Collecting a deposit (facility)
How facilities request, record, and track security deposits - and when a held deposit can be applied.
You can require a security deposit from a horse owner as a condition of boarding. The deposit is held against future outstanding charges - it isn’t income, and it isn’t available to spend during the boarding relationship. Deposits you collect through Stables are held in your facility’s Security Deposit account, separate from your operating balance.
To request a deposit
- Go to Finances → Security Deposits and select Add Security Deposit. (You can also start from a horse’s actions menu in Horses, from the quick-add “+” menu, or in the Billing step when adding a new boarder.)
- Select the client and horse.
- On the Add Charge tab, enter the amount and select Send Invoice. The owner receives the deposit as its own invoice, separate from their other charges. If the client has a saved payment method with AutoPay enabled, the button reads Charge instead and the deposit is collected right away.
The owner pays the deposit the same way they pay an invoice. While it’s unpaid, the deposit shows as Open, and you can resend the invoice, copy a payment link, or void it. Once paid, it moves briefly through Processing and then shows as Held in Security Deposit Account.
Recording a deposit you already hold
If you collected a deposit outside Stables - by check, cash, or transfer - use the Record Manual tab instead. Enter the amount, payment method, a reference note, and the date received. This records the deposit for tracking only; no charge is processed through Stables, and it shows as On File (External).
When you can apply a deposit
A held deposit can only be applied against actual outstanding charges the owner is responsible for:
- Against open invoices: from Finances → Security Deposits, use Apply on a held deposit to allocate it across the client’s open invoices.
- At move-out: the settlement flow reviews everything owed and applies or returns the deposit as part of settling the account. See Move-out and settlement.
You cannot draw on a deposit for general cash flow or before there’s an actual amount owed. Whatever isn’t applied stays held, and you can return it at any time with the Refund action. Every application and refund is recorded on the deposit’s history and visible to the owner on the affected invoices.
Where to see what you hold
Finances → Security Deposits shows every deposit with its status and balance, plus totals for deposits held through Stables, offline deposits you hold directly, amounts earned from deposits at move-out, and amounts refunded.