What is SoftLedger Pay?
SoftLedger Pay adds a Pay button to the invoices you email from SoftLedger. Your customer clicks it, pays by card or bank transfer on a secure hosted page, and SoftLedger automatically records the direct payment and marks the invoice paid. SoftLedger Pay runs on Square payment rails: you connect your own Square account, and funds settle directly to your bank.
Key benefits:
Get paid faster. Customers pay online in a few clicks, directly from the invoice.
Flexible payment methods. Accepts Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, and ACH bank transfers.
Built into your AR. Payments auto-reconcile to your ledger - no CSVs, no manual matching.
Check out an extensive overview of SoftLedger Pay here:
Pricing
No additional fees to your SoftLedger subscription - you only pay a per-transaction rate similar to other payment processors, and funds settle directly to your bank account.
Method | Rate |
Credit Cards (domestic) | 2.95% + 35¢ per successful transaction |
ACH Direct Debit | 0.8%, minimum $1 per transaction and capped at $8 |
Getting started
Complete the Square application. Your SoftLedger team sends you a sign-up link to create a Square account for each entity (and bank account) that will collect payments. Approval is usually quick, often same day.
Connect Square to SoftLedger. Once your Square account is approved, go to the Integration Marketplace in SoftLedger and open the SoftLedger Pay card (marked Powered by Square). Sign in with your Square credentials to connect the account, then select the Cash Account that SL Pay payments should post to.
Send an invoice. That's it - invoices you email from SoftLedger now include the payment button automatically.
Note: SL Pay stays disabled until the Cash Account is selected. If a customer pays before it's configured, the payment completes at Square and is recorded in SoftLedger once the account is set.
Choosing the Cash Account
The Cash Account on the SoftLedger Pay card is the ledger account every SL Pay payment posts to, and you have two good options for it:
Your bank's ledger account. Payments post straight to the bank account on your books. Simple, but your book balance will run ahead of the bank while funds are still held at Square, since Square pays out on a delay and net of processing fees.
A merchant processing account. Create a dedicated cash-type ledger account (for example, "Square Merchant Account" or "Undeposited Funds") and select it as the Cash Account. SL Pay payments post there, so the account mirrors your Square balance. When Square pays out to your bank, record the transfer from the merchant processing account to the bank account and book the processing fees at the same time. This keeps your bank ledger account matching the bank feed exactly, which makes reconciliation much cleaner.
Most teams with regular SL Pay volume prefer the merchant processing account approach, since Square payouts arrive net of fees and span multiple payments.
How your customers pay
You send the invoice. Create and email an invoice from SoftLedger as you normally would. The emailed invoice includes a 'Pay this invoice' button.
Your customer pays online. For card payments, they enter the cardholder name, card details, postal code, and an email for their receipt. For bank transfers, they connect their bank securely through Plaid. Card and bank details are entered on Square's secure form, so SoftLedger never stores a card or bank account number.
Your books update automatically. Once the payment is confirmed, SoftLedger records a direct payment, applies it to the invoice, and marks it paid. SoftLedger also emails the payer a receipt.
Saved cards and bank accounts
Saved cards. Customers can save their card for future invoices. When a customer has a saved card, new eligible invoices are charged automatically when issued - no chasing required.
Saved bank accounts. Customers paying by bank transfer can save the account for one-click payment on the next invoice, without going through Plaid again. Bank payments always require the customer to confirm, so they are one-click rather than automatic.
One card and one bank account are stored per customer; saving a new one replaces the previous. The card on file (brand, last four digits, and expiry) is visible on the customer record, where it can also be removed.
When payments post
Credit/Debit Card payments post within minutes, as soon as the card is approved.
ACH payments post once the transfer completes (typically a few business days). While a bank payment is processing, reopening the payment link shows a processing notice so the invoice can't be paid twice.
Payment links
A payment link is valid for 30 days. If a link has expired, use New Payment Link on the invoice or simply email the invoice again - the link refreshes automatically.
Good to know
USD invoices only. Non-USD invoices are sent without a payment button.
$50,000 per payment. Invoices with a balance due over $50,000 don't get a payment link, and a saved card isn't charged. Once payments bring the balance to $50,000 or less, emailing the invoice again includes the link. Collect larger balances by wire and record the payment as usual.
Full amount posts to cash. Processor fees are not recorded in SoftLedger; account for them from your Square statement.
Refunds are issued from your Square dashboard and are not recorded back into SoftLedger automatically.
Need help getting started? Contact your SoftLedger team at support@softledger.com.