Scenario
A user attempted to import Customer Payments through CSV Import in NetSuite Release 2026.1 using both the Invoices and Credits tabs.
The import included Journal Entries used as both invoices and credits, with internal IDs mapped for Accounts, Subsidiaries, and Transactions. During the import process, the user encountered multiple validation errors, including mandatory Invoice field errors on rows related to credits.
The user wanted to determine the correct setup for importing Customer Payments that involve Journal Entries on both the Invoices and Credits tabs.
Solution
A Journal Entry cannot be applied as a payment against another Journal Entry in NetSuite. An actual Invoice transaction must exist for Journal Entries to be applied against it during Customer Payment processing.
Customer Payment Import Behavior
The Customer Payment import form behaves as follows:
Invoices Tab
The Invoices tab displays:
- Unpaid Invoice transactions
- Journal Entries that contain a debit entry to Accounts Receivable
Credits Tab
The Credits tab displays:
- Transactions containing a credit entry to Accounts Receivable
Deposits Tab
The Deposits tab displays:
- Customer Deposits
- Advance payments with remaining unapplied balances
Because Journal Entries cannot directly offset other Journal Entries through Customer Payment application logic, the import will fail when attempting to use Journal Entries as both the invoice and credit side of the payment transaction.
To complete the process successfully, ensure there is a valid Invoice transaction available for the Journal Entry credits to apply against.
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