Payment terms
in Odoo
Payment terms set each invoice's due date - and therefore when the money should come in. Configured well, your collections become predictable. Configured poorly, your cash flow gets blurry. Here's how to set them up, the most useful cases, and their direct impact on your forecast.
In Odoo, every invoice carries a due date. You don't type it in: Odoo computes it from the payment term attached to the invoice (or inherited from the customer) and the invoice date. It's a small configuration detail, yet it's the building block of any cash-flow forecast: if your payment terms reflect reality, so do your collection dates.
Where to configure payment terms
Everything happens in the Accounting or Invoicing app. The exact path may vary slightly with your Odoo version.
Open configuration
Accounting (or Invoicing) → Configuration → Payment Terms, then "New".
Name the term
A clear, telling label, for example "30 days end of month" or "30% deposit + 60-day balance".
Add the due lines
One or more lines: the share (percent or balance) and the timing (days, end of month, days after end of month). Save.
Each due line combines two settings:
- The share to pay: a percent (e.g. 30%), a fixed amount, or the remaining balance.
- How the date is computed: a number of days after the invoice date, an end of month due date, or a number of days after end of month (and, depending on the version, a specific day of the month, e.g. the 10th).
By combining several lines you can model complex schedules (deposit, balance, instalments) that Odoo will split automatically across the invoice.
The most useful cases
Six payment terms that cover the vast majority of needs.
Immediate payment
A single "balance" line due at 0 days. The invoice is due the same day: perfect for cash sales or prepayment.
Net 30 / 45 / 60
Balance due 30 (or 45, 60) days after the invoice date. The B2B classic.
30 days end of month
Due date pushed to the end of the month, +30 days - and, depending on the version, pinned to a specific day ("the 10th"). Very common in France.
Deposit + balance
Two lines: 30% due on order, then the balance in 60 days. Odoo splits the amount automatically.
Pay in 3 instalments
Three lines of ~33% at 30, 60 and 90 days to spread a large amount.
Early payment discount
Since Odoo 16, an early payment discount (e.g. 2% if paid within 10 days) nudges customers to pay sooner.
The tip that makes it all reliable: set a default per customer
Instead of picking the payment term on every invoice, set it once on the customer record: Sales & Purchase tab → Payment Terms. All their future invoices and orders inherit it automatically.
The result: your due dates no longer depend on a forgettable manual choice. Each customer behaves the way you expect, and your collection dates become reliable by design - the prerequisite for a forecast that actually holds up.
Where Odoo stops - and what Dafodoo adds
Payment terms give you the due date. On their own, they don't give you a cash-flow forecast.
With Odoo alone
- Due date computed per invoice
- But no day-by-day cash balance
- No multi-month projection, no low point
- No account for real payment delays
- Exports to rework to get a forecast
With Dafodoo + Odoo
- Automatic reading of your Odoo invoice due dates
- Day-by-day projected balance, over several months
- Low point and cash alerts
- Paid vs. upcoming invoices split to firm up inflows
- Dunning, budget and simulation scenarios
Dafodoo connects to your Odoo and turns those due dates into a day-by-day cash-flow forecast, always up to date.
Frequently asked questions
Odoo payment terms, in practice.
Where do I configure payment terms in Odoo?
In Accounting (or Invoicing) → Configuration → Payment Terms. You create a term, name it (for example "30 days end of month") and add one or more due lines that define when each part of the invoice is due.
What is the difference between a payment term and a due date?
The payment term is the rule ("30 days end of month"). The due date is the result Odoo computes on each invoice from that rule and the invoice date. That due date tells you when you should be paid.
How do I create a deposit followed by the balance?
Create a term with two due lines: a first "percent" line (e.g. 30%) due immediately or after a few days, then a second "balance" line due in 30 or 60 days. Odoo automatically splits the invoice amount across both lines.
How does an "end of month" due line work?
An "end of month" due line moves the due date to the end of the relevant month; you can add a number of days (e.g. 30 days end of month) and, depending on your version, a specific day of the month (e.g. the 10th). Odoo computes the due date accordingly.
How do I apply a default payment term to a customer?
On the customer record, in the Sales & Purchase tab, set the customer payment terms. All their future invoices and orders inherit it automatically, which makes your collection dates reliable without re-entry.
Are payment terms enough to get a cash-flow forecast?
They are the building block: they set the expected collection date of each invoice. But Odoo does not turn them into a day-by-day projected balance and ignores real payment delays. Dafodoo reads those due dates from your Odoo and turns them into a day-by-day cash-flow forecast.
Your Odoo due dates, turned into cash you can steer
Connect your Odoo and see your upcoming collections day by day.
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