Online payments¶
How to give a customer a link to pay an invoice online, and how the payment comes back into Lupa.
Online payment runs through your QuickBooks company. Your customer pays on QuickBooks' own payment page, by card or bank transfer, so no card or bank details reach Lupa. You need:
- a QuickBooks company connected to Lupa. See QuickBooks.
- QuickBooks Payments turned on in that QuickBooks company.
- the admin role. Only admins see the online payment controls.
QuickBooks limits
- Customers pay in full. Lupa has no part-paid balance. Any payment marks the invoice paid. If the amount differs from the invoice, the invoice is flagged for you to review.
- One payment, one invoice. Ask customers to pay each invoice through its own link.
- Only invoices with a pay link go to QuickBooks. Lupa sends an invoice to QuickBooks when you request its pay link, and at no other time.
- Customers are matched by name. Lupa looks for a QuickBooks customer whose display name is exactly the Lupa account name. If none matches exactly, Lupa creates a new QuickBooks customer with that name.
Get a pay link for an invoice¶
You can request a pay link once the invoice is sent. The invoice email does not include the link, and Lupa does not send it for you. Copy it and send it to the customer yourself, for example in a reply under Comms.
To get a pay link:
- Open the sent invoice and find Online payment below the line items.
- Choose Request online payment.
- Copy the link that appears under Pay link ready. and send it to the customer.
The first request creates the invoice in QuickBooks, with your Lupa invoice number as the QuickBooks invoice number. It also records the total that QuickBooks holds for the invoice, including any tax QuickBooks adds. Payments are checked against that total.
Afterwards the button reads Refresh pay link. Choosing it shows the same link again. It never creates a second invoice in QuickBooks.
If it says QuickBooks Payments isn't enabled. The message reads QuickBooks Payments isn't enabled on this company yet, so there's no working pay link to send. QuickBooks gives out a link that would not work, and Lupa does not show it. Turn on QuickBooks Payments in your QuickBooks company, then choose Refresh pay link.
If it says QuickBooks isn't connected. The panel reads Connect QuickBooks (ask an administrator) to request online payment for this invoice. Contact Lupa to connect QuickBooks. See QuickBooks.
If it says there is no billing-contact email. QuickBooks needs an email address for the customer. Add one for the account's billing contact under Clients and try again.
If the button isn't there. Online payment controls appear only on a sent invoice. A draft has not been sent yet. An invoice that has turned overdue loses the button, so request links while invoices are still within their terms.
Know when the money has arrived¶
When a customer pays through the link, QuickBooks tells Lupa and the invoice is marked paid by itself. Lupa also checks QuickBooks every hour for payments it was not told about. Either way, a payment is recorded only once. This works for an invoice that has turned overdue, too.
On the invoice, Online payment shows a status badge, such as Awaiting payment or Paid. Payment history lists each payment with its Recorded date, Amount and Status. Until a payment arrives it reads No payments recorded yet.
If the amount paid doesn't match the invoice. The invoice is still marked paid, and the note Payment amount differs from the invoiced total by the difference, followed by review, appears under Online payment. Lupa does not change the invoice total. Sort out the difference with the customer and in QuickBooks.
Check status¶
Check status appears next to Refresh pay link. Use it once QuickBooks shows the invoice paid, to bring the payment into Lupa without waiting for the hourly check. Lupa then shows Payment status refreshed from QuickBooks.
If you close the invoice another way¶
If an invoice has a pay link and you record a cash or cheque payment, or void the invoice, do it from Billing in Lupa Dash. Lupa Dash updates QuickBooks so the link can no longer take money. See Recording a payment and Voiding an invoice.
Refunds and disputed payments are handled in QuickBooks, not in Lupa.