As a client, how do I pay an invoice with online payments?

FreshBooks makes it easy for you, whether you're a primary client or a secondary contact, to pay your invoices with a credit card, by bank transfer (ACH), or by PayPal without needing to make an account. Primary clients can also save payment information in their own client account, making it easier and quicker to pay new invoices as they come in, as well as pay several outstanding invoices in bulk.

Your payment information is always protected with FreshBooks' Security and Reliability Safeguards.

 

Heads Up: As a client, if you're looking to pay using Direct Debit, use the Direct Debit steps here. Or if you want to have your recurring invoices paid automatically, learn more about recurring payments. 

 

Important: If you're having trouble opening and viewing invoices, review these troubleshooting options.

 

 

Pay an Invoice by Credit Card

When you receive an invoice from a business using FreshBooks, you can use these steps to pay by credit card online, if credit card payments have been activated by the business. Ensure your web browser is up to date and pay with the below steps:

  1. Open the invoice from the email that was sent to you
  2. Select the View Invoice / View and Pay Invoice button in the email
  3. If there are multiple tabs, ensure you're on the Credit Card tab
  4. If available, select Pay in full or Pay a different amount
    1. If Pay a different amount is selected, specify the partial amount to pay
  5. Enter your credit card details
  6. Then select the Pay $xx.xx button
  7. If you and the business are based in the EU, the payment may require Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) first. You’ll receive a push notification, a text message, or another method chosen by your bank. Once this authentication is completed, your credit card payment will begin processing.

 

Pay an Invoice by Bank Transfer (ACH)

When you receive an invoice from FreshBooks, you can use these steps to pay by bank transfer if you're based in the United States online and if bank transfers have been activated by the business. Bank transfers are available through Plaid or Stripe's Financial Connections, and are safe and secure. Ensure your web browser is up to date and follow the steps below: 

  1. Open the invoice from the email that was sent to you
  2. Select the View and Pay Invoice link in the email
  3. If there are multiple tabs, ensure you're on the Bank Transfer tab
  4. If the invoice displays the Email and Full Name fields, these will be automatically populated for you, edit if needed
    1. Next, select your bank by selecting from the available bank tiles, or by searching for it and selecting the bank from the list
    2. If available, select Pay in full or Pay a different amount 
      1. If Pay a different amount is selected, specify the partial amount to pay
    3. Then select the Pay $xx.xx button
    4. Ensure pop-ups are activated for FreshBooks, and in the pop-up, select Agree and Continue
    5. Next, log into your online bank account
    6. Then select the account to pay with and select Connect Account
    7. The account will become connected, select Back to FreshBooks
    8. On the invoice, the connected bank account will be displayed, select the Pay $xx.xx button
  5. If the invoice displays as Powered by Plaid, and if available, select Pay in full or Pay a different amount 
    1. If Pay a different amount is selected, specify the partial amount to pay 
    2. Then select the Pay $xx.xx button
    3. Ensure pop-ups are activated for FreshBooks, and in the pop-up, select Continue
    4. Select your bank by searching for it, or selecting on the bank’s icon in the list shown
    5. Enter the login credentials you use to log into your bank account online and select Submit 
    6. Choose the account to pay with and press Continue
    7. If needed, accept the terms and conditions, and select the Connect account information button
    8. The account will become connected, select Continue
    9. The payment will process and a confirmation pop-up will appear. Select Done to finish.

 

Pay an Invoice by PayPal

When you receive an invoice from FreshBooks, you can use these steps to pay by PayPal online, if PayPal payments have been activated by the business. Ensure your web browser is up to date and pay with the below steps:

  1. Open the invoice from the email that was sent to you
  2. Select the View and Pay Invoice link in the email
  3. If available, select Pay in full or Pay a different amount 
    1. If Pay a different amount is selected, specify the partial amount to pay
  4. If you have an existing PayPal account, select the PayPal button
    1. Enter your Email address or mobile number, and your Password
    2. Select Log In
    3. Confirm your address and choose a payment option (PayPal balance, or any of your connected bank and credit card accounts)
    4. Select Pay Now to finish
  5. Otherwise, if you want to pay as a guest, which is available from owner's PayPal account in select countries, enter your credit card details, billing address and contact information, then select Pay Now to finish
  6. The payment will process and a confirmation pop-up will appear. Select Done to finish.

 

Note: PayPal has a limit on how much you can pay as a guest on a case-by-case basis. Once this limit is reached, you will need to create a PayPal account to keep paying with the same debit or credit card.

 

Pay an Invoice with Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD)

When you receive an invoice from FreshBooks, you can use these steps to pay with Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD), if it has been activated by the business:

  1. Open the invoice from the email that was sent to you
  2. Select the View Invoice button in the email
  3. If there are multiple tabs, ensure you’re on the Pre-Authorized Debit tab
  4. Select the Pay $xx.xx button
  5. In the payment window, enter your Email and Name on account, then select the Pay button
  6. Select either:
    1. Agree to confirm linking your bank account with online login credentials
      1. Choose your Bank
      2. Enter your Bank’s Username and Password, then select Continue
      3. Answer any security questions as needed
      4. Select the account to pay from, then select Continue
      5. Confirm your Pre-Authorized Debit details then select Pay $xx.xx to finish
    2. Or select Manually Verify below the Agree button to use micro-deposits instead
      1. Enter the Institution Number
      2. Then enter the Transit Number, Account Number and select Submit
      3. Review the micro-deposit details and select Confirm
      4. Then confirm your Pre-Authorized Debit details and select Pay $xx.xx to finish
  7. An email will be sent confirming the terms of the Pre-Authorized Debit payment.

 

Save Your Payment Information

Create a client account to save your payment information for re-use on future invoices, and for the option to pay multiple outstanding invoices in bulk. 

To save your payment information, on any invoice you've received, enter your credit card or bank transfer information, and before paying the invoice, follow the rest of these steps: 

  1. For saving a credit card, check off the box next to Save this credit card to an account with [Company Name]
  2. For saving a bank account for Bank Transfers, check the box off next to Remember this bank account for future invoices from [Company Name]
  3. Then select the Pay $xx.xx button
  4. In the payment confirmation pop-up, create a client account by entering a password, or log into your existing client account to save the payment information. Once completed, your saved payment information will be available to use for next time. You can also repeat these steps to save additional credit cards and bank accounts to your client account as needed.

 

Pay with Saved Payment Information

On any new invoice you receive, if you've previously saved your payment information to your client account, you can use this to pay the invoice. Use the below steps to pay with a saved payment method: 

  1. Open the invoice from the email that was sent to you
  2. Select either tabs:
    1. Select the Credit Card tab, any saved cards will be listed
    2. Select the Bank Transfer tab, any saved bank accounts will be listed
  3. Select the saved payment method and then select the Pay $xx.xx button
  4. In the pop-up, log into your client account
  5. Confirm the selected saved payment method and select the Pay $xx.xx button to submit the payment.

 

Remove Your Payment Information

Remove your payment information if you need to replace your payment method with updated information, or to remove the payment method entirely. Use these steps:

  1. Log into your client account at my.freshbooks.com
  2. Open any unpaid invoice
  3. Select the Pay Now button, any saved credit cards and bank accounts will appear
  4. Hover over the credit card or bank account until a trash can icon appears next to it, and select the trash can icon
  5. Then select Delete to confirm. Then to add updated credit card or bank account details, repeat the steps in the Save Your Payment Information section to save it as a new payment method.

Note: If the business entered credit card details on your behalf, or the business requires automatic payments with recurring payments, only the business can remove the payment details for you.

FreshBooks