The job is done and the client is happy. Then the invoice goes out as a PDF attached to an email, and it sits there. To pay it, the client has to find a checkbook or log into their bank and type in your details. So they put it off until the weekend, and then they forget.
When I build invoicing for small businesses, the most useful thing I add is also the simplest: a button on the invoice that says Pay. One click opens a checkout page with the amount already filled in. The client pays from their phone in under a minute, often the same day the invoice arrives.
The button and the dashboard
The pay button deals with the client's side. A simple dashboard deals with yours. Every invoice gets a status (sent, viewed, paid or overdue), so you aren't digging through your inbox and bank statements to work out who still owes you. When something is overdue, a reminder goes out with the same link in it. You don't have to write an awkward email.
Put together, the two change how invoicing feels. You stop chasing money and start watching it come in.
Which fees are worth paying
Convenience costs something, so it helps to know the numbers. On Stripe's standard US pricing, a card payment costs 2.9% plus 30 cents, and ACH bank debit costs 0.8%, capped at $5 (Paycove). Stripe's hosted invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice on its Starter tier (Stripe).
That cap matters more than anything else on the list. On a $2,000 invoice, a card payment costs about $58. Paid by bank debit, it costs $5. Here's how I set things up for most clients:
- Offer ACH by default on large invoices. It's still one click for the client, and the fee stays flat.
- Keep cards available for smaller jobs and for clients who want them. Paying $3 on a $100 invoice to get the money this week is usually a good trade.
- Skip instant payouts unless cash is tight. They cost 1.5% of the payout (Paycove) to speed up money that arrives within a few days anyway.
- Compare the fee to the wait. A few dollars is cheap next to three weeks of follow-up emails.
You can't control when a client gets around to your invoice, but you can make paying it the easiest thing they do that day.
The sooner paying feels like nothing to your client, the sooner the money lands in your account.
