Understanding Total Amount Due vs. Paid Amount

Landager tracks two separate dollar amounts for each rent charge. Understanding the distinction between them is critical, because Landager's automation engine uses the relationship between these numbers to automatically update your Payment Status BadgesPreview unavailable.

Total Amount Due

This is the theoretical number: what the tenant was supposed to pay.

When Landager automatically generates your monthly invoices, this number is strictly locked in based on their LeasePreview unavailable, plus any additional charges stacked on via cron automation:

• Base Rent: e.g., $1,200 (pre-filled from lease)
• Late Fee: e.g., $50 (auto-applied by Landager if they cross grace period)
• Maintenance Charge: e.g., $150 (if the tenant is being billed for a repair)

Total Amount Due = $1,400

Paid Amount

This is the empirical number: what the tenant actually handed you.

Whenever you collect funds, you click "Mark Paid" and enter the amount received. The moment you save, Landager runs the math:

• If they paid in full ($1,400): The system instantly tags the invoice as Paid ✅
• If they could only pay part ($800): The system instantly tags the invoice as Partial

Why Track Both?

Scenario 1: Automatic Gap Detection

If the Due Amount is $1,400 but they hand you $800, entering the $800 received lets the system auto-assign the Partial badge and clearly document the $600 balance. You now have a defined collection target for follow-up without doing mental math.

Scenario 2: Audit-Ready Records

If the IRS audits your rental income, you can easily prove the exact discrepancy between what was owed and what was collected. This level of precision demonstrates professional record-keeping.

Scenario 3: Effortless PDF Reporting

Landager's PDF reportsPreview unavailable look at these numbers to separate your underlying base rent from late fees and maintenance charges. Because the Total Amount Due is calculated automatically, the system can unpack what the Paid Amount actually covers.

Best Practice

Because you cannot edit a charge's amount in the UI, the Due amount always remains accurate. Even if a tenant is short, the system preserves the original Due amount as a mathematical baseline. This makes your collection rate percentage meaningful across your entire portfolio.