deleted, not void, and not allocated to an invoice. It does not require the invoice to be issued. It does not use the credited-total field the reports use.

Customers On Hold and Customer Credit Exposure add issued unpaid invoices, then subtract the credited total on those invoices. Those report figures can disagree with the Credit chip. If you are arguing about a hold, trust the chip and the unpaid invoices on the customer, not the report row.

The hold is refreshed when someone looks, not on every invoice save

Raising an invoice does not flip On Hold in that same save. The check runs when you open the customer, save the customer, change Account Credit Limit, untick On Hold, or hit Add Job from that customer. After a payment or a credit lands, open the customer again. If they are back under the limit and the hold was a credit one, it can come off there.

That is why a planner can raise an invoice and book the next job in the same minute without seeing the hold yet. Open the customer first if you need the flag to be current.

Add Job from the customer shows a warning, then Proceed Anyway

Add Job from the customer opens a Customer Warnings panel. The line is CUSTOMER ON HOLD - Review before proceeding with work. The button is Proceed Anyway. That is the normal path.

Creating a job on the customer page itself is stricter. That path says Customer is on hold. Job creation blocked unless overridden. Engineers see CUSTOMER ON HOLD - Contact office before proceeding. Raising a quote is not stopped by this feature. There is no Quote Options switch that blocks a new quote because the account is on hold.

Add Job Customer Warnings panel with Proceed Anyway on an on-hold customer

Other screens that already read On Hold

Invoice Settings has Skip when customer is on hold on recurring invoices. That starts on. The plan stays on the same due date. Generate Now still works. Quote Options has an On Hold chase skip, labelled Account temporarily frozen, also on by default. PPM Checks Setup can pause PPM and inspection contracts when the customer is On Hold. That is usually on too.

The customer portal still shows invoices. Pay Now still works if you have it set up. A hold does not hide the bill or the payment link. Paying it down, or raising an unallocated credit note, is how a credit hold comes off on the next customer open. This page is not a credit-note product. Raise those from invoicing.

Frequently asked questions

What is customer credit control software in Field Ascend?

It is the credit limit and on-hold engine on the customer record. You set a company default, optionally override it per customer, and Field Ascend can place that customer on hold when unpaid invoices exceed the effective limit.

How is outstanding calculated?

The hold adds unpaid invoice gross where paid is empty, then subtracts unallocated credit notes. Deleted invoices and voided credits are left out. Status does not have to be issued. The Customers On Hold and Customer Credit Exposure reports use a different sum, so those totals can disagree with the Credit chip.

What does a credit limit of 0 mean?

Zero means no limit. Customers with no individual override inherit the company default. If that default is also 0, Field Ascend will not auto-hold them for credit reasons.

What is the difference between a manual hold and a credit-limit hold?

A manual hold is set by an admin ticking On Hold. The system never clears it. A credit-limit hold is set when outstanding goes over the limit. That hold can clear on its own once outstanding drops back under the limit, or if the limit is raised or removed.

Does a credit hold stop new jobs?

Add Job from the customer shows Customer Warnings and Proceed Anyway. Jobs started on the customer page itself are refused unless overridden. Engineers are told to contact the office. Raising a quote is not stopped. Quote chase emails can skip on-hold customers.

When does the hold update after a payment?

The hold is recalculated when you open the customer, save the credit limit, untick On Hold, or use Add Job from that customer. It is not rewritten on every invoice save. After a payment lands, open the customer again and the credit-limit hold can come off if they are back under the limit.

Does this replace credit notes or customer statements?

No. An unallocated credit note reduces the outstanding used by the hold. Customer statements show the account history. This page is the limit and the hold only. Raise credits from invoicing.

How much does Field Ascend cost?

Field Ascend starts from £10 per user per month with this credit control included. See the Field Ascend pricing page for the current plan.

Put a written limit on the accounts that run a tab

Set the company default, override the exceptions, and let a credit-limit hold use the same On Hold path your office already knows.

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