Overview

Sola offers multiple ways to collect payment from customers: charging immediately from an Account or Billing record using a saved payment method, requesting a prepayment by emailing a payment link before a Billing exists, or sending a payment link along with a Billing PDF. Use this article to select the right process for your workflow.

No Payment Method On File:

• Payment Site URL (no payment method required):
  • Email a Billing with a payment URL to a secure payment form.
  • Send a generic PaymentSite URL not associated with a Billing. If a generic link is sent, the Merchant Download job will likely run and error out. Transaction Import Error records are created. Once these are addressed, rerun the job.
• Request a Prepayment from the Account: Send a customer a secure payment link by email before a Billing is created using the Receive Payment action on the Account. No payment method required.

Payment Method On File:

• Create a Payment from the Account: Charge a customer before a Billing is created using the Create Payment action on the Account. Requires a payment method on file. The customer is charged immediately.
• Billings: Charge a customer using a payment method on file using the Receive Payment action on the Billing. Requires a payment method on file.

In this article:

• Send an Email with the Payment Site URL and Billing PDF
• Request a Prepayment from the Account
• Create a Payment from the Account
• Receive Payment from Billings

Send an Email with the Payment Site URL and Billing PDF

If you do not store your customers' payment method information on file, or prefer not to use stored information, use this process to email a customer a secure payment link along with the Billing PDF.

Before You Begin

• Confirm the Payment Processor record linked to this Billing has Type = Sola.
• On the Billing record, confirm the PaymentSite URL field contains a URL. If this field is not visible, add it to the Billing page layout (see Sola Onboarding Process, Step 6H).
• If you have not already done so during onboarding, customize the standard Sola payment email template so the payment hyperlink renders correctly in the email. Steps are in the Sola Onboarding Process, Step 6E. Without this step, the payment link may not display correctly.

1. Navigate to Accounting Home > Create Entries tab > Revenues menu > Billings.
2. Select a list view (any view other than Recently Viewed, this action is only available in standard list views).
3. Open the Billing record, then click Create PDF. Although the button is labeled Create PDF, it opens an email preview screen that includes the Billing PDF as an attachment and the payment link in the body.
4. Click Send Email. The customer receives the email.

When they click the link, they can enter their payment method information (credit card or ACH) and complete payment. The system does not store the customer's payment method.

Notes:

• If Convenience Fees were set up, the customer sees them calculated automatically once the payment amount is entered, and the fees are included in the total.
• If your administrator has enabled partial payments on the Payment Processor, the customer can enter a partial amount to pay.

Request a Prepayment from the Account

Use this process to send a customer a payment link by email to collect a deposit, retainer, or prepayment before a Billing has been created. A payment method is not required to be saved on file. When the customer pays using the link, Accounting Seed automatically posts the Cash Receipt to a dedicated Prepayment GL Account.

Admin setup is required before use, including creating a Prepayment GL Account, configuring Default GL Accounts, and updating the Cash Receipt page layout. See the AR Prepayments article for full setup and usage steps.

1. On the Account record, click Receive Payment. The Request Prepayment screen opens.
2. Complete the required fields, including amount and email recipient. Add any optional GL variables.
3. Click Request Prepayment. The system sends the payment link email and creates a pending Cash Receipt.

Create a Payment from the Account

Use this process to charge a customer immediately from the Account record before a Billing has been created.

Before You Begin

• A payment method must be saved on file for the Account on your Sola payment processor. If no payment methods have been saved, confirm the Manage Sola Payment Methods button has been added to the Account page layout (see the Sola Onboarding Process article). Use that button to store a credit card or ACH account for the customer.

1. Navigate to Accounting Home > Setup tab > Master menu > Accounts.
2. Select a list view (any view other than Recently Viewed, the Create Payment button is only available in standard list views). Click the Account record.
3. Click Create Payment.
4. If one Payment Processor record exists, it displays automatically. If there is more than one, click the Payment Processor drop-down and select the appropriate processor.
5. The default Payment Method displays. If there is more than one, they are listed in the drop-down. Select the appropriate one.
   • For credit cards: the Payment Method shows the Account Holder's name, credit card type, and last four digits of the card number.
   • For ACH payments: the last four digits of the ACH Bank Account number are displayed.
6. Enter the Amount to charge.
7. Review the Convenience Fees options:
   • Include Convenience Fees: If Convenience Fees are configured on the Payment Processor, this checkbox is selected by default and is editable. Clear it to exclude Convenience Fees. If Convenience Fees were not configured, this checkbox is disabled.
   • Convenience Fees: If configured and selected, the fee amount displays based on setup (percentage or flat fee).
   • Total Payment Amount: Displays the sum of Amount plus Convenience Fees.
8. (Optional) Add a Description and any GL variables (such as project or department) for this transaction.
9. Click Create Payment. The customer is charged immediately.

If the payment fails, an error message displays on the Create Payment screen with the decline reason returned by Sola. No Cash Receipt is created. Review the error, confirm the payment method details are current in your Sola portal, and retry.

Receive Payment from Billings

Single Payment from a Billing

Before You Begin

• A payment method must be saved on file for the Account on your Sola payment processor. If no payment method is on file, use the Send an Email with the Payment Site URL and Billing PDF process instead.

1. Open the Billing record.
2. Click Receive Payment and review the intermediate screen.
3. Confirm the action. The system creates a Cash Receipt for the payment amount.

When the Merchant Download job runs, the system creates the remaining records and applies the Cash Receipt to the Billing. For detailed steps, see the Receive Payment Directly from a Billing article.

If the Receive Payment button is not visible or is disabled, confirm a payment method is saved on file for this Account. If no payment method is on file, use the Send an Email with the Payment Site URL and Billing PDF process instead.

Batch Payments from the Billings List View

Before You Begin

• Billings qualify for batch processing when they have a positive amount, a Payment Method attached to the Account, and a Global Default Payment Processor selected in Payment Settings.

1. Navigate to Accounting Home > Create Entries tab > Revenues menu > Billings.
2. Select a list view (any view other than Recently Viewed).
3. Select the Billings you want to receive payment for.
4. Click Receive Payments in the action bar at the top of the list view.
5. On the intermediate screen, Billings are grouped into rows. Review them and confirm. The system creates a Cash Receipt for each row processed successfully.

When the Merchant Download job runs, the system creates the remaining records and applies the Cash Receipts to their respective Billings. For detailed steps, see the Receive Payments from Multiple Billings article.

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