Contracts can be paid three ways, and you choose per contract template which one applies. Commusoft can collect each contract invoice automatically once your customer has authorized it. Your customer can pay each invoice themselves in the invoice portal. Or your office can record payments manually as they arrive. This article covers all three, so you can pick the approach that suits how you bill.

The payment integration you plan to use must be connected first.

To understand how bank payments differ by region and when each one clears, see Understanding GoCardless payments in Commusoft.

Use this route when you want Commusoft to collect each contract invoice without anyone chasing it. Your customer authorizes payment once, and collection follows the invoice frequency set in the Invoicing step of your contract template.

➡️ Click your Profile icon > Settings > Contracts > Contract templates

Open the template you want, work through to the Invoicing step, then under Payments set Allow Commusoft to take payment to Yes.

Choose the option that matches the integration you are using.

Select Debit or credit card to take recurring payments through Stripe.

Select Bank payment to collect by Direct Debit, ACH, or PAD through GoCardless.

You also need the GoCardless confirmation template completed in the Communications step, with the [mandate_customer_approval] tag included. Without that tag your customer never receives the authorization request.

➡️ Locate the customer record > Quick links > Contracts > Add new contract > select the contract > the Payment step

What you see at the Payment step depends on the payment option set in the template.

Once card details are entered, no further authorization is needed. Choose one of the following.

Bank payments need a mandate, which is your customer's authorization to collect from their account. You have three options.

The Payment step shows a mandate form. Your customer receives an email request and must complete and approve it. The contract stays in Pending mandate approval status until they do. The approval link expires 7 days after it is sent, and GoCardless takes 2 to 3 days to activate the mandate once approved.

➡️ Set up new mandate > complete the form > Save

If the customer already has a mandate in Commusoft, select it from the dropdown rather than creating another. A new approval request is sent to your customer, and the contract activates immediately.

➡️ Use existing mandate > select the mandate from the dropdown > Save

Use this when the customer already pays you through GoCardless from before you used Commusoft. Copy the mandate reference from GoCardless and enter it in Commusoft. Once linked, Commusoft manages the payments and GoCardless cancels any subscriptions it holds.

➡️ Import from GoCardless > enter the mandate reference > Check > Save

Use this route when you would rather your customer chose when to pay, or you are billing a lump sum. You send a link to the invoice portal and they pay there, by card through Stripe or by bank through GoCardless.

➡️ Click your Profile icon > Settings > Contracts > Contract templates

Open the template, work through to the Invoicing step, then under Payments set Allow Commusoft to take payment to No.

You also need your Invoice portal settings configured, along with the related core settings. For what your customers can pay with in each region, see Understanding GoCardless payments in Commusoft.

Use this route if you do not want to use the payment integrations, or you prefer to manage contract payments yourself.

➡️ Navigate to the invoice > Add new payment > enter the payment details > Save

For the full steps, see Adding a payment to a customer invoice.

With automatic collection set up, Commusoft requests each contract invoice payment from the integration on the schedule your template sets. Card payments are taken from the stored card. Bank payments are collected once the mandate is active, and each payment carries a reference generated by GoCardless that you can search in their platform.

If a payment fails, Commusoft does not retry it automatically. Send your customer a portal link so they can pay that invoice, then check whether their mandate or card is still valid for future collections.