Make a Debt Payment

Use this guide when you are paying a credit card, loan, or mortgage and want Common Cents to record the payment in the debt workflow that matches the account.

Before you start #

• know whether the debt account is revolving or installment-style
• make sure the debt feature is enabled for that account type
• choose the cash or checking account the payment should come from

What you will do #

Open the debt account, choose Pay Card or Pay Loan, confirm any payment-category coverage Common Cents needs, save the payment, and then verify the account balance and budget impact.

1. Start from the debt account on the Accounts page #

Open Accounts and choose the debt account you want to pay from Accounts Overview.

This is the clearest starting point because the debt account detail view shows the debt-specific actions that match that account type.

If the account is closed, the payment buttons stay visible but are disabled until you reopen the account.

2. Choose the debt-specific payment flow instead of a generic transfer #

At the top of Account Transactions, Common Cents shows the action that matches the debt type:

• Pay Card for revolving debt accounts such as credit cards or LOC accounts
• Pay Loan for installment loans and mortgages
• Apply Interest for installment loans when you need to post interest separately

Do not use the generic Transfers workflow for debt payments. Common Cents blocks debt accounts in the standard transfer flow because debt payments need their own linked records.

3. For card payments, check the payment reserve before you pay #

If you are paying a revolving debt account, look at Payment Category Available on the account overview card.

That number is not the card balance. It is the amount the budget has already reserved for paying the card.

This is the best quick check before you make a payment because it tells you whether the budget reserve and the debt balance are roughly in line.

4. Use Pay Card for revolving debt payments #

Open Pay Card when the payment is reducing a revolving debt balance.

The form includes:

• From Account
• Card Account
• Date
• Amount
• Payee (Optional)
• Note (Optional)

The source account must be an active transaction or saving account, and the card account must be an active revolving debt account.

If you edit an existing card payment later, the save button changes to Save Payment and the form adds Delete. Deleting the payment removes both sides of the linked payment pair.

5. Use Pay Loan for installment loans and mortgages #

Open Pay Loan when the debt account is an installment loan or mortgage.

The form includes:

• From Account
• Loan / Mortgage Account
• Payment Category
• Date
• Amount
• Payee
• Note (Optional)

If the loan account has a Default Payment Category, Common Cents can prefill that category for you.

6. Add principal only when the account is a mortgage #

Mortgage payments add one extra field:

• Principal

When you enter a principal amount, the form shows Interest + Escrow helper text so you can see how much of the payment is not reducing principal.

This is one of the main reasons mortgage payments belong in Pay Loan instead of the ordinary transaction or bulk-entry flows.

7. Expect strict mode to stop a loan payment when the category is short #

If budgeting and strict mode are enabled, a loan payment can trigger Strict Mode: Cover Overspending before the payment is saved.

That happens when the selected payment category needs coverage first.

When you confirm the coverage, Common Cents applies the category funding first and then saves the loan payment in the same flow.

8. Apply interest separately when the loan workflow needs it #

For installment loans, use Apply Interest when you need to post an interest transaction.

That form includes fields such as:

• Loan Account
• Month
• Interest Date
• Interest Amount
• optional Payee
• optional Note

If the loan uses manual interest mode, Common Cents reminds you to use this workflow when you want to post interest.

9. Watch for conversion prompts if you start in the wrong form #

If you begin with a normal transaction and choose a category that is the default payment category for a loan, Common Cents can ask Convert to Pay Loan?

If more than one loan matches that category, Common Cents opens Choose Loan Account and gives you a Use Pay Loan button.

That prompt is the app steering you back to the correct debt workflow.

10. Verify the payment after save #

After the payment is saved, do a quick check in the debt account detail view:

• the payment appears in Account Transactions
• the debt balance moved the way you expected
• for revolving debt, Payment Category Available still makes sense alongside the account balance
• for loans, the payment category and loan history still tell the story you intended

This final check is what keeps debt payments from becoming hidden bookkeeping surprises.

Quick chooser #

Use this shortcut when you are not sure which debt action belongs to the job:

• use Pay Card for revolving debt payments
• use Pay Loan for installment loan and mortgage payments
• use Apply Interest for installment loan interest posting
• do not use Add Transfer when a debt account is involved

See also: Debt Overview, Debt Account Types, Debt Payoff Planning, and Revolving Debt Transactions.