Understanding Member Ledgers
Last updated on June 20, 2026
Every member has their own financial Ledger — a running record of everything they owe and everything they have paid.
How Ledgers Work
Think of each member's ledger as a mini bank account statement:
- Charges (positive amounts) — Money the member owes. These are created when you add them to an event, create an invoice, or add a manual charge.
- Payments (negative amounts) — Money the member has paid. These are created automatically when a bank transaction is assigned to the member.
- Adjustments — Manual corrections to the balance (e.g., writing off a small difference).
- Waivers — Amounts intentionally forgiven (e.g., a scholarship discount).
The running balance at the bottom tells you whether the member owes money (positive balance) or has overpaid (negative balance / credit).
Viewing a Member's Ledger
- Go to Members.
- Click View Ledger on the member's row (or open their profile and navigate to the Ledger tab).
- You will see a chronological list of all ledger entries with:
- Entry date
- Type (Charge / Payment / Adjustment / Waiver)
- Description
- Amount
- Running balance
- Linked event, transaction, or invoice (if applicable)
Automatic Ledger Entries
Circlevine creates ledger entries automatically in several situations:
| Trigger | Entry Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Member is added to an event (Scheduled type) | CHARGE | The expected amount (positive) |
| A bank transaction is assigned to the member (via rule or manually) | PAYMENT | The transaction amount (negative) |
| An invoice is finalised | CHARGE | The invoice total (positive) |
| An invoice is reversed | CHARGE | The invoice total reversed (negative) |
Manual Ledger Entries
To add a manual entry: 1. Open the member's ledger. 2. Click Add Entry. 3. Select the entry type (Charge, Payment, Adjustment, or Waiver). 4. Enter the amount, date, and description. 5. Optionally link it to a category. 6. Click Save.
This is useful for: - Recording cash payments (not reflected in bank statements) - Writing off small balances - Applying credits or discounts
Unallocated Credit
If a member has overpaid (e.g., they paid R500 for a R400 event), the excess amount becomes unallocated credit on their profile. This credit can be applied to future charges.
Settlement Engine
Circlevine's settlement engine automatically links payments to outstanding charges. When a payment comes in, it is matched against the oldest unpaid charge first (FIFO), then the next, and so on. This gives you a clear picture of which specific charges have been paid.