Payments

There are two ways to collect payment on an invoice: online via Stripe Checkout or by recording a manual payment.

Online Payments via Stripe

When a customer receives an invoice, the email and public invoice page include a Pay Now button. Clicking it launches Stripe Checkout — a secure, hosted payment page.

What Customers See

Stripe Checkout handles the entire payment experience:

Credit/debit card form
Apple Pay and Google Pay (auto-detected)
3D Secure authentication when required
Mobile-optimized layout
Saved payment methods (if the customer has paid before)

Your customers never need to create an account. The payment link works without any login.

Payment Flow

Customer opens the invoice via the link in their email
Clicks Pay Now
Completes payment on the Stripe Checkout page
Stripe redirects them back to a confirmation page
The invoice is automatically updated to Paid (or Partially Paid if applicable)

A processing fee of 3.4% + $0.30 applies to each online payment. This fee is deducted automatically from the payment amount.

After Payment

Once payment is confirmed:

The invoice status updates automatically
You receive a notification email at your invoice settings reply-to address
The customer receives a payment receipt email with the updated invoice

Partial Online Payments

If the Stripe Checkout amount is less than the invoice balance, the invoice moves to Partially Paid status. The remaining balance is tracked automatically.

Manual Payments

For payments received outside of Stripe (cash, check, wire transfer, etc.), you can record them manually.

Recording a Payment

When recording a manual payment, specify:

Field	Description
Method	How the payment was made (e.g., card, check, cash, wire)
Amount	Payment amount (defaults to the full balance if omitted)
Reference	Optional reference number (e.g., check number, transaction ID)
Note	Optional note about the payment

Partial Payments

The system supports multiple partial payments on a single invoice:

Each payment is recorded separately
The running balance updates automatically (total − sum of all payments)
Status changes to Partially Paid after the first partial payment
Status changes to Paid once the balance reaches zero

Example: A $1,000 invoice paid in two installments:

Payment	Amount	Balance	Status
First	$500	$500	Partially Paid
Second	$500	$0	Paid

Refund an invoice payment

Refund a payment when you need to return money already received on an invoice.

Open the paid or partially paid invoice.
Select Refund.
Choose the payment to refund. You can refund only the amount still available on that payment.
Enter the amount and a customer-facing reason. Add an internal note if needed.
Turn on Also issue a credit note for this amount when you also need a credit-note record.
Submit the refund.

Selflane returns Stripe-collected payments through Stripe. For a payment without a Stripe reference, Selflane records the refund and you settle with the customer directly.

If Selflane cannot confirm the provider outcome, do not retry the refund. Reconcile the refund with Stripe before taking another action.

Payment Restrictions

Payments cannot be recorded on cancelled invoices
Payments cannot be recorded on credit notes
A credit note does not return money on its own. Use Refund to return a payment, then create a credit note when you need one.