> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.elationhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How Can I Manage Patient Credits and Overpayments in Elation Billing?

> Learn how to manage patient credits and overpayments in Elation Billing

This article explains how to manage patient credits and overpayments in Elation Billing.

## Overview

Elation Billing provides tools and workflows to help you manage patient credits and overpayments effectively, ensuring transparency and accuracy in billing.

## Workflow Instructions

### Posting Overpayments or Credits to a Patient Account

When a patient overpays (such as paying more than their copay amount), you can post the excess amount to their account as an unapplied payment. This ensures the credit is clearly visible in the patient's profile.

1. Navigate to the patient's account in Elation Billing.

2. Post the overpaid amount as an unapplied payment if there is no outstanding balance due.

<Note>
  Elation Billing does not apply these credits automatically. Credits remain on the account for future charges or copays.
</Note>

***

### Applying Credits to Future Charges

To use credits for future charges, your billing staff should manually check the patient's account before collecting payments. Any unapplied credits can be applied to new charges or copays to prevent redundant payments.

**Best Practices:**

* Regularly review patient profiles for unapplied payments
* Manually adjust charges during payment collection to reflect any existing credits

***

### Identifying Accounts with Credits

Elation Billing allows you to find and report on accounts with credits using the **Patient Balance Report**.

1. Open the **Patient Balance Report** in your Elation Billing dashboard.

2. Export the report for detailed analysis.

3. Filter the exported data to show accounts with negative balances, representing credits.

This method helps in tracking and applying credits systematically.

## Related Articles

* [Posting a Payment in Elation Billing](/articles/posting-a-payment-in-elation-billing)
* [Applying Patient Payments with ⚡️Apply Patient Payments](/articles/applying-patient-payments-with-apply-patient-payments)
* [Lightning Reports](/articles/lightning-reports)