Payments and reconciliation

Keep the business context together

Payment links direct a client to configured hosted checkout. Store the provider session and transaction references against the invoice, then reconcile verified incoming events with the expected customer, amount and currency. Processor fees and net deposits remain distinct from the gross amount collected from the customer.

Opening a payment link starts checkout and may create a provider session, but it does not prove that money was collected. Authorization, pending processing, cleared payment and a later refund are distinct outcomes. Show the invoice as paid only when the verified receipt and the remaining balance justify that result.

Give each decision a clear owner

Owner / Admin connects the payment service and controls restricted bank settings. Bookkeeper records evidenced cash or check receipts and investigates exceptions. Client access is limited to their document and its payment action; the link never grants permission to edit billing or business configuration.

Cash and check receipts need their own supporting evidence. A bookkeeper can identify the invoice and payment method, record the received amount and retain a reference that can be compared with the eventual bank activity. A check that is returned requires a linked correction rather than leaving the invoice permanently marked paid.

Handle exceptions with the original record

Verify provider signatures and reject cross-account events. An authorization is not cleared money. Duplicate and out-of-order callbacks must not double the receipt. Refunds, failed payments and disputes preserve the original transaction reference and recalculate the collectible amount without deleting financial history.

The payment list helps explain a partial payment, a fee difference or a transaction under dispute. Follow the provider reference to investigate an uncertain result. When the provider sends the same event twice, the existing receipt remains the result; the customer balance must not fall again just because a callback was repeated.

Find the work that needs attention

A refund belongs to the original payment and invoice. Review the confirmed refund amount and whether any part of the invoice remains collectible. Preserve the original receipt and refund evidence together so an owner can distinguish a deliberate refund from a duplicate payment, a processor dispute or a failed bank deposit.

Configure it around your business

Configure hosted checkout accounts, permitted currencies, verified callback handling and bank-setting access before offering online payment. Include a declined payment, a partial payment and a confirmed refund in the setup review. Customers keep a simple payment action while staff receive enough transaction detail to explain what actually happened.