Quasar’s Layaway feature allows customers to reserve merchandise with a deposit and pay the balance over time through scheduled installments. The goods are held by the store until the layaway is paid in full, at which point a regular invoice is generated and the customer picks up their merchandise. This chapter walks you through the complete setup and lifecycle of a layaway, from initial configuration to final invoicing.

15.1 — Before You Begin: What You Need

Before creating your first layaway, you need to set up four things:

#	What	Where	Why
1	Layaway Plan	Sales → Layaway Plan	Defines payment terms, fees, interest, and GL accounts
2	Layaway Tender	Sales → Tender	System tender for applying deposits when invoicing
3	Sales Order Type	Sales → Sales Order Type	Tags the order as “Layaway” to trigger automation
4	Customer eligibility	Customer Type / Customer Master	Controls which customers can use layaway

15.2 — Creating a Layaway Plan

A Layaway Plan defines all the financial rules for layaway transactions. You can create multiple plans for different scenarios — for example, a short-term interest-free plan for small items and a longer plan with monthly interest for large purchases.

Open Sales → Layaway Plan and configure:

Duration & Payment Cycle

Set the total Duration in days (e.g., 90) and the Payment Cycle (Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly, or Quarterly). Together these determine how many installments appear on the payment schedule.

Deposit Rules

The Deposit Rule determines the minimum deposit required on the first payment:

• Greater Of — the larger of a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of the total
• Fixed Amount — a specific dollar amount
• Percentage Only — a percentage of the total

Fees

The Setup Fee is a one-time fee charged on the first payment. It can be configured as refundable on successful completion. The Fee Item is the service item used to add the fee as a line on the linked sales order.

Interest

Set the Interest Rate (annual simple interest). For interest-free plans, set to 0%. The Service Charge Item is the service item used for interest charge line items on the sales order.

Cancellation

The Cancellation Fee (fixed amount or percentage) is deducted from the refund if the customer cancels. The Cancel Reason dropdown lets you define why the layaway was cancelled.

Extensions

Configure the Max Extensions, Days per Extension, and Extension Fee. Each extension pushes the due date forward and charges the fee.

GL Accounts — The Deposit Account

Create this GL account under Accounts → Chart of Accounts as a Current Liability before setting up the plan.

15.3 — Creating a Layaway Tender

When a fully-paid layaway is converted to an invoice, the system needs a tender to represent the accumulated deposit as payment. This is the Layaway tender type.

1. Open Sales → Tender
2. Name it “Layaway”
3. Set Type to Layaway
4. Set the Transaction Account to the same Deposit Account used in your Layaway Plan
5. Save

You should create exactly one Layaway tender. It does not appear on the POS tender menu — it is used internally by the system during the layaway pickup/invoice process.

15.4 — Creating a Layaway Sales Order Type

A Sales Order Type with the Layaway behavior tells Quasar to treat the order differently from a regular order.

1. Open Sales → Sales Order Type
2. Enter a name (e.g., “Layaway”)
3. Select the Layaway radio button under Order Behavior
4. Save

When this order type is selected on a Sales Order:

• The customer lookup filters to show only layaway-eligible customers
• The Process Layaway button appears
• The Create Invoice button is disabled until the layaway is fully paid
• Serial numbers are collected during order entry and will carry through to the final invoice

15.5 — Setting Up Layaway Customers

Customer Types

The easiest way to enable layaway for a group of customers is through the Customer Type Master. Check Can Layaway? on the type, and all customers assigned that type will automatically inherit the flag.

You might create a dedicated type (e.g., “Layaway Eligible”) or simply enable the flag on an existing type like “Retail”.

Individual Customers

You can also enable layaway on a per-customer basis on the Customer Master → Transactions tab by checking Can Layaway?.

15.6 — Creating a Layaway

Layaways are created through the Sales Order screen. This ensures the merchandise is properly reserved with line items, quantities, prices, and serial numbers.

1. Open Sales → Sales Order
2. Set the Order Type to your Layaway type — notice the window title changes to “Layaway Order” and the customer lookup now only shows layaway-eligible customers
3. Select the customer
4. Add items to the order — enter quantities, prices, and sizes as normal
5. For serialized items, the serial number collection dialog opens for each line. Enter the specific serial numbers being reserved — these same serials will pass through to the final invoice when the layaway is completed
6. Save the order

Serial Numbers in Layaways

Serial number tracking is important in layaways because specific units are being reserved for the customer. When the order is saved and the serial numbers are recorded, those units are linked to this layaway. When the layaway is eventually converted to an invoice, the same serial numbers carry over automatically — ensuring the customer receives the exact units they selected.

The Process Layaway Button

After saving the order, the Process Layaway button appears in the toolbar. This button is only visible when:

• The order type is Layaway
• A customer is selected
• Items exist on the order
• No layaway has been created yet for this order

Click Process Layaway. Quasar will:

1. Save any pending changes to the order
2. Create a new Layaway record pre-populated with the order’s customer, store, employee, and total amount
3. Open the Layaway Master
4. Close the Sales Order window

Once a layaway is created, the Process Layaway button disappears and is replaced by a read-only Layaway # field in the order header, showing the linked layaway number.

15.7 — The Layaway Screen

The Layaway Master is the central screen for managing a layaway. When it opens from Process Layaway, you need to complete the setup.

Select a Layaway Plan

Choose the Layaway Plan from the dropdown. This populates all the financial terms: deposit amount, fees, payment schedule parameters, and GL accounts.

Review the Amounts Tab

The Amounts tab shows the complete financial picture:

• Total Amount — merchandise value from the sales order
• Deposit Required — calculated from the plan’s deposit rules
• Setup Fee — one-time fee from the plan
• Balance Due — remaining amount owed

Build the Schedule

Go to the Schedule tab and click Build Schedule. This generates the amortization schedule showing each payment’s due date, amount, interest portion, principal portion, and running balance. The schedule is based on the plan’s duration and payment cycle.

Print the Agreement

Click Print Agreement to generate the formal layaway agreement document. This includes:

• Customer name and contact information
• List of merchandise items being held
• Payment terms: deposit, installment amounts, due dates
• Fees, interest rate, and cancellation policy
• The full payment schedule

Print two copies — one for the customer to sign and take home, and one signed copy for the store’s records. The agreement uses the layaway_agreement.xml report template.

15.8 — Making Payments

Layaway payments are processed through the Customer Payment (Receipt) screen.

1. Open Sales → Customer Payment
2. Select the layaway customer
3. When prompted “This customer has N active layaway(s). Is this a layaway payment?” — click Yes
4. The screen switches to Layaway Mode: the Allocations tab is replaced by the Layaways tab, showing all active layaways for this customer
5. Enter the payment amount
6. On the Layaways tab, check Pay Due (to pay the next scheduled amount) or Pay Total (to pay the full payout including interest), or enter a custom amount in the Payment column
7. Select the tender (Cash, Card, E-Wallet, etc.) on the Tenders tab
8. Click Save

What Happens on Save

When a layaway payment is saved, several automated actions occur:

• If this is the first payment and the plan has a setup fee, a fee line item is added to the linked sales order
• If interest is due for this payment cycle, an interest charge is calculated and recorded
• A GL entry debits the tender account (Cash/Bank) and credits the plan’s Deposit Account (liability increases)
• The layaway’s payment history and balance update in real time
• If the payment brings the balance to zero, the status automatically changes to Paid in Full

The customer can make payments using any configured tender — cash, card, e-wallet, bank transfer, etc. Each payment is recorded on the Payments tab of the Layaway Master.

15.9 — Paid in Full: Creating the Invoice

When a layaway reaches Paid in Full status, it is time to create the invoice and release the merchandise to the customer.

1. Open the linked Sales Order (from Sales → Sales Order List, or click View Order on the Layaway Master)
2. Notice the Layaway # field shows in the header and the Create Invoice button is now enabled (it was disabled while the layaway was active)
3. Click Create Invoice
4. A confirmation dialog explains that this will finalize the layaway and create a customer invoice paid with the layaway deposit
5. Click Yes to proceed

What Happens During Invoicing

The system automatically:

• Creates a customer Invoice with all line items and serial numbers from the sales order
• Applies the Layaway tender as the payment method, for the full invoice amount
• The Layaway tender debits the Deposit Account (liability decreases) and the invoice credits Sales Revenue + Tax (revenue recognized)
• Updates the layaway status to Picked Up
• Sets the sales order to inactive

15.10 — The Complete Lifecycle

Step	Screen	What Happens
1. Setup	Layaway Plan	Define terms, fees, interest, GL accounts
2. Setup	Tender Master	Create Layaway tender linked to deposit account
3. Setup	Sales Order Type	Create type with Layaway behavior
4. Setup	Customer Type / Master	Enable Can Layaway? flag
5. Order	Sales Order	Create order, add items + serials, save
6. Process	Sales Order	Click Process Layaway → opens Layaway Master
7. Configure	Layaway Master	Select plan, build schedule, print agreement
8. Pay	Customer Payment	Make installment payments over time
9. Complete	Sales Order	Create Invoice when Paid in Full
10. Pickup	Invoice	Customer receives merchandise

15.11 — Extensions & Cancellations

Extensions

If the plan allows extensions, click Add Extension on the Layaway Master to push the due date forward. Each extension charges the plan’s extension fee and adds days to the deadline.

Cancellation

Click Cancel Layaway to cancel an active layaway. The refund is calculated as: Total Paid − Setup Fee − Cancellation Fee − Interest Charged. If the refund is positive, a Card Adjustment credits the customer’s account. The linked sales order is voided and the layaway status changes to Cancelled.