Enable and Configure the Retainer Feature

To use DPS’s Retainer feature, you must enable it and set up a retainer account for each accounts receivable category your company uses.

While retainers are sometimes treated as accounts receivable, it is a good practice to set up retainer accounts as liability (2xx.xx) accounts, to conform with generally-accepted accounting principles.

To enable and set up the Retainer feature:

1. From the Navigation menu, click Settings > Advanced Accounting > System in the desktop application.
2. On the General tab of the Accounting System Settings form, click Enable Retainers.
3. Click Save.
4. From the Navigation menu, click Settings > Accounting > Chart of Accounts in the browser application.
5. On the Accounts form, add a retainer account for each accounts receivable account in your chart of accounts. If you use only one accounts receivable account, add only one retainer account.
6. On the Invoice Mapping Accounts tab of Settings > Accounting > Accounts Receivable in the desktop application, map the retainer accounts to accounts receivable accounts:
   1. Enter the number of the new retainer account in the Invoice Account field. If you use only one retainer account, enter it in the Invoice Account field and leave the other fields blank.
   2. Enter the accounts receivable account in the AR Account field.
   3. In the AR Column field, select the column in which the retainer offset will appear on the Accounts Receivable Ledger report. Leave the other two columns blank.
7. Click Save.