This article explains how to set up an early renewal discount for members who pay within a deadline by creating a dues rule with a negative amount that offsets an open dues invoice.
This approach is best suited for calendar renewal Member Types, where members have the same renewal/expiration date and invoices are generated around the same time.
đ Important Note: If you only need to adjust a few invoices, a better option may be to issue a credit or adjust the open invoice directly through QuickBooks Online.
Plan and Communicate the Discount
Before setting up the discount, decide when the early renewal discount will be available and when it will expire. The discount should be communicated to members in advance so they know the offer is available and understand the deadline.
For example, once renewal invoices have generated, you could create a group of members with an open dues balance and sync that group to Mailchimp or Constant Contact to send an early renewal campaign. Once the discount deadline passes, remove the discount by following the steps below.
Set Up the Discount
Go to the appropriate Member Type and add a new dues rule for the early renewal discount.
Add a condition for New Member = No to ensure the discount doesn't show for new member signups.
Use a negative amount for the discount. For example, enter -$25 for a $25 discount.
Make sure the dues rule is active and connect it to any applicable accounting items.
Save the change.
If Invoices Have Not Yet Generated
If members are set to auto-renew, add the discount before renewal invoices generate. This will cause the discount to be included automatically on eligible invoices. Keep the discount rule active until the date when the early renewal offer expires.
If Invoices Have Already Generated
If the invoices have already been generated, you will need to recalculate the affected invoices after adding the discount.
Go to the Transactions list.
Filter to Open transactions and Dues invoices.
Use the transaction date to narrow the results to the current term, if needed.
You can also filter by Member Type to target specific groups.
Select the invoices that should receive the discount.
Use Batch Actions > Recalculate to recalculate the selected invoices.
This will apply the new discount dues rule to those invoices.
See also: Recalculate and Update Open Dues Invoice
When the Discount Expires
Once the early renewal discount is no longer available:
Delete the discount dues rule from the Member Type > Dues Rules list.
Return to the Transactions list and use filters to view the remaining open dues invoices that received the discount.
Select those invoices and use Batch Actions > Recalculate again.
This will remove the discount amount from the remaining open invoices that did not pay by the deadline.
Important Notes
If the discount applies to multiple Member Types, you must create the discount dues rule within each Member Type where it applies.
You can recalculate invoices in bulk from the Transactions list, which is the recommended approach because it allows you to review and select exactly which invoices should be recalculated.
You can also recalculate all open dues invoices for a Member Type from that Member Type's Settings tab. This is best used when you're confident that every open dues invoice for that Member Type should be recalculated.
Be careful when recalculating from the Member Type settings, as it may include invoices that you do not want to modify (for example, if you have open dues invoices related to terms other than the current term).
Recalculation only works for unpaid invoices. Once an invoice is paid it cannot be recalculated in Novi, and corrections at that point would need to happen in QuickBooks.
This approach is not recommended for anniversary renewal Member Types, where members renew throughout the year on different dates. Because invoices are generated at different times, you would need to continually identify which members are eligible for the discount, apply or remove the discount dues rule at the appropriate time, and recalculate individual groups of invoices. This can become difficult to manage and increases the risk of applying or removing the discount from the wrong invoices.