How to take payments through Pillar
Connect Stripe once and every invoice you send can be paid online by card or bank. This guide walks the whole flow, from setup to deposits, plus recording the occasional check.
Connect Stripe, one time
Where to clickAdminPayment ProcessingConnect with Stripe
Press Admin at the bottom of the left sidebar, then pick Payment Processing from the admin menu that appears. Press Connect with Stripe, and if you do not have a Stripe account yet, the page links to a free signup.
Pillar shows you exactly how fees work before anything connects, and you confirm with one checkbox. Stripe then walks you through authorizing the connection on their site.
Payments taken through Pillar carry Stripe’s standard processing fees on your own Stripe account, plus 1% to Pillar. Cash and checks cost nothing.
Send the invoice
Where to clickInvoicesopen the draftEmail Invoice to Customer
A draft invoice cannot take payments yet. Press Invoices in the left sidebar, open the draft, and choose one of the two buttons at the top.
Email Invoice to Customer sends the invoice with a link to view and pay it online. Mark as Sent — No Email just makes the invoice payable, for jobs where you are handed cash or a check on the spot.
Your customer pays online
Where to clickTheir emailView & Pay InvoicePay
Your customer presses View & Pay Invoice in the email, which opens the invoice in your customer portal with the amount due and a pay button. Customers who sign in to the portal directly find the same invoice under My Invoices.
Checkout offers whatever you have switched on in your own Stripe account, so cards work out of the box and wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay appear automatically once enabled there. The invoice flips to paid on its own the moment the payment lands.
Record cash and checks yourself
Where to clickInvoicesany unpaid invoiceRecord Payment
For money that never touches the internet, press Invoices in the left sidebar and open any unpaid invoice with View.
Press Record Payment to log any amount up to the balance due, or Mark as Paid to settle the whole remaining balance in one step.
Pick how they paid, drop the check number in the reference field if you have one, and save. Partial payments move the invoice to partially paid automatically.
Collect a deposit over the phone
Where to clickJobsopen the jobRequest deposit
Press Jobs in the left sidebar and open the job you are booking. Scroll to the Deposits card and press Request deposit.
Ask for a flat amount, a percentage of the estimate, or your service call fee, then tick text, email, or both. The customer gets a payment link while you are still on the call.
Turn on bank payments if you want them
Where to clickAdminPayment SettingsAccept bank payments (ACH)Save Changes
Bank payments cost less in processing than cards on large invoices, but they take 3 to 5 business days to clear. They are off until you press Admin in the left sidebar, pick Payment Settings, flip Accept bank payments (ACH), and press Save Changes.
One extra step happens on Stripe's side: enable ACH Direct Debit in your own Stripe dashboard, and the page walks you to it. While a bank payment is clearing, Pillar blocks other payments on that invoice so nothing gets paid twice.
See every payment on the invoice
Where to clickInvoicesopen the invoicePayment History
Every payment, however it arrived, is listed at the bottom of its invoice with the method, date, and status. Owners can refund a completed online payment from the same list.
Common questions
Can I charge a card myself, from my side?
No, and that is deliberate: your customer enters their own card on a secure Stripe page, so card numbers never pass through you or Pillar. The card options inside Record Payment are for logging a charge you ran somewhere else, like your own terminal.
Can I take a payment before the customer ever sees the invoice?
Yes. Press Mark as Sent on the draft, which makes it payable without emailing anyone, then press Record Payment and log the cash or check.
Can a customer pay part of an invoice?
Record Payment accepts any amount up to the balance due, so partial cash and check payments are easy. The online Pay button settles the full amount due in one go.
When does the money reach my bank account?
Card payments follow the payout schedule on your own Stripe account, typically about two business days. Bank payments take 3 to 5 business days to clear before they count as paid.
What about refunds?
Owners can refund any completed online payment straight from the invoice, in full or in part. The refund shows up in the same payment list.