Hi,

In Odoo, receivables cannot be tracked in accounting without an invoice, but there are ways to manage customer payments before the final invoice is issued. The most common approach is to use down payment invoices from the sales order. This allows you to record partial payments during the project, and when the final invoice is created, Odoo automatically deducts those down payments. It keeps payments tied to the sales order and customer account for clear tracking.

Another option is to record customer advances through a miscellaneous journal entry. Payments can be posted to a liability account, such as “Customer Advances,” and later reconciled with the final invoice. While this doesn’t immediately create receivables, it ensures payments are tracked properly. Additionally, the sales order and project modules can still be used to monitor project progress and customer commitments, even if receivables are only reflected after invoicing.

In short, receivables require an invoice, but you can manage early payments either through down payment invoices or customer advance entries, both of which link seamlessly to the final invoice at project completion.

Hope it helps