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Loan Tracking

Loan Tracking

Chamber's loan tracking feature helps you monitor money you've lent to others, track repayments, and manage outstanding balances.

Table of Contents

What is Loan Tracking?

Loan tracking in Chamber helps you:

  • Record money you've lent to friends, family, or others
  • Track partial repayments over time
  • Monitor outstanding balances
  • Store receipts or agreements as proof
  • Know when loans are overdue

Note: This tracks money you've lent out (people owe you), not money you've borrowed.

Adding a Loan

  1. Navigate to Loans in the sidebar
  2. Click "Add Loan"
  3. Fill in the loan details:

Required Fields:

  • Borrower Name - Who borrowed the money
  • Amount - Total amount lent
  • Currency - Defaults to your settings

Optional Fields:

  • Description - Purpose of the loan (e.g., "Car repair", "Emergency")
  • Due Date - When the loan should be repaid
  • Receipts - Upload any proof (IOU, agreement, transfer receipt)
  1. Click "Save"

The loan will be created with status PENDING.

Understanding Loan Status

Loans automatically progress through three statuses:

Status Description When It Applies
PENDING No repayments yet Loan just created
PARTIAL Some amount repaid Repayments < Total amount
COMPLETED Fully repaid Repayments = Total amount

Status Transitions

PENDING → PARTIAL → COMPLETED
   ↓         ↓          ↓
 0 repaid  Partial    Full

Automatic Updates:

  • Status changes automatically as you add repayments
  • No manual status changes needed

Adding Repayments

When the borrower pays you back:

  1. Go to Loans
  2. Find the loan
  3. Click on the loan or "View Details"
  4. Click "Add Repayment"
  5. Fill in repayment details:

Required:

  • Amount - How much was repaid
  • Date - When payment was received

Optional:

  • Note - Any details (e.g., "Cash payment", "Bank transfer")
  • Receipt - Proof of repayment
  1. Click "Save"

Partial Repayments

You can add multiple repayments for the same loan:

Example:

  • Loan amount: $500
  • Repayment 1: $200 (Status: PARTIAL)
  • Repayment 2: $150 (Status: PARTIAL)
  • Repayment 3: $150 (Status: COMPLETED)

Overpayment

If the borrower pays more than owed:

  • The system will accept the repayment
  • The remaining amount will show as negative (overpaid)
  • You may want to record the excess as a new loan or expense

Viewing Loan Details

Click on any loan to see:

Summary Card

  • Total Amount - Original loan amount
  • Repaid - Total amount paid back
  • Remaining - Amount still owed
  • Progress Bar - Visual representation of repayment
  • Status - PENDING, PARTIAL, or COMPLETED

Repayment History

Lists all repayments with:

  • Date
  • Amount
  • Notes
  • Receipts (if any)
  • Delete option

Overdue Indicators

Loans past their due date show:

  • Red highlighting on the loan card
  • Overdue badge in the list
  • Days overdue calculation

Editing a Loan

  1. Go to Loans
  2. Find the loan
  3. Click "Edit"
  4. Update fields:
    • Borrower name
    • Amount (be careful - affects repayments)
    • Description
    • Due date
  5. Click "Save"

Note: Changing the loan amount doesn't automatically adjust repayments. You may need to edit repayments separately.

Deleting a Loan

Warning: Deletion is permanent.

When you delete a loan:

  • All repayment records are deleted
  • Associated receipts are deleted
  • The action cannot be undone

Steps:

  1. Go to Loans
  2. Find the loan
  3. Click "Delete"
  4. Confirm deletion

Alternative: If the loan is completed and you want to keep history, leave it as-is. Completed loans don't affect your active tracking.

Receipts for Loans

You can attach receipts to both loans and repayments.

Types of Receipts

For Loans:

  • Bank transfer confirmations
  • IOU or written agreements
  • Screenshots of payment apps
  • Any proof of lending

For Repayments:

  • Cash received confirmations
  • Bank deposit receipts
  • Payment app screenshots
  • Any proof of repayment

Uploading Receipts

  1. When adding/editing a loan or repayment
  2. Click "Upload Receipt"
  3. Select image or PDF
  4. Save

Viewing Receipts

  1. Open the loan details
  2. Click on the receipt thumbnail
  3. View full-size or download

Dashboard Stats

The Loans page shows summary statistics:

Stat Description
Total Lent Sum of all loan amounts
Outstanding Amount not yet repaid
Pending Number of PENDING loans
Completed Number of COMPLETED loans

Best Practices

  1. Document everything - Always upload receipts or agreements
  2. Set due dates - Helps track overdue loans
  3. Record repayments promptly - Keep status accurate
  4. Be specific with descriptions - "Car repair - March 2024" vs just "Loan"
  5. Use full names - "John Smith" not "John"
  6. Check regularly - Review outstanding loans weekly
  7. Follow up on overdue - Contact borrowers when loans are past due

Integration with Expenses

Important: Loans are tracked separately from expenses.

  • Lending money does not create an expense
  • Receiving repayment does not create income
  • This keeps your expense tracking accurate

If you want to track the loan as an expense:

  1. Create an expense when you lend the money
  2. Create income when repaid
  3. Use the loan tracker in parallel for detailed repayment tracking

Related Features

Questions? See the FAQ or Troubleshooting Guide.