Client payments go through QuickBooks Payments using your QuickBooks connection. Most problems come from the connection, your payment settings, or invoice data that is out of date.
Before you start
- You need the Edit Settings permission to open Client Payment Settings.
- You need an active QuickBooks Payments account. See Turn on online payments.
Clients do not see a Pay option
Clients see the Pay column and the Pay Selected button on their invoices only when all of these are true:
- Your organization has an active plan or trial. Otherwise clients see Access Restricted.
- At least one method is on in Client Payment Settings: Credit Card Payments or ACH (Bank Transfer). Select Save Settings after you change them.
- QuickBooks is connected with payment permission. If your QuickBooks Online banner shows Enable QuickBooks Payments, select it and reconnect. See Fix QuickBooks connection problems.
- The client has unpaid invoices.
Screenshot to come: QuickBooks Online banner → Enable QuickBooks Payments buttonpublic/help/troubleshooting/payments-1.png
Payments fail after QuickBooks stopped accepting access
If your QuickBooks Online banner shows Reconnect QuickBooks, Intuit has refused ClientSynq's access and payments cannot go through. Reconnect to the same QuickBooks company from the banner, then ask the client to try again.
The client sees an error on the payment form
| Message the client sees | What to do |
|---|---|
| Please fill in all card details, Please fill in all bank account details, Please fill in all billing details or Please enter your email address | The client completes the missing fields. |
| American Express requires a 4-digit CVC code | The client enters the 4-digit code from the front of the card. |
| Invoice number has already been paid in QuickBooks. | Nothing to collect. Select Sync QuickBooks so the portal shows the invoice as paid. |
| The balance of invoice number has changed. Please start again from your invoices. | The invoice changed in QuickBooks after the client started. Select Sync QuickBooks, then ask the client to start again from their invoices. |
| We could not verify an invoice in QuickBooks. Please try again in a few minutes or contact the organization. | Check that QuickBooks is connected, select Sync QuickBooks, then ask the client to try again. |
| Payment unavailable with This payment session has expired. Please start again from your invoices. | A payment must be completed within 30 minutes of selecting Pay Selected. The client selects Back to Invoices and starts again. |
| Please sign in | The client's sign-in ended. They select Sign in and return to the payment. |
| Missing required payment information. Please try again from the invoice page. | The client goes back to their invoices and starts the payment again. |
| This payment has already been processed. | The payment went through. Nothing to do; the client should not pay again. |
| Too many payment attempts. Please wait and try again. | The client waits a few minutes before trying again. |
| Your payment was received but could not be recorded. Please contact the organization before paying again. | The charge succeeded but recording it in QuickBooks failed. The organization owner receives an alert email. Record the payment in QuickBooks, and tell the client not to pay again. |
| A message from QuickBooks Payments, such as a decline | The card or bank refused the payment. The client tries another card or account, or contacts their bank. |
A portal payment is not in QuickBooks
Sometimes the charge succeeds but ClientSynq cannot record it as a Payment in QuickBooks Online. The client still sees Payment Successful, and the owner gets an email:
- Heads up: a ... portal payment is not yet in QuickBooks means ClientSynq is retrying automatically, about once an hour, up to 5 times.
- Action needed: a ... portal payment is not yet in QuickBooks means the retries stopped. The money was captured, but the invoice still shows unpaid in QuickBooks. Reply to the email for help.
A bank transfer did not clear
ACH payments stay pending until the client's bank clears them, typically 3 to 5 business days. ClientSynq checks once a day. If a transfer fails:
- The client's invoice balance in the portal opens again, and the client gets an email saying the transfer did not clear.
- The owner gets FYI: a ... bank transfer did not clear when ClientSynq removed the matching Payment in QuickBooks.
- The owner gets Action needed: a ... bank transfer did not clear when ClientSynq could not remove it. Delete that Payment in QuickBooks yourself.