Collecting Payments with Money Pro

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How to accept card and bank payments directly through your invoices — setup, fees, payout speed, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Overview

Money Pro includes a built-in merchant account powered by Stripe that lets you accept credit cards, debit cards, and ACH bank transfers directly from your invoices. When you send a client an invoice, they see a Pay Now button — they click it, pay by card or bank transfer, and the invoice is automatically marked as paid in your Money Pro account.

This eliminates the friction of chasing paper checks, reconciling PayPal payouts, or juggling a separate payment processor account. Your payments and bookkeeping live in the same place.

There are no contracts, no monthly fees, and no minimum transaction volumes. You pay only when you collect a payment — per-transaction fees apply (see the Fees section below). Setup takes a few minutes online, though verification and approval can take a few business days.

What's Supported

Accepted payment methods:
- Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover (credit and debit cards)
- ACH bank transfer (direct debit from client's bank account)

Not currently supported:
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay
- Cash App
- Klarna
- Afterpay / other buy-now-pay-later services

International payments: Stripe supports payments from clients in 135+ countries. Your clients can pay with their international card as long as it's on the Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Discover network.

Setting Up Your Payment Account

Getting Started

Go to ZenBusiness Money → Invoices
A pop-up will prompt you to apply for your merchant account — click "Get Started"
Complete the online application (takes a few minutes)
Watch your email — we may request additional documentation to verify your identity and business

Approval time: Applications are typically approved within 5 business days. If additional documentation is requested, allow a few extra days. Once approved, the Pay Now button is active on all future invoices immediately.

What You Need Before Applying

Stripe requires specific information during the onboarding application:

Business website URL — required. If you don't have a website yet, a social media profile (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), an Etsy shop URL, or any public online presence works. You cannot leave this blank.
Payout bank account — Stripe requires you to connect your bank via Plaid (online banking login). Entering routing and account numbers alone is not accepted. You must have online banking credentials for your business bank account.
Business and personal identity information — business name, EIN, and personal SSN for identity verification

If you don't have online banking set up for your business account, contact your bank to enable it before starting the Stripe application.

If You Closed the Application Before Finishing

If Money Pro says Stripe needs more information after setup, see Money Pro Says Stripe Needs More Information — What to Check.

If you started the onboarding process but closed the window before completing it:

Go to ZenBusiness Money → Invoices
The option to continue your application should appear on the dashboard or in Settings
If you can't find it, contact our support team and we'll help you resume

Who Can Apply

Almost any type of business can apply for a Stripe payments account, including online businesses, startups, service businesses, and freelancers. A small number of business types are restricted by Stripe — check stripe.com/legal/restricted-businesses for the full list.

Fees

Payment processing fees are charged per transaction:

Payment Type	Fee
Credit or debit card	2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
ACH bank transfer	0.8% per transaction (capped at $5)
Failed payment	$4.00
Dispute (chargeback)	$15.00

No monthly fee, no setup fee, no minimum volume. There are no long-term contracts or commitments — you can stop using payment collection at any time without penalty.

ACH is often cheaper for large invoices. For a $1,000 invoice: card processing costs $29.30, ACH costs $5.00 (capped). For clients comfortable with bank transfers, ACH saves money for both parties.

How Fast Do I Get Paid?

Payout timing follows a two-leg process:

Payment clears in Stripe — the client's payment settles into your Stripe Balance. For ACH bank transfers, this takes ~2 business days. For card payments, typically 1–2 business days.
Stripe pays out to your bank — Stripe automatically initiates a transfer to your connected bank account on its daily payout schedule, which takes another ~1–2 business days.

Typical total: 3–4 business days for ACH, 2–4 business days for card. The invoice is marked Paid immediately when the payment is received — you don't need to wait for the bank transfer.

You can check the current status of pending payouts at stripe.com — log in with your Stripe credentials and go to Balance. To change when Stripe sends available funds to your bank, see How to Update Your Stripe Payout Schedule.

First payment hold: The very first payment processed through your Stripe account is held for 7 business days before being paid out. This is a standard Stripe verification hold that applies once. After your first payment clears, normal timing applies to all future payments.

Can I Get My Payout Faster?

Yes. Stripe Instant Payout lets you move available Stripe balance to your bank within ~30 minutes, any time of day.

Fee: 1.5% of the transfer amount (minimum $0.50)
How to initiate it: Log in at stripe.com → go to Balance → click Pay out funds instantly
Bank requirement: Your linked bank must support the Visa or Mastercard Fast Funds network. Most major U.S. banks qualify; some smaller credit unions do not.
Limitation: Instant Payout only moves available balance — funds that are still pending (e.g., an ACH payment still clearing) cannot be instantly paid out yet

This feature is managed entirely from your Stripe dashboard and is not available from within the ZenBusiness Money interface.

Stripe Account Management Guides

Some payment settings are managed in Stripe, while Money Pro handles invoice status and bookkeeping. Use these guides for common Stripe account tasks:

Money Pro can automatically link Stripe payouts to invoices and create Stripe fee transactions when the bank account receiving Stripe payouts is connected to Money Pro through Plaid.

Viewing Your Payments

To see your recent payments after setting up your account:

Go to ZenBusiness Money → Invoices
Click Invoices to see paid, unpaid, and draft invoices with their payment status
For merchant account-specific transaction history and payout details, look in the Payments section of your account (may also appear in Account Settings depending on your dashboard version)

Fraud Protection

Stripe uses machine learning algorithms and continuously updated rules to detect and stop fraudulent transactions before they process. This protection is automatic — you don't need to configure anything. Stripe monitors transactions around the clock and updates its fraud detection as new fraud patterns emerge.

If a suspicious transaction is flagged, Stripe may decline it automatically or request additional verification. If a payment you believe is legitimate gets declined, contact our support team and we can investigate.

Managing Your Stripe Connection

Disconnect your Stripe account

To disconnect Stripe from Money Pro:

Go to ZenBusiness Money → Invoices → gear icon → Payments
Find your connected Stripe account and click Disconnect
Confirm the disconnection

After disconnecting, the Pay Now button is removed from your invoices. Existing paid invoices remain in your records. You can reconnect a Stripe account at any time through the same Payments settings.

Switch to a different Stripe account

If you connected the wrong Stripe account:

Disconnect the current account (steps above)
Go to ZenBusiness Money → Invoices → gear icon → Payments
Click Connect Stripe and log in to the correct Stripe account

Each ZenBusiness user has one merchant account connection. You cannot have two Stripe accounts connected simultaneously.

"Set Up Payments" still shows after connecting Stripe

If the Set Up Payments or Get Started prompt still appears after you completed the Stripe onboarding:

Application is still pending: Approval takes up to 5 business days. The button clears once your application is approved — not when you submit it.
Application is in requirements_incomplete state: Stripe may need additional information. Check your email for a message from Stripe or from ZenBusiness requesting documents.
Browser cache: Log out, clear your cache, and log back in — stale sessions sometimes show the old prompt.
Token mismatch: If you've had Money Pro for a long time or recently cancelled and repurchased, there may be a stale merchant account ID. Contact our support team to resolve this.

Connecting Stripe to Your ZenBusiness Website

If you have a ZenBusiness website (through our website builder), you can integrate your Stripe account to accept payments directly on your website — not just through invoices. This lets you sell products, services, or packages with an online checkout on your website.

To connect Stripe to your ZenBusiness website:
1. In your website builder, go to Settings → Payments or look for the Payment integration option in your site's e-commerce or checkout settings
2. Connect your existing Stripe account (the same one tied to your Money Pro merchant account)

If you need help with the website integration, contact our support team.

Stripe Support

For questions specific to your Stripe account — transaction details, identity verification, dispute handling — Stripe has its own support resources. You can reach Stripe directly through the Stripe dashboard or at stripe.com/contact.

For questions about your ZenBusiness merchant account, invoicing, or payment collection through Money Pro, contact our support team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use the built-in payment collection?

No. Invoicing works independently of the merchant account. You can create and send invoices at any time and record payments manually when clients pay by check, wire transfer, Venmo, or another non-Stripe method. The merchant account enables online payment collection — it's optional. For those workflows, see Record Direct Invoice Payments Outside Stripe in Money Pro.

Are there any long-term contracts or commitments?

No. There are no contracts, no monthly fees, and no minimum transaction requirements. You pay only per transaction when you collect payment. You can stop using payment collection at any time.

What if my client pays with an international card?

Stripe supports payments from clients in 135+ countries. International cards on the Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Discover networks are accepted. Standard card processing fees (2.9% + $0.30) apply.

How does Stripe protect me from fraud?

Stripe uses machine learning to evaluate every transaction and flag suspicious activity automatically. It continuously updates its detection rules as new fraud patterns emerge. This happens behind the scenes — no setup required on your end.

What do I do if I receive a chargeback (dispute)?

A chargeback happens when a client disputes a charge with their card issuer. Stripe charges a $15 dispute fee, which is deducted from your account while the dispute is under review. You'll receive a notification and have the opportunity to submit evidence that the charge was legitimate. If Stripe rules in your favor, the $15 fee is typically refunded. Contact our support team if you need help responding to a dispute.

Can I have a merchant account for more than one business?

Currently, each ZenBusiness user has one merchant account, even if you have multiple businesses. You can collect payments for any of your ZenBusiness businesses using that single merchant account.

I applied for a merchant account but never heard back. What happened?

Check your email (including spam) — we may have sent a request for additional documentation. If you haven't received anything after 5 business days, contact our support team with your account email and we'll look into the status of your application.

Why is my client's card being declined?

Card declines can happen for several reasons: insufficient funds, card restrictions set by the client's bank, international transaction blocks, or Stripe's fraud detection. Ask your client to try a different card or use ACH bank transfer as an alternative. If the issue persists, contact our support team.

Is ACH safer than card payments?

Both methods are secure. ACH is a direct bank-to-bank transfer authorized by the client, making unauthorized transactions less likely. Card payments go through the card network's own fraud protections. The main practical difference is cost — ACH is cheaper for large invoices (capped at $5 vs. 2.9%+$0.30 for cards).

Still need help?

For merchant account and payment questions: our support team
For general Money Pro support: our support team
We're available Monday–Friday during business hours.