Overview

AR Automation is available to all customers operating in US Dollars. To activate this feature, send an email to licensing@accountingseed.com. Sola is the payment processor that integrates with Accounting Seed's AR Automation to enable customer payments through a hosted PaymentSITE payment form.

In this article:

• Step 1: Send an Email to Learn More
• Step 2: Send the Sola Merchant Application Form
• Step 3: Remove Debit Blocks
• Step 4: Create a Sola Merchant Account
• Step 5: Complete Sola and PaymentSITE Configurations
  • A. Select Payment Methods
  • B. Manage Receipt Options
  • C. Customize PaymentSITE Form with Branding and Colors
  • D. Customize PaymentSITE Sections and Fields
    • Option 1: Pay in Full Configurations
    • Option 2: Partial Pay Configurations
    • Other Fields and Sections (Optional)
  • E. Enable Convenience Fees in Sola
  • F. Optional: Configure Columns on the Sola Transactions Page
• Step 6: Configure Settings in Accounting Seed
  • A. Create GL Accounts to Track Merchant Deposit, Fees, and Convenience Fees
  • B. Create a Payment Processor Record for Sola
  • C. Enter Merchant Keys to Activate the Payment Processor and Connect to Sola
  • D. Complete Setting up the PaymentSITE if Option 1 - Pay in Full was selected
  • E. Set up an Email Template for the PaymentSITE
  • F. Optional: Add the Payment Link to your Billing PDF VisualForce page
  • G. Add the Manage Sola Payment Methods Button to the Account Page Layout
  • H. Add the Payment Site URL to the Billing Page Layout
  • I. Enable the Global Automated Match Setting
  • J. Schedule the Merchant Download Job as an Admin User
  • K. Ensure Remote Site Settings are Active
• Step 7: Run a Test Micro-transaction
• Step 8: Migrate Stripe Payment Methods to Sola
• Additional Information

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Step 1: Send an Email to Learn More

To get started with Payment Processing through Sola and AR Automation, send an email to licensing@accountingseed.com.

An Accounting Seed representative will reach out to schedule an introductory meeting. In the initial meeting, Accounting Seed provides an overview of AR Automation and recommends a migration plan for customers currently using other payment processors.

Step 2: Send the Sola Merchant Application Form

Before you begin: Gather the information listed in the Sola Merchant Onboarding Form Fields table at the bottom of this article.

During the initial overview call, or shortly after, the Accounting Seed representative sends you the Sola Merchant Application form.

Ensure sola.com and fidelitypayment.com are set as trusted in your email client.

You will receive an email from Sola with the subject line Merchant Application for [Company Name]. When you click the Review Application link, Sola displays a secure form. Once completed and submitted, the form goes to Sola's underwriting department. Most applications are processed the same day or within 1–2 days.

Step 3: Remove Debit Blocks

Most bank accounts are set up to prevent automatic withdrawals. Sola sends payments to your bank as two transactions per batch:

1. A deposit (gross) of the total of all payments processed.
2. A withdrawal from your bank for the calculated processing fees.

Important: Debit blocks must be removed before transactions can be processed through Sola. Without this step, neither the deposit nor the withdrawal transactions will process.

Watch for an email from Sola with the list of company IDs for which debit blocks must be removed, as well as an email to add ACHQ's debit block ID for ACH payments. The subject line of the Sola email is "Important Information Regarding Debit Blocks." 

A separate email covers ACH payments with ACHQ's debit block ID:

If you do not receive this email, use the company IDs in the table below to remove debit blocks on your bank account:

Processor	Company IDs
ACHQ	3464699697
Fidelity & Cardknox	9000036136

 

Processor	Company IDs
Fiserv	4518088069 / 5921267939 / 9044033774
Clover	1841128086
Cardknox Go (Pathward/Fiserv)	B526123456 / C190052269

Step 4: Create a Sola Merchant Account

Before you begin: Sola has approved your Merchant Account application and you have received a Welcome email with the subject line "Welcome to Sola."

After Sola approves your Merchant Account application, they send a Welcome email with the subject line Welcome to Sola. Follow the Registration Instructions in the email to set up your Sola Merchant Account.

Note: Save this email. It includes instructions for generating the Sola Keys.

Step 5: Complete Sola and PaymentSITE Configurations

This section covers the setup of the PaymentSITE, the hosted payment form your customers see when they click a payment link. Complete these subsections in order.

The PaymentSITE URL is included in a Sola email with the subject line Your PaymentSITE is Active!

Before configuring the PaymentSITE, decide:

• Do you want Convenience Fees enabled for PaymentSITE payments?
• Do you want customers to pay in full only, or allow partial payments?

A. Select Payment Methods

Ensure the appropriate payment methods are selected in your Sola portal, including each credit card type you accept and ACH payments if applicable.

1. In your Sola portal, click Settings.
2. Click Gateway Settings.
3. Click PaymentSITE, then click the Edit (pencil) icon.
4. Click the General Settings tab.
5. Under Payment Methods, click the right arrow to expand the drop-down list.
6. Select the checkbox next to each payment method.
7. Click Publish to save.

B. Manage Receipt Options

Set an email address to receive payment confirmation notifications and a copy of the receipt.

1. On the General Settings tab, select the checkbox next to Receipt Options.
2. Select the checkbox next to Send Email Receipt.
3. Select the checkbox next to Display Logo on Printed Receipt.

C. Customize PaymentSITE Form with Branding and Colors

Note: If you manage multiple PaymentSITEs, complete the steps below for each one.

Files must be in .jpg format and the width cannot exceed 842px.

1. Add your company logo:
   1. From PaymentSITE, expand the PaymentSITE Logo section.
   2. Upload your logo file.
2. Change the background color:
   1. Click the General Settings tab.
   2. Expand the Themes section. Sola provides two themes: Grey (allows you to set the background color) and Green (no customization).
   3. Select Grey, then click Select background color to set the color.
3. Add your logo to receipts and confirmation pages:
   1. Sign in to the Sola Payment Portal.
   2. Click Settings on the left menu.
   3. Click Portal Settings on the next menu.
   4. Click Logo Management.
   5. Upload your logo with the file load tool. Use only .jpg files no larger than 842px wide.
   6. Select the Include my logo on my merchant portal account checkbox.
   7. Click Save.

D. Customize PaymentSITE Sections and Fields

You can organize the main PaymentSITE sections (Transaction Details, Billing, and Shipping) to display in a format suited to your customers. First complete the common setup and then complete Option 1 or Option 2 depending on your needs.

Common setup regardless of Pay in Full or Allow Pay Partial:

1. From the PaymentSITE Manage Layout tab, click the + icon to add or edit.
2. Important! Add Custom19 to the Transaction Details section. This maps the Billing ID in Accounting Seed and is required for processing. Hide this field by hovering over the icons to the right and clicking the Hidden Field icon.
3. Add the Bill Company field and rename it to Company, Organization, or another descriptive name.
4. Rename Bill Last Name to Last Name.
5. Add the Bill First Name field, rename it to First Name, move it above Last Name, and make it a required field.
6. Optional:
   1. Add the Description field to show the Billing comment (on the header), if it is populated.
   2. Add PO Number, which maps to the same field on the Billing.

Complete one of the following Options:

Option 1: Pay in Full Configurations (customers must pay the full amount)

1. From the PaymentSITE Manage Layout tab, click the + icon to add or edit the following fields.
2. In the Transaction Details section, rename the Amount field to Amount to Pay (or another label) by clicking the Edit (pencil) icon next to the field name.

Option 2: Partial Pay Configurations (allow customers to pay partial amounts)

1. From the PaymentSITE Manage Layout tab, click the + icon to add the following fields.
2. Add Custom18 to the top of the Transaction Details section. Custom18 maps to the Billing Balance. Rename this field to Billing Balance or another appropriate name.
3. Below Custom18, add the Amount field to the Transaction Details section. Rename it to Enter Amount to Pay or another label by clicking the Edit (pencil) icon.

Other Fields and Sections (Optional)

The Billing Information and Shipping Information sections and fields can be customized in a similar way. Add the fields you want your customers to see. Refer to the field mapping table below.

Sola Field	Salesforce Field (Object)
Billing Information section
First Name	Billing Contact (Billing)
Last Name	Billing Contact (Billing)
Company	Customer (Billing)
Phone Number	Phone (Account)
Cell Phone	Mobile (Contact)
Email	Email (Contact)
Address	Billing Street (Billing) / Billing Address (Account)
City, State, Zip required	Billing City, Billing State, Billing Postal Code (Billing)
Country	Billing Country (Billing)
Shipping Information section
First Name	Shipping Contact (Billing)
Last Name	Shipping Contact (Billing)
Company	Customer (Billing)
Phone Number	Phone (Account)
Cell Phone	Mobile (Contact)
Email	Email (Contact)
Address	Shipping Street (Billing) / Shipping Address (Account)
City, State, Zip required	Shipping City, Shipping State, Shipping Postal Code (Billing)
Country	Shipping Country

E. Enable Convenience Fees in Sola

Sola refers to Convenience Fees as "Electronic Transfer Fees." These fees can be automatically charged on PaymentSITE URLs sent for direct customer payment.

Note: If you manage multiple PaymentSITEs, complete these steps for each one.

1. Sign in to the Sola Payment Portal.
2. Click Settings at the bottom of the left menu.
3. Click Gateway Settings on the secondary menu.
4. Confirm your access if prompted.
5. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to the PaymentSITE URL.
6. Under Company Name, click the General Settings tab.
7. Select the Electronic Transfer Fee checkbox.
8. Click the Electronic Trans Fee drop-down.
9. Select the fee types to charge.
10. Choose a Percent or Flat Rate fee for each payment type. You can only choose one fee type (Percent or Flat) per payment type, but you can set different fee types for credit card and ACH payments.
11. Enter the fee amounts in the appropriate fields.
12. In the Custom field for Electronic Transfer Fee amount, select Custom09.
13. In the Custom field for the original amount, select Custom10.
14. In the Allow customer option to include/exclude the Electronic Transfer Fee? field, select NO.
15. Click Publish and verify the setting in the PaymentSITE Electronic Transfer Fees section.

Important:

• Before using Convenience Fees as part of payment processing, additional setup in Accounting Seed is required. Refer to the Enable Convenience Fees information in the Payment Processors article.
• If you later decide to disable Electronic Transfer Fees, deselect the options above in the Sola portal and disable Convenience Fees in Accounting Seed. Refer to the Enable Convenience Fees section of the Payment Processors article.

F. Optional: Configure Columns on the Sola Transactions Page

1. Log in to the Sola portal.
2. Click Settings on the left panel.
3. Click User Settings.
4. Click Transaction History, then expand the Manage Columns section.
5. Click the Add Custom Field link a few times until the Custom 10 (Original Amount) field appears.

Step 6: Configure Settings in Accounting Seed

A. Create GL Accounts to Track Merchant Deposit, Fees, and Convenience Fees

1. Create a Merchant GL Account: This represents the clearing account. This GL Account must be a Balance Sheet type with the Bank or Credit Card Account checkbox selected.

   Important: This GL Account cannot be the same as your existing Bank GL Account.

2. Create a Merchant Fees GL Account: This GL Account tracks all fees from payments. It must be an Expense GL Account. If you already have a Merchant Fees GL Account used for Stripe and want to use the same account for Sola, rename it to include Sola.
3. Create a Convenience Fee GL Account: This GL Account offsets the fees charged by Sola that are included in the Merchant Fees GL Account. It can be an Expense or Revenue GL Account.

Note: If you use custom permission sets and want to view Convenience Fee-related fields, refer to the Convenience Fee Changes (with Custom Permission Sets) section of the Spring '24 Configuration Changes article. If you use the Accounting Seed Lightning record page for the Payment Processor screen, the Convenience Fee fields display automatically when Enable Convenience fees is checked. If you use a custom or default Salesforce Lightning record page, add the Convenience Fee fields to the Payment Processor page layout manually.

B. Create a Payment Processor Record for Sola

1. Navigate to Accounting Home > Setup > then under the Utilities menu, click Payment Processors.
2. Click New.
3. In the Information section:
   1. Enter a descriptive Name for this Payment Processor (required field).
   2. In the Type drop-down list, select Sola. The page now shows more fields.
   3. Leave these fields blank:
      1. Last Sync: automatically updated by the system.
      2. PaymentSite URL: to be filled out later.
4. In the Configuration Options section:
   1. Global Default Payment Processor: leave this blank.
   2. Split Merchant JELs checkbox: select this if you want the Merchant Download Automation job to split the Journal Entry Lines that post to the Merchant GL Account and, if convenience fees are enabled, also split the JEL that posts to the Unapplied A/R GL Account by transaction. This results in one JEL per transaction, with each JEL populated with the associated customer name in the Account field.
   3. Enable PaymentSITE Partial Payment: deselect this if you do not want to allow customers to make partial payments.
   4. Select Enable Convenience Fees to include them (additional setup in step 6 below).
5. In the GL Mapping section:
   1. Select the Default Ledger (required). This is the Ledger used if any payments are generated in Sola and are not associated with a specific Billing or Ledger.
   2. Select the Bank GL Account (required) that represents your company's bank account. This cannot be the same GL Account as your Merchant GL Account.
   3. Search for and select a Merchant GL Account (required), which is a clearing account. If you don't have one, create it:
      1. Go to the App Launcher, search for General Ledger Accounts, and click on it.
      2. Click New.
      3. Enter the GL Account Name and select the Bank/Credit Card Account checkbox.
      4. Set Type to Balance Sheet. Click Save.
   4. Select the Merchant Fees GL Account (required) for all related processing fees. The Type on this GL Account must be Expense.
6. In the Convenience Fees section:
   1. Convenience Fee Mapping: Select Custom09.
   2. Original Amount Mapping: Select Custom10.
   3. Credit Card Convenience Fee Type identifies how Convenience Fees are calculated on credit cards. Select one:
      1. CC Flat Fee: The CC Flat Fee field displays. Enter a flat fee amount charged on every payment.
      2. CC Percent: The CC Percent field displays. Enter a percentage of the payment amount.
   4. ACH Convenience Fee Type identifies how Convenience Fees are calculated on ACH payments. Select one:
      1. ACH Flat Fee: The ACH Flat Fee field displays. Enter a flat fee amount.
      2. ACH Percent: The ACH Percent field displays. Enter a percentage.
7. Leave Test Mode blank.
8. Click Save to create the payment processor record.

Important: Do not set Sola as the Global Default Payment Processor until all outstanding Billings have been received. If you set Sola as the default before this, existing Stripe Payment Links will stop working.

C. Enter Merchant Keys to Activate the Payment Processor and Connect to Sola

The Welcome email from Sola includes a Generate Sola Keys section with steps to log in to your Sola Merchant Account and generate two keys, which function similarly to passwords. For instructions on generating the keys and entering them in Accounting Seed, refer to the Generate Sola Keys article.

Entering the keys on the Payment Processor activates it and establishes the connection between Accounting Seed and Sola.

Important: The keys are unique to each Payment Processor. Keys entered on one Payment Processor cannot be used on a different Payment Processor.

D. Complete Setting up the PaymentSITE if Option 1 - Pay in Full was selected

Follow these steps if you selected Option 1 Pay In Full in Step 5 and do not want customers to make partial payments.

1. Navigate to Accounting Home > Setup > Utilities > Payment Processors.
2. Select the Payment Processor you created.
3. Click the Gear icon and select Edit Page.
4. From the left panel, click the Fields drop-down list and drag the Enable PaymentSITE Partial Payment field onto the page.
5. Click Save.
6. Click the back arrow at the top left to return to the Payment Processor screen.
7. Click Edit.
8. Deselect the Enable PaymentSITE Partial Payment checkbox.
9. Click Save.

E. Set up an Email Template for the PaymentSITE

Accounting Seed provides a standard email template that associates with a PDF format so the PaymentSITE URL auto-populates on emails sent to customers. Use the standard template or customize it as needed.

1. Click the Gear icon and select Setup.
2. In the Quick Find box, enter Email Templates, then select Classic Email Templates.
3. From the Accounting Seed Email Templates folder, click the Billing Payment Site URL Email Template link.
4. Review the standard email template.
5. (Optional) Click Clone to create a custom version, make changes, then click Save.
6. Copy the Template Unique Name: Billing_Payment_Site_URL_Email_Template (or the cloned template name).
7. Navigate to Accounting Home > Setup > Configurations > PDF Formats.
8. Select a list view other than Recently Viewed.
9. Select the Billing PDF format.
10. (Optional) Clone the PDF Format and rename it, for example, Sola PaymentSITE Billing PDF.
11. In the Default Email Template field, paste the Template Unique Name you copied.
12. Click Save.

F. Optional: Add the Payment Link to your Billing PDF VisualForce page

To include the payment link within the PDF itself, modify your Billing PDF VisualForce page to add the following code snippet. Your developers should be able to assist with this.

<tr>
    <td>
        <span style="font-weight:bold;padding:6px">Make a Payment</span>
    </td>
    <td style="text-align:right;padding:6px">
        <span style="font-weight:bold">
            <apex:outputLink value="{!AcctSeed__Billing__c.AcctSeed__Payment_Site_URL__c}" target="_blank">
                Click here
            </apex:outputLink>
        </span>
    </td>
</tr>

G. Add the Manage Sola Payment Methods Button to the Account Page Layout

Users who plan to store credit card or ACH information must add the Manage Sola Payment Methods button to the Account page layout.

1. Click the Gear icon, select Setup, then click the Object Manager tab.
2. In the Quick Find box, search for and select Account.
3. Select an active Page Layout.
4. Select Mobile & Lightning Actions.
5. Drag the Manage Sola Payment Methods button into the Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions section.
6. If you are not using Stripe, drag the Manage Stripe Payment Methods button off the page layout to remove it.
7. Click Save.

H. Add the Payment Site URL to the Billing Page Layout

Existing Accounting Seed customers must add the Payment Site URL and Payment Processor to the Billing page layout.

1. Click the Gear icon and select Setup.
2. Click the Object Manager tab.
3. In the Quick Find box, search for and select Billing.
4. Select an active Page Layout.
5. From Fields, drag the Payment Site URL field onto the page layout in the Payment Link section.
6. Drag the Payment Processor field onto the page layout in the Payment Link section.
7. If you are not using Stripe, drag the Payment Link field out of the Payment Link section to remove it.
8. Click Save.

I. Enable the Global Automated Match Setting

Before running the Merchant Download job, enable the Global Automated Match setting on the Bank Direct Connect Bank Settings screen. With this setting enabled, Bank Transactions flowing into Bank Direct Connect automatically match to the Journal Entry Lines created by the Merchant Download job.

Without this setting, you must manually match deposit and withdrawal bank transactions to the respective Journal Entry Lines.

J. Schedule the Merchant Download Job as an Admin User

Important:

• The Merchant Download job must be scheduled so that Accounting Seed can create the required source documents and import processing fees.
• A user with the AS Full Admin permission set and the System Administrator profile must schedule this job.
• Sola batches settle at 7:30 PM EST for ACH and 9:30 PM EST for credit card. As a best practice, schedule the Merchant Download job to run after 9:30 PM EST and before normal business hours begin, for example, 10:00 PM EST.

To schedule the job:

1. Navigate to Accounting Home > Setup > Automations > Automated Jobs. The Automated Jobs screen displays.
2. In the Add/Edit a Scheduled Job section, click the Select Job drop-down and select Merchant Download.
3. From the drop-down, select the Preferred Start Time for the job to run.
4. Click Add Scheduled Job. The new automated job appears in the Scheduled Jobs grid.

Note: Only closed Sola batches create a Journal Entry and Bank Deposit, even if the job runs midday.

You can also run the Merchant Download job on demand using the Run Now button in the Run an On Demand Job section of the Automated Jobs screen, or by clicking the Run Merchant Download button on the Payment Processor screen.

5. Optional: After scheduling the Merchant Download job, schedule these two additional Automated Jobs in the order listed below for a fully automated process:
   1. Scheduled Post job: include Journal Entries and schedule it to run after the Merchant Download job.
   2. Scheduled Bank Download job.

K. Ensure Remote Site Settings are Active

1. Click the Gear icon and select Setup.
2. In the Quick Find search box, enter Remote, then select Remote Site Settings.
3. Confirm the Active checkbox is selected for Cardknox, CardknoxBoarding, and CardknoxReporting.

Step 7: Run a Test Micro-transaction

After completing all setups, run a micro-transaction to verify how the transaction appears in Sola and how records are created in Accounting Seed, including Bank Transactions flowing into Bank Direct Connect.

1. Create a test Account record and set yourself up as the Contact with your email address.
2. In the Default PDF Format information, set the PDF Format with the updated email template in the Billing Format field. This ensures your test Billing automatically uses this PDF Format.
3. Create a test Billing for a small amount, such as $1.00.
4. Confirm the Payment Processor on the Billing is set to Sola, or the name you set during Step 6B.
5. Send the email to emulate your customer's experience. When you receive the email, click the link to access the PaymentSITE payment form.
6. Pay the $1.00 Billing with your credit card.
7. Confirm the Merchant Download job is set to run after 9:30 PM EST.
8. The next business day (after the Merchant Download job runs), navigate to the Bank Deposits screen and select the Merchant Download Job list view. The Bank Deposit created by the job should appear.
9. Check the records created: Cash Receipts (CR), Bank Cash Receipts (BCR), Bank Deposits (BD), and Journal Entry Lines (JEL). Note that Bank Deposits and Journal Entries are not created until the Sola batch is closed. At minimum, confirm the JELs are recording correctly.
10. Use the Exception: Merchant Download report to troubleshoot errors.
11. Show all Payment Processors and add the Activity Created date to identify the time of any error.

Step 8: Prior Stripe users only: Migrate Payment Methods to Sola

If you previously used Stripe, this step can be completed at any point after the Sola Merchant Account is set up. Accounting Seed customers currently using Stripe can migrate customer payment information from Stripe to Sola. All payment methods and customer information remain in Stripe and continue to work until you are ready to switch to Sola.

There is a 30-day time limit for Sola to import the exported data. After 30 days, you must submit a new request and restart the process.

For complete instructions, refer to the Migrate your Stripe Payment Methods to Sola article.

Additional Information

Sola Merchant Onboarding Form Fields

Use this table to gather the information needed before submitting the Sola Merchant Application Form. Ensure sola.com and fidelitypayment.com are set as trusted in your email client.

Information Required	Notes
Legal Business Name
DBA (Doing Business As) Name	If applicable
Business Address	No P.O. boxes
Business Phone Number
Business Email Address
Federal Tax ID (EIN)
Business Type	LLC, Corporation, Sole Proprietor, etc.
Date Business Established
Business Website URL
Products/Services Sold	Include average transaction amount
Annual Gross Sales Volume
Highest Transaction Amount Expected
Owner/Officer Information	Name, title, date of birth, SSN, home address, ownership percentage. Per Sola: if there are more than four owners, one owner is another company, or no owner holds more than 25% stake, the CFO can be the signer at 100% ownership.
Bank Account Information for Deposit	Routing number and account number
Voided Check or Bank Letter

 

Related Articles:

• AR Automation Overview
• Create a New Sola User
• Charge a Customer Using Sola
• Manage Sola Payment Methods
• AR Prepayments Setup

 

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