Credit Limits & Portal
The credit limit is an advisory figure on the customer page — it never blocks an invoice. Portal access is granted from the customer's More menu and sends the customer an invitation by email.
Two customer-level controls that are often assumed to do more than they do. The credit limit is a number you record and read; it does not stop anyone from invoicing. Portal access is an invitation you send from the customer page.
The credit limit
Set Credit Limit on the customer record (Edit details). It is stored against the customer and read back in two places on the customer page.
| Where | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Overview → Credit available | The credit limit minus the outstanding balance as at the selected date. Shown only when a credit limit is set on the record. |
| Details → Credit limit | The limit itself, formatted in the customer's currency. Blank when no limit is recorded. |
Nothing in the invoice form reads the credit limit. There is no warning banner, no approval step and no block when an invoice would take a customer past their limit. If credit control matters to your business, the limit is a figure for a person to check on the customer page before invoicing — treat it as information, not as an enforced control.
When the outstanding balance exceeds the limit, Credit available goes negative. That is the signal to look for; it is calculated from the same as-at balance the rest of the Overview uses, so it moves as receipts are applied.
Portal access
The customer portal is a read-only view of a customer's own record. It is granted per customer, and only customers — vendors have no portal entry.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Open the customer | Sales → Customers → the customer. |
| More → Provision portal access | The menu item appears on customer records only. |
| Trabalance sends the invitation | A portal invitation is emailed to the customer. The confirmation toast reads "Portal invitation sent" and names the address it went to. |
The portal shows the customer their own record — their documents and balances. It is a viewing surface: the customer reads, they do not post. Nothing a customer does in the portal writes to your ledger.
Related
- Recording the limit and the rest of the customer record: Creating a customer.
- Where the balance the limit is measured against comes from: Customer detail & aging.
- Starting balances for a customer you are migrating in: Opening balances.