Getting Started
Programa's invoicing platform is powered by Stripe, the world's largest and most reliable payment platform. If you've used Netflix, Deliveroo, Expedia, or bought something online, you've already experienced the power of Stripe.
Simply follow the steps below, and within a few minutes, you'll be able to send your first invoice, and receive your first payment!
Before you begin...
Stripe has a number of product offerings, and for the purpose of this setup, you'll be creating a Stripe Connect account.
Connect is currently available in over 100 countries - check out the full list here.
If your country doesn't exist in this list...
Stripe has a product called Atlas, which they advise works in the same way as Connect for this purpose, for customers based in countries outside of those in the approved list.
Click here to create an Atlas account.
Note: We recommend reading Stripe's Atlas documentation carefully, and reaching out to them directly with any questions or concerns, regarding tax liabilities and other accounting considerations. They can be contacted here for more information.
Once approved, follow the steps below to connect your Stripe account to Programa.
Video Demonstration
Connecting to Stripe
Set up your Stripe account
Navigate to Invoice Settings (or click here)
Connect to Stripe by clicking the 'Connect' button
From here, create a new Stripe account or simply login in to your existing Stripe account. If you're creating a new Stripe account (it's free) simply enter the required information and follow the prompts
You're done!
Customise your branding
Click the 'Go to Brand Settings' button, which will take you to the Stripe interface
Follow the prompts to customise your brand settings, and save your changes
You're done!
Connecting to Xero
With Programa, your invoicing and workflow is finally connected and all in one place!
Our Xero integration seamlessly connects your Programa account to Xero, so there's nothing left to do in Xero besides reconciling your payments.
Please note, our Xero integration does not allow anyone at Programa to access your Xero account.
Navigate to your Studio's Settings > Invoices > Xero (or click here)
Click 'Connect to Xero'
Choose your organisation, and you're done!
Read more about our Xero integration here.
Connecting to QuickBooks
Our QuickBooks integration syncs your invoices, tax rates, and contacts, for streamlined financial operations, quick consolidation, and enhanced data security.
Navigate to your Studio's Settings > Invoices > Quickbooks (or click here)
Click 'Connect to QuickBooks', and enter your QuickBooks login details to access your QuickBooks account
Once logged in to QuickBooks, you'll be asked to select your company from a dropdown menu (If you have more than one, make sure you're selecting the one relevant to your projects managed in Programa.)
When you've made your selection, click 'Next'
The next page is the final step on the integration process. To confirm you agree to this, click 'Connect'
That's it! You'll then be directed back to Programa, and your Quickbooks integration tile should now show that you're connected, and display the name of the account you're connected to
Read more about our QuickBooks integration here.
Set up your Tax rates
Navigate to your Studio's Settings > Invoices > Tax Settings (or click here)
Click '+ Add Tax Rate' to begin
Setting up a single tax rate
A single tax rate is an individual rate for a country or region. An example of this might be GST in Australia. To configure this setting:
Select the 'Single' tab
Enter the Name of your tax rate (how you'd like this to appear on your Schedule)
Enter the tax Rate
Give your rate a Description (an explanation or expansion on your rate's name)
Choose whether you'd like to set this as your default rate (this will appear by default on all future projects, but can be re-configured at project level on the fly)
Click 'Add Tax Rate' to save
Setting up a combo tax rate
A combo tax rate is comprised of multiple rates for a country or region. An example of this might be state vs local sales tax in the USA. To configure this setting:
Select the 'Combo' tab
Enter the Name of your tax rate (how you'd like this to appear on your Schedule)
Give your rate a Description (an explanation or expansion on your rate's name)
Next, enter a Nickname and Rate for each rate within your combo, selecting '+ Add another rate' for each new entry. The total percentage will populate below
Choose whether you'd like to set this as your default rate (this will appear by default on all future projects, but can be re-configured at project level on the fly)
Click 'Add Tax Rate' to save
Setting a tax rate as default
When you select the option to 'Set as default', this will be the tax rate that auto-populates for each new project you create. In your Settings, your default tax rate will be highlighted, and you can head here to update this setting at any time.
Although your tax rate will appear on new projects by default, you can alternate between your saved tax rates at project level. Continue reading to find out more about how this works.
See our guide on Tax Settings at Studio, Project, and Schedule level for more info.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Check out our full collection of Invoicing & Payments guides to find out more, or reach out to our friendly support team on the live chat below!