Every payment milestone on a project carries a small status badge that tells you where that payment stands — from “still waiting on the client” to “money’s in.” Most of the time it’s self-explanatory, but one status in particular trips people up: Payment Processing. This article walks through each status, what actually triggers it, and clears up the most common point of confusion.
If you haven’t set up your payment schedule yet, start with Setting Up Your Payment Schedule. This article picks up after the schedule exists and invoices start moving.
The Statuses at a Glance
A milestone moves through a simple lifecycle. You’ll see one of these badges on it:
No badge yet — the milestone is on the schedule but you haven’t billed it. Nothing has been requested from the client, so there’s nothing to track yet.
Payment Required — you’ve sent the payment request and you’re waiting on the client. The amount is due; the ball’s in their court. (On a milestone you’ve marked as non-payable, you’ll see Pending Approval here instead, since there’s no dollar amount to collect.)
Payment Processing — a payment has been started or recorded against this milestone, but it hasn’t been confirmed as received yet. This is the one worth understanding well — more on it below.
Complete — the payment is confirmed and the milestone is settled. This is the finish line.
A Closer Look at “Payment Processing”
The single most important thing to know: Payment Processing does not mean the money is in your account. It means a payment is in motion and waiting on a final confirmation. There are two everyday situations that land a milestone here.
1. The client paid online and it’s clearing. When a client pays by bank transfer (ACH) or card through Eano, the funds take a little time to settle. During that window, the milestone sits in Payment Processing — the payment is real and on its way, it just hasn’t fully landed.
2. The client is paying offline (check or Zelle). When a client chooses to pay by check or Zelle, they let you know through Eano that the payment is on the way. The milestone moves to Payment Processing to reflect “this one’s been arranged” — and it stays there until you confirm the money actually arrived. This is the key difference from an online payment: with an offline method, nothing has been charged or transferred through Eano. Processing simply means it’s been recorded and is awaiting your confirmation.
So a milestone in Payment Processing is best read as: “A payment has been recorded here, but it’s not done until it’s confirmed received.”
How a Milestone Moves From One Status to the Next
Getting to Payment Processing happens one of two ways: - The client opens the payment request and pays online, or tells you they’ve sent an offline payment (check or Zelle). - You record a payment against the milestone yourself using Mark as Paid — for example, when a client hands you a check directly or pays in cash. You’ll enter the amount, date, and payment method.
Getting to Complete is the confirmation step: - For an offline payment that’s sitting in Processing, open the milestone and use Mark as received once the funds are actually in hand. That’s what moves it to Complete. - Online payments move to Complete on their own once the funds finish settling.
There’s no separate “mark this milestone done” step beyond the payment itself — recording and confirming the payment is what advances the milestone.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Processing isn’t a guarantee of collected funds. Because an offline payment can be recorded before the check clears, don’t treat Payment Processing as money in the bank. Wait until it’s Complete (or until you’ve confirmed receipt) before counting it.
The Progress bar reflects this. A milestone in Payment Processing counts toward the project’s Progress bar (it’s “underway”), but the Paid figure in the Revenue column only counts money actually received. That’s why a project can show progress while Paid still reads lower — see Understanding Project Progress for the full picture.
If a status doesn’t look right, check the milestone first. Open the milestone to see what payment was recorded against it and how. If a milestone is showing Payment Processing and you’re not sure why, it usually means a payment was recorded or arranged and is waiting to be confirmed as received. If it still doesn’t add up, reach out to us and we’ll help you sort it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does “Payment Processing” mean I’ve been paid? Not necessarily. It means a payment has been recorded or started against the milestone but isn’t yet confirmed as received. For online payments it’s the settling window; for offline payments (check or Zelle) it’s a placeholder until you confirm the funds arrived. Wait for Complete before treating it as collected.
A milestone is in Payment Processing but my client says they haven’t paid through Eano. What happened? That’s normal for offline payments. If a check or Zelle payment was arranged — or recorded on the account as expected — the milestone sits in Payment Processing until it’s confirmed received, even though no money moved through Eano itself. If you don’t recognize the entry at all, reach out to us and we’ll take a look with you.
How do I move a milestone from Payment Processing to Complete? Open the milestone and use Mark as received once the payment is actually in hand. Online payments will complete on their own as the funds settle.
What’s the difference between “Payment Required” and “Pending Approval”? Both show on a milestone that hasn’t been paid. Payment Required appears on a milestone with a dollar amount that’s been billed. Pending Approval appears on a milestone you’ve marked as non-payable — it’s a progress checkpoint, not a payment, so there’s nothing to collect.
Do these statuses control the client portal? Yes — your client sees the same status on their end, so keeping milestones current (especially confirming offline payments as received) keeps everyone on the same page.