---
title: Recording Manual and Historical Payments
description: "Not every vendor payment will originate through VendorHearth Pro's Square checkout. VendorHearth allows legitimate payments received outside the normal online payment workflow to be recorded without creating a false Square transaction. ## When to Record a Manual Payment A manual…"
url: "https://vendorhearth.com/docs/recording-manual-and-historical-payments/"
updated: "2026-09-23"
category: Payments — Square, payment statuses, deadlines, reconciliation, manual payments
---

# Recording Manual and Historical Payments

Not every vendor payment will originate through VendorHearth Pro's Square checkout.

VendorHearth allows legitimate payments received outside the normal online payment workflow to be recorded without creating a false Square transaction.

## When to Record a Manual Payment

A manual payment may be appropriate when a vendor has actually paid, but the payment was received outside the VendorHearth Square integration.

This allows the organizer to accurately update the vendor's payment record.

Only record a manual payment after confirming that payment was received.

## Historical Payments

Historical payments are particularly useful when moving existing event records into VendorHearth.

For example, you may already have vendors who:

- Applied through a previous system
- Were approved before VendorHearth was installed
- Paid their booth fee before being entered into VendorHearth

These vendors should not be required to pay again simply because they were added to the new system.

## Importing an Already-Paid Vendor

When importing an existing application, VendorHearth provides a **Confirmed / Already Paid** option.

Use this when the vendor's payment was completed before the application was imported into VendorHearth.

VendorHearth can then create a labeled manual historical payment record associated with the imported application.

## Historical Records Are Not Square Transactions

VendorHearth does not create a fake Square transaction for an imported payment.

Instead, the payment is identified as a manual or historical record.

This keeps your records accurate:

**Paid through VendorHearth → Square transaction**

**Paid before migration → Historical payment record**

**Paid outside the VendorHearth checkout → Manual payment record**

## Verify Payment Before Recording It

Before marking a vendor as paid manually, verify the payment using your organization's financial records or payment processor.

Do not rely solely on a vendor stating that payment was submitted.

If the vendor claims to have paid through Square, check Square for the transaction before creating a manual payment record.

## Avoid Duplicate Payment Records

Before manually recording a payment, check whether VendorHearth already has a payment associated with the application.

If a Square transaction exists but has not updated correctly in VendorHearth, investigate the existing transaction and webhook first.

Creating a manual payment record for the same transaction can result in confusing or duplicate records.

## Manual Payments Do Not Create Square Transactions

Recording a manual payment in VendorHearth does not cause Square to process a charge.

It records payment information inside VendorHearth.

This distinction is important when reviewing financial records or comparing VendorHearth information with your Square account.

## Keep External Records When Appropriate

VendorHearth can track that a payment was received, but you should continue maintaining any financial documentation required by your organization.

For payments received outside Square, retain appropriate records showing how and when the payment was received.

## Correcting Payment Mistakes

If you accidentally record the wrong vendor or application as paid, correct the record rather than creating additional entries to compensate for the mistake.

Accurate payment records are important for event rosters, reporting, and vendor history.

## Migrating From Another Registration System

If you are moving an existing event into VendorHearth, you do not need to force previously paid vendors through the Square checkout.

Instead:

1. Verify which vendors have already paid.
2. Import or create their applications.
3. Use the appropriate **Confirmed / Already Paid** option.
4. Allow VendorHearth to maintain the payment as a historical/manual record.
5. Verify the vendor appears with the expected event and payment status.

This allows you to begin using VendorHearth in the middle of an event cycle without requiring legitimate payments to be processed a second time.

## Next Step

Continue to **Managing and Reviewing Payments** to learn how organizers can monitor payment records and verify vendor payment information inside VendorHearth.