Taking online payments for invoices

Online payments are currently available via early access. If you are using SortScape’s built-in invoicing and are interested in testing this feature, please ask for a human to enable this feature for you.

When online payments are enabled, customers will see a Pay Now button on their invoice. Pay Now is for paying the entire invoice online. Customers cannot choose a smaller partial payment amount at checkout.

Once payment is made, SortScape records the payment automatically and marks the invoice as paid.

How online payments work

1. Your customer receives an invoice by email or link
2. They open the invoice and click Pay Now
3. They’re taken to a secure payment page
4. After payment, SortScape automatically attempts to email them a payment receipt
5. SortScape records the payment and marks the invoice as paid Online payments are optional. Customers can still pay you by cash, bank transfer, or any other method you accept.

The automatic email receipt uses your Payment received (email) template. SortScape does not automatically send an SMS receipt for online payments. See Sending payment receipts for invoices for details.

Setting up online payments

Open Settings → Invoicing → Online payments.

From this page you can:

• Set up your payment account
• Turn the Pay Now button on or off
• Configure an optional credit card surcharge

Stripe account setup

When you enable online payments, SortScape will guide you through setting up a new Stripe account for your business.

This account is created during setup and is used to process your SortScape payments. Funds go directly to your bank account.

Connecting an existing Stripe account is not currently supported.

What you need before you can use it

To enable online payments:

• You must be using SortScape’s built-in invoicing (If you invoice only through Xero or QuickBooks, payments are handled in those systems.)

• Your SortScape account must be on an active paid plan

• You must complete Stripe’s verification process

• Online payments must be supported in your country

Can I set this up during a trial?

Yes. You can complete the Stripe setup while on a trial.

However, the Pay Now button won’t be available until your account is on an active paid plan.

Processing fees

Stripe charges payment processing fees for online payments.

In Australia, credit card processing fees are typically around 1.7%–1.9% plus a small fixed fee per transaction for domestic cards. Fees vary depending on card type and payment method.

Using online payments through SortScape does not change Stripe’s pricing.

For the most up-to-date details, see Stripe’s official pricing page:
​https://stripe.com/au/pricing

Stripe deducts its fees automatically before funds are paid out to your bank account.

SortScape payments platform fee

SortScape applies a 0.5% platform fee to online payments.

This fee helps cover the operation, maintenance, and support of the online payments feature.

The fee is deducted automatically at the time of payment and is separate from Stripe’s processing fees.

Surcharges

SortScape allows you to add a credit card surcharge to help recover the cost of accepting card payments.

How surcharges work

When you enable a surcharge, you choose a percentage that is applied to card payments at checkout.

This percentage is intended to cover your average card processing costs over time.
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It will not match the exact Stripe fee for every individual payment.

Actual card processing costs can vary based on:

• Card type (credit vs debit)
• Card issuing country
• Payment method
• Transaction size (fixed per-transaction fees) Because of this, surcharges are applied as a simple percentage rather than being calculated exactly for each payment. Choose a percentage that helps cover your average card processing costs. Actual costs vary by card and payment method.

Important compliance note (Australia)

If you’re in Australia, surcharge rules require that you do not charge more than your actual cost of accepting card payments.

Make sure the surcharge percentage you choose is reasonable for your typical payment mix and complies with local regulations.

Online payments remain optional — customers can still pay by bank transfer or cash if they want to avoid the surcharge.

Payment methods supported

Depending on your country and Stripe account, customers may be able to pay using:

• Credit and debit cards (e.g. Visa, Mastercard)
• Apple Pay or Google Pay (on supported devices)

When do I receive the money?

• Card payments are typically paid out to your bank within 1–3 business days
• Bank or PayTo payments may take longer Payout timing is determined by Stripe and your bank. You can view payout details in your Stripe Dashboard, accessible from the Online payments page.

Reconciling a Stripe deposit in your bank account

Common question: “I received a payment in my bank account but do not recognise the payee details” or “there is no invoice that matches this payment amount.”

If you see a payment in your bank account that you do not recognise, it is often a Stripe payout, not a single customer payment.

Here is how online payments reach your bank:

1. A customer pays an invoice using Pay Now
2. SortScape records the payment against that invoice and marks the invoice as paid
3. Stripe collects the card payment and deducts processing fees
4. Stripe sends the remaining funds to your bank as a payout
5. Your bank statement shows the payout from Stripe, not the customer’s name

A payout can include multiple invoice payments from different customers. The bank deposit amount is the total after Stripe fees, so it usually will not match any single invoice in SortScape.

Match a bank deposit to your invoices

1. Open Settings → Invoicing → Online payments
2. Click Open Stripe Dashboard
3. In Stripe, go to Payouts and find the payout with the same amount and date as your bank deposit
4. Open the payout to see the individual charges it includes
5. Match each charge to the paid invoice in SortScape (check the invoice number and customer name on the charge description)

To see individual online payments recorded in SortScape:

• Open the paid invoice and check its payment history
• Export Invoicing → Invoices → Export → Sales and tax report and review the Payment detail tab
• On Premium, use Settings → System → Activity log, filter by Invoice actions, and look for Payment applied

If you still cannot match a deposit after checking Stripe, contact support and include the payout amount and date from your bank statement.

Paying by cash or bank transfer

Customers can still pay outside SortScape by cash, bank transfer, cheque, or another method.

For a SortScape invoice, use Record payment once you receive the funds. See Recording invoice payments for full and partial payments.

If you invoice through Xero or QuickBooks Online, record the payment in that accounting system. If you do not want to create an invoice at all, see Recording cash payments.

Enabling online payments simply adds another payment option. It does not require customers to pay online.

Pay Now after a manual partial payment

Pay Now is only for invoices you expect the customer to pay online in one payment. It does not support customer-entered partial payment amounts.

If you have already recorded a manual partial payment, do not ask the customer to use Pay Now for the same invoice. Take the remaining balance by cash, bank transfer, or another method, then record that payment in SortScape. This keeps the payment amount and balance due clear for both you and the customer.

Security and handling of funds

• Payments are processed securely by Stripe
• Card details are handled by Stripe and are not stored in SortScape
• Funds are paid directly to your connected bank account
• SortScape never holds your money

Disconnecting Stripe

You can disconnect your Stripe account at any time under Settings → Invoicing → Online payments.

Once disconnected, the Pay Now button will no longer appear on invoices. Any payments already made will still be paid out as usual.

Questions about fees or payouts

Stripe handles payment processing, fees, and payouts directly.

If you have questions about:

• Processing fees
• Payout timing
• Bank verification
• Account verification requirements
• Which invoice payments are included in a bank deposit You’ll need to contact Stripe Support or log in to your Stripe Dashboard for payout-level details. You can open your Stripe Dashboard from Settings → Invoicing → Online payments.

SortScape records each online invoice payment when it is received. Payout batching (when multiple payments arrive in your bank as one deposit) is managed by Stripe and is visible in your Stripe Dashboard.