Partial payments allow tenants to pay a portion of a rent charge instead of the full amount at once. This is especially helpful when roommates or co-tenants contribute toward the same charge.
Partial payments are typically enabled by default, but you can manage this setting for each lease.
How to Allow Partial Payments
Open the Lease Profile you want to update.
Go to Lease Settings → Payments.
Find Allow partial payments on this lease?
Select Yes to allow tenants to enter their own payment amounts.
If partial payments are disabled, tenants must pay the full outstanding charge amount and cannot enter a custom payment amount.
Note: This setting applies to the entire lease, not individual tenants or charges.
How Tenants Make a Partial Payment
When partial payments are enabled, your tenants can choose how much to pay toward an outstanding charge.
Here's how the process works for your tenants:
Log in to their Renter Portal.
Select Make a Payment.
Check the box next to the charge they want to pay.
Under Your Payment, enter the amount they want to pay.
Select Make Payment to submit their payment.
Keep in mind:
The minimum partial payment is $0.50.
Tenants cannot pay more than the remaining balance on the charge.
Once submitted, a partial payment cannot be canceled or edited.
💡 TurboTip: If multiple tenants are contributing toward the same charge, they can each submit a payment until the remaining balance reaches $0.
How Partial Payments Appear to Landlords
When a tenant makes a partial payment:
The payment appears in your Payments Dashboard.
The remaining amount owed is updated as payments are received.
The charge remains Unpaid or Past Due until the full balance is paid.
There is no separate Partially Paid charge status.
For example, if a tenant owes $1,200 and pays $500, the charge will show a remaining balance of $700. Additional payments can be made toward that balance until it's fully paid.
Partial Payments vs. Split Charges
Although both features help tenants share payment responsibilities, they work differently.
Partial Payments | Split Charges |
Tenants choose how much to contribute toward the same charge. | Landlords assign a specific amount to each tenant. |
Multiple payments reduce one shared outstanding balance. | Each tenant has an assigned share of the charge. |
Controlled through the lease's partial payment setting. | Configured when splitting a charge. |
If you want each roommate to be responsible for a specific amount, consider using split charges instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why can't my tenant enter a custom payment amount?
A: Partial payments may be disabled for the lease. Open Lease Settings → Payments and set Allow partial payments on this lease? to Yes.
Q: Can multiple tenants make payments toward the same rent charge?
A: Multiple tenants on the same lease can contribute toward one charge when partial payments are enabled. Each payment reduces the outstanding balance until the charge is fully paid.
Q: Can tenants pay more than the amount owed?
A: Tenants cannot submit a payment that exceeds the remaining balance on the selected charge. They can enter a custom amount between $0.50 and the outstanding balance.
Q: Can a tenant change or cancel a partial payment after submitting it?
A: Submitted partial payments cannot be edited or canceled through the payment flow. Tenants should review the amount carefully before selecting Make Payment.
Q: Why does a charge still show as Unpaid after my tenant made a payment?
A: A charge remains Unpaid or Past Due until the remaining balance reaches $0. TurboTenant tracks the amount still owed rather than assigning a separate partially paid status.