How your client pays an invoice by card

What your client sees, step by step, from the Pay button in your email to their receipt. Your client needs no account and no password.

Your clients never sign in to Todah and never need an account. Each invoice has its own private payment link. Whoever has the link can see that invoice and pay it, so send it only to your client.

Where your client finds the link

In the invoice email: a Pay this invoice online button above the invoice.
In a link you send or copy with Share Payment Link (see "Send, copy or replace an invoice's payment link").
In your client portal, beside each invoice where card payment is on.

What your client does, step by step

They choose Pay this invoice online in your email, or open the link you sent.
A page opens with your business name and colours. At the top is a box saying Amount due to (your business name), the amount owing, and a Pay now button. Under it is the full invoice, exactly as you sent it.
They choose Pay now. The button changes to "One moment…".
Stripe's secure payment page opens, showing your business name and the invoice number. Their email address is filled in when you have one on file for them.
They type their card details and confirm the payment.
Stripe sends them back to your page, which now shows Payment received with the amount, the date, the invoice number, who it was paid to, and anything still outstanding.
They choose View receipt to open a receipt they can keep, and Print or save as PDF on that page to print it or save a copy.

If they change their mind on Stripe's page and go back, they return to the invoice page and nothing is charged.

What the confirmation says about a receipt

The Payment received box tells your client exactly what happens to their receipt:

A receipt has been emailed to you.	Shown when Payment Receipts is on (Settings → Payments → Reminders & Receipts) and the client can be emailed. The receipt comes from you, with the invoice attached.
Use View receipt to print it or save it as a PDF for your records.	Shown when no receipt email is going out: Payment Receipts is off (it starts off), the client is set to No Automatic Emails, or nobody at the client receives invoices by email.

Either way, View receipt opens the same receipt page, and the link keeps working, so your client can come back to it later.

What they pay

The whole amount still owing on the invoice. If you have already recorded a deposit or part payment, the page asks only for what is left.
The pay page always asks for the whole balance. To accept a part payment, take it another way and record it with Record Payment; the pay page then asks only for what is left.
The charge appears on their card statement as "Invoice (number) — (your business name)", shortened if their bank cuts it off.

If the confirmation takes a moment

Stripe sends your client back a moment before it tells Todah the money arrived. If they get back first, the page says "Your payment went through. We are confirming it with (your business name) — this usually takes a few seconds." and checks again every couple of seconds. They can close the page safely. The message ends with either "a receipt will be emailed to you" or "open this link again later to see and print your receipt", depending on whether a receipt email is going out.

Other messages your client might see

Paid in full — thank you. Nothing is outstanding on invoice …	The invoice has no balance, whether it was paid by card or you recorded the payment yourself.
This invoice has been cancelled. Nothing is owed.	You cancelled the invoice.
(Business) is not taking card payments online yet. Please pay by the method on the invoice below.	Card payments are not set up, or Stripe has paused them on your account.
(Business) has asked to be paid by the method shown on this invoice rather than by card.	You turned off Let this client pay by card on this invoice.
(Amount) was refunded to you on this invoice on (date). The amount below is what is now due.	You refunded some or all of a card payment and the invoice has a balance again.
A card payment on this invoice is being reviewed by the card issuer. Card payment is paused until that is settled. Please contact (Business) with any questions.	Your client disputed a card payment with their bank. See "When a client disputes a card payment (chargeback)".
Please contact (Business) about the balance on this invoice.	A card dispute on this invoice ended in the client's favour and a balance remains.
Link not found	The link is wrong, it was replaced with a new one, or the invoice was deleted. The page asks them to request a new one.
Test mode — no money moves	An orange bar shown only on test copies of Todah. No real charge is made.

What happens on your side

Todah records the payment on the invoice by itself, with the method Card and the note Paid online. You do not type anything in.
The invoice status changes to Paid, or to Partially Paid if something is still owing.
The bell at the top of the app shows "$X paid online".
If Payment Receipts is switched on, your client is emailed a receipt from you, with the invoice attached (unless the client is set to No Automatic Emails).

Tip: Before you send your first real invoice, send one to yourself and open the link, so you know exactly what your clients will see.

See also

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Still stuck? Write to us or email support@todah.ca — a person reads every message and replies by email. The FAQ covers plans, prices and the questions people ask before they sign up.