How to create a discount item that is automatically added to each order

Some companies may have a need to give a discount to a customer on each on demand order they place. They may also have a need to display this discount on the customers invoice.

This article will show you how to do the following.

Give customers a discount on all on demand orders that will NOT appear on the invoice.
Give customers a discount that will appear on an invoice.
Adjust the discount to apply to only desired customers.
Adjust the discount to apply for certain date ranges and order types

This first method of giving a customer a discount on their on demand orders is to adjust the discount amount at the customer record. To do this, open up the customer record, go to the accounting tab and then enter the desired discount amount. Checking the box that says only apply to base rate will only apply the discount to the base rate of the order. I.E. If other items are added to the order, the discount will not be calculated off these additional items. This method DOES NOT display the discount on the customer invoice.
In order to create a discount that will appear on a customers invoice, you need to create an item that will hold the reflected discount, and add that item to the customers surcharge chart. To do this go to maintenance -> items and create an item like the picture below. Make sure to use a GL account that you will NOT be recording as revenue.

Next go to maintenace, and then to rate charts. You will now need to make sure you have a surcharge rate chart, and add your newly created discount item as a surcharge. NOTE: If you don't want the discount automatically added you would simply add this item to your items rate chart, instead of the surcharge chart.
Now expand surcharges, open up your desired order type, and choose add new.
When the new item window appears, choose the item we created under items, put in your negative dollars or negative percent amount and choose ok.
Finally we need to specify which items this surcharge item will be based off of. To do this click the box with a 1 on the right of the new surcharge item, then choose the items you want this surcharge to calculate based off of. In most cases use the base rate.
Create a new on demand order for a customer whom is assigned to the surcharge chart that you altered. Choose the charges and your discount surchare is now included. 1/2 of a percent of $20.00 is 10 cents.
When you print your invoice, this discount will show up as an item on your invoice for each order.
Adjusting the discount so that it only applies to certain customers is a simple as assigning the customers that you want the discount to apply to. To do this open up the customer record, go to the accouting tab, click the drop down arrow, then enter the surcharge chart number for the surcharge chart that we added the discount item to. If you created this discount on your standard surcharge chart, you will need to copy your surcharge chart, create a new surcharge chart, and use the newly created surcharge chart number for the customers whom you wish to recieve the discount. This method is the same if you choose to add the discount to the items chart instead of the surcharges chart.
In order to make the discount apply for certain order types, simply go to maintenace, rate charts, then expand the surcharge chart number you wish to edit. The order types for each of the surcharges are listed. To add another order type to surcharge for, simply create a new one, or copy an existing one.

Now type in the name, from the chart number from and to, then choose the order type to copy from and to.
Finally how to adjust the surcharge so it only applies on certain days and or expires after time. Open the surcharge chart order type. Then double click the surcharge item.
Choose you beginning and ending dates, then choose the days you want it to apply, the stop and ending times if needed.
Now you have seen how to create additional surcharges per order type and how to set begining and ending date ranges with start and stop times.