Completing a Layaway
A layaway is completed when the linked Shopify order is fully paid and fulfilled. This guide covers how customers make payments and how the layaway reaches completion.
The Payment Lifecycle
Depending on how the layaway was created, the payment journey looks different:
If Created Without a Deposit (Reserved)
- Customer returns to the store
- Staff opens the Layaway Orders tile on POS, selects the layaway, and taps "Checkout"
- This unreserves the layaway inventory and loads items into the POS cart
- Staff processes the payment (partial or full) through Shopify POS checkout
- A Shopify order is created and linked to the layaway automatically — the order's committed inventory now holds the items
- Status changes from Reserved to In Progress
- Customer continues making payments until fully paid
If Created With a Deposit (In Progress from Day 1)
- A Shopify order was already created when the deposit was captured
- Customer returns to make additional payments over time
- The layaway tracks each payment automatically
In both cases, the layaway stays In Progress until the order is fully paid and fulfilled.
Important: Once an order is linked, the Shopify order is the source of truth. All payment captures, refunds, and item changes happen on the order — the layaway syncs these changes automatically. See Updating a Layaway for details.
Making Follow-Up Payments
In-Store at POS (Partial or Full Payments)
This is the main way customers make payments on a layaway. The customer must come to the store in person.
- Customer provides their layaway number or order number
- Staff finds the order:
- From the Layaways tile on POS: Tap the tile, find the layaway at your location, and tap "View Order" to go to the Shopify order
- From Shopify POS orders screen: Search for the order directly by order name or layaway name
- On the Shopify order screen, tap "Capture Payment"
- To collect a partial payment: use split payment, enter the amount the customer is paying, then tap "Mark as partially paid"
- To collect the full remaining balance: simply process the full amount
- The payment syncs to the layaway automatically -- you can see the updated amounts on the layaway detail page
[Image placeholder] Shopify POS order screen showing "Capture Payment" button
[Image placeholder] Split payment screen on POS
Tip: After each payment, the layaway detail page (in the admin dashboard or via the Layaways tile on POS) updates to show the new "Amount Paid" and "Amount Remaining."
Via Invoice (Full Remaining Balance Only)
If the customer cannot come to the store and an order already exists (a deposit was made previously), an admin can send them an invoice.
- In Shopify Admin > Orders, open the linked order
- Send an invoice to the customer
- The customer receives the invoice by email and can pay the full remaining balance online
Important: Invoices are only available when a Shopify order already exists (i.e., a deposit was made to create the order). Invoices only allow the customer to pay the full outstanding amount — partial payments are not possible via invoice, the customer must come to the store for that.
[Image placeholder] Shopify Admin "Send Invoice" option on an order
When Does a Layaway Complete?
A layaway moves to Completed when both conditions are met:
| Condition | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Fully paid | The Shopify order has been paid in full (all installments collected) |
| Fulfilled | The order has been marked as fulfilled (items handed to the customer) |
If only one condition is met, the layaway stays at In Progress.
| Paid? | Fulfilled? | Layaway Status |
|---|---|---|
| No | No | In Progress |
| Yes | No | In Progress |
| No | Yes | In Progress |
| Yes | Yes | Completed |
Closing a Layaway Without Completing It
If you need to cancel a layaway that has not yet been linked to an order (still in "Reserved" status), you can Restock it from the admin dashboard or POS. This releases the reserved inventory and closes the layaway.
Once an order is linked, the only way to complete the layaway is through the Shopify order — fully paid and fulfilled. There is no manual "force complete" option.
What Can Go Wrong?
Customer makes partial payments but never finishes
The layaway stays In Progress until the expiration date. If it expires, admins are notified to decide next steps. See Expiration & Notifications.
Order is refunded or voided
If the linked Shopify order is fully refunded or voided, the layaway automatically moves to Canceled. See Statuses for details.
Layaway expires before completion
If the expiration date passes while the layaway is still In Progress (partially paid), it moves to Expired. The linked order remains open in Shopify -- you will see it flagged under "Needs Attention" on the Dashboard.
The layaway will stay in "Needs Attention" (unarchived) until the linked Shopify order is archived. This means you need to take action on the order — cancel it, issue a refund, or otherwise resolve it. Once the order is archived in Shopify, the layaway will automatically archive as well and leave the "Needs Attention" list.
Key concept: Layaways with linked orders always mirror the order's archived status. A layaway in a terminal status (Expired, Canceled) that still has an active (unarchived) order is considered "Needs Attention" — the layaway is done, but the order still requires resolution.