Recording Payments and Getting Paid Online

Two ways to get paid

1. Record a payment you already received (bank transfer, cash, cheque, card taken elsewhere). StretchBooks applies it to the invoice and updates the balance and status.
2. Online card checkout — when your operator enables online payments, a customer can pay an invoice's balance by card through secure Stripe Checkout, and the invoice is marked paid automatically.

Step-by-step: record a payment

1. Open the Payments tab (or the invoice) and choose New payment.
2. Select the invoice the payment is for.
3. Enter the amount and payment date.
4. Choose a payment method: bank_transfer, cash, card, check, online, other, or manual.
5. Optionally add a reference (for example a cheque number or transfer ID) and notes.
6. Save. StretchBooks applies the payment and updates the invoice.

After a payment, the invoice becomes Partially paid if a balance remains, or Paid once the balance reaches zero.

Rules that keep payments clean

• Payments apply only to issued/open invoices — you can't pay a draft or a void invoice.
• You can't pay an invoice that's already fully paid.
• A payment can't exceed the remaining balance — pay the balance or less. Record multiple partial payments as they come in.

Step-by-step: online card checkout

1. Open an issued invoice with a balance due.
2. Choose Pay online (or share the invoice's pay link with your customer).
3. StretchBooks opens a secure Stripe Checkout page for the exact balance due, in the invoice's currency.
4. The customer pays by card. On success they return to StretchBooks and the invoice is marked paid; if they cancel, nothing changes.

Online payments must be enabled by your operator. Until then, the pay action returns a clear "online payments aren't enabled yet" message and you simply record payments manually.

Worked example

Invoice INV-1042 totals $945.00.

1. The client sends $500.00 by e-transfer. In Payments → New, apply $500.00 to INV-1042, method bank_transfer, reference ET-8841. The invoice becomes Partially paid with $445.00 due.
2. Two weeks later they pay the rest online: Pay online, they enter their card for $445.00, and INV-1042 flips to Paid.

Tips

• Record payments promptly so your Dashboard receivables and A/R aging stay accurate.
• Use the reference field for the bank/cheque ID — it makes reconciliation painless later.
• For deposits and installments, record partial payments; StretchBooks tracks the running balance.
• Online checkout always charges the current balance due, so partial manual payments and a final online payment work together.

Troubleshooting

"Online payments aren't enabled yet." Card checkout hasn't been switched on for your organization. Record the payment manually, and ask your operator to enable online payments.

"Payment amount cannot exceed the invoice balance." You entered more than what's owed. Enter the exact balance or less.

"Payments can only be recorded against issued or open invoices." The invoice is a draft or void. Send the invoice first, or choose a different one.

"This invoice is already fully paid." There's nothing left to pay — check whether a payment was already recorded.