Common uses cases for Payments and Invoices

Payments are used to pay for goods or services and can be made by various methods, including credit card, debit card, bank transfer, cheque, cash, or other forms. Invoices help record the amount paid for a product or service and are typically sent with the payment to ensure tracking within the accounting process.

Charging a Card While on the Phone with a Customer Without Sending an Invoice

Step-by-Step:

1. Create an Invoice: Begin by selecting the contact. If the contact doesn’t exist, you can add it on the fly.
2. Add the Product: Choose the product being sold. If it's not listed, select "Add New Item."
3. Record Payment: On the invoice builder page, click on the three dots in the top bar instead of sending the invoice, then select "Record Payment."
4. Charge a Card: In the next modal window, choose "Charge a card" and, if this is a new customer, select "New Card."
5. Saved Cards: If the customer has purchased before, the saved cards section will display the card previously used.

Note: Customers charged this way will not receive any automated email or text confirmation.

Using Invoices for Recording Manual Payments Without Stripe Connect

You can record manual payments without using Stripe Connect, although credit/debit card payments do require it to process automatically.

Important: Without Stripe Connect, payments must be manually recorded and collected, and this option currently applies only to one-time invoices.

Step-by-Step:

1. Navigate to Invoices: Go to the Payments menu on the left side and select Invoices.
2. Close Stripe Connect Prompt: The system will prompt you to add Stripe Connect; simply close this popup.
3. Create a New Invoice: Click "New" and then select "New Invoice."
4. Enter Invoice Details: Add customer details, products/services, tax info, and any discounts, then click on the three dots and select "Record Payment."
5. Record Manually: Select "Record Manually."
6. Choose Payment Method: Options include Cash, Card, Check, Bank Transfer, and Other. Choose the method and click "Submit."
7. Invoice Recorded: The invoice will now be recorded for that customer.

Note: Customers will not receive any automated email or text confirmation for manual payments.

Adding Ad-Hoc Products and Services to Invoices

If a product or service is not listed in your "Products" area but you want to add it to an invoice, follow these steps:

Step-by-Step:

1. Create an Invoice and Click "Add an Item": Start by creating a new invoice and selecting "Add an Item."
2. Choose "New Item": Select "New Item" to add a product not currently in your "Products."
3. Enter Product Details: Provide the product name and price. If you want to save it for later, check "Save for later use." Then, click "Add new item" to add it to the invoice.

Your new item will now appear on the invoice, ready to be sent.

How to Add the Card Processing Fee to Invoices

Step-by-Step:

1. Go to Payments > Tax Settings: Set up the card processing fee as a "tax" in your tax settings.
2. Create a New Invoice: Add the product or service you are charging for.
3. Add Tax: Select the card processing fee as the tax and click "Save."

Once added, the card processing fee will appear in the invoice builder and will be visible to the payer on the invoice.