Ashley,
When you set the control source to an equation, it is no longer linked directly to the table, so it won't update.
Something you could do is set the field to reflect exactly what is in the table and use a little VB to update.
For example, assuming the fields are [amount], [payment], and [balance] in both the table and form, you would do the following:
1. Set the control source of [balance] to "[balance]" (without the quotes)
2. Add an after update event to the [amount] and [payment] fields on the form that looks like this:
-
Me.balance = Nz([amount], 0) - Nz([payment], 0)
Let me know if that works for you.