Payments are used to pay for goods or services. They can be made by credit card, debit card, bank transfer, cheque, cash or any other payment method. Invoices record the amount that has been paid for a product or service. The invoice is usually sent with the payment so it can be tracked as part of your accounting.
In this article, we'll go over some common ways to use payments and invoices.
Charging a card while on the phone with a customer without sending an invoice
Step 1: Create an invoice by selecting the contact. If the contact doesn't exist yet, you can add them on the fly.
Step 2: Add the product being sold. If the product isn't listed in the dropdown, choose "Add New Item".
Step 3: On the invoice builder page, instead of sending the invoice, click the three dots in the top bar. Then click "Record Payment".
Step 4: In the next window, choose "Charge a card". On the next screen, choose "New Card" if this is a first-time customer.
Step 5: If this customer has bought from you before, the saved cards section will show the card they used last time.
Please note: Customers charged this way won't receive an automated email or text confirmation.
Using invoices to record manual payments without Stripe Connect
You can use invoicing without Stripe Connect. However, to receive credit or debit card payments, you'll need Stripe Connect.
Please note:
If you use invoicing without Stripe Connect, you'll need to record and collect payments manually. For now, recording manual payments without Stripe Connect only works for one-time invoices.
Step 1: Go to Invoices under the Payments menu on the left.
Step 2: You'll be prompted to add Stripe Connect. Close the popup.
Step 3: Create a new invoice by clicking the "New" button and choosing "New Invoice".
Step 4: On the invoice builder page, add the customer details, the products or services sold, tax info and any discounts. When you're ready, click the three dots and choose "Record Payment".
Step 5: Choose "Record Manually".
Step 6: The next screen shows options such as Cash, Card, Check, Bank Transfer and Other. Choose the option that applies, then click "Submit" on the next screen.
Step 7: The invoice will now be recorded for that customer.
Please note: Customers charged this way won't receive an automated email or text confirmation.
Adding one-off products and services to invoices
If you haven't created a product or service in the Products area of ZipLeads but still want to add it to an invoice, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Create an invoice and click "Add an Item".
Step 2: Choose "New Item" to add an item that isn't in your "Products".
Step 3:
On the next screen, enter the product name and the price name.
If you want to use this item again later, select "Save for later use". This saves the product or service in your Products area.
Click the "Add new item" button to add it to the invoice.
The new item will be added to your invoice, ready to send!
How to add a card processing fee to your invoices
Go to Payments > Tax Settings and add the card processing fee you'd like to charge as a "tax".
Create a new invoice and add the item you want to charge for.
Click Add Tax, select the card processing fee you set up in Tax Settings, then click "Save".
Once the card processing fee is added, it will show in the invoice builder like this:
Here's what the payer will see on the invoice:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use ZipLeads payments to track partial payments on invoices?
Yes. ZipLeads lets you track partial payments. You can create an invoice for the full amount and update it each time a partial payment is made. This helps you keep accurate records of outstanding balances.
Q: Can I customise how invoices look when they're sent to clients?
Currently, ZipLeads provides a standard invoice template. You can add custom details like your business name, logo and notes, but more advanced options, such as changing layouts or colours, aren't available at this time.
Q: Can I set up recurring invoices for subscription-based services?
Yes, you can create recurring invoices for subscription-based services. While ZipLeads doesn't have an automated recurring invoice feature, you can duplicate a previously sent invoice and set reminders to send it periodically.
Q: How can I connect third-party payment processors?
ZipLeads supports popular payment processors like Stripe and PayPal. Connect your account in the integrations section of the platform. Once it's linked, you can accept payments directly through your invoices.
Q: Why does my payment page say "Live Mode" even after I clicked "Test"?
This usually means your Stripe account itself is still in Live Mode. Log in to your Stripe Dashboard and turn on the "Test Mode" switch in the top right corner. Then refresh your ZipLeads page.
Q: Why does an invoice show "Payment Processing" even after a client has paid?
"Payment Processing" means the payment has started but hasn't settled yet. This usually happens with ACH bank transfers or payment methods like PayPal eCheck, which take 2–5 business days to clear. Once the payment goes through, the invoice status will update to "Paid" automatically.
Q: I sent an invoice, but my client says the link is broken or they can't click it to pay. What happened and how do I fix it?
The payment link is disabled because the invoice is past its scheduled due date. The system automatically turns off the payment option once the payment date has passed.
To fix it, send a new invoice with a corrected schedule:
Duplicate (Clone) the original invoice.
Change the Payment Schedule dates to today or a future date.
Send the new invoice to your client. The link will then be active.
Q: Why can't I void or delete invoices that were marked as paid (even if they were just test or demo payments)?
In ZipLeads, an invoice can't be voided once it's marked as paid, even if the payment was only for testing or a demo. You need to refund the payment first before the invoice can be voided.
How to fix it:
Go to the invoice and click the three dots (⋮).
Select View Transaction.
Click Refund and complete the refund.
Go back to the invoice.
Click the three dots (⋮) again and select Void.
Once refunded, the invoice can be voided and will no longer show as an active or paid invoice.
Notes:
Paid invoices can't be deleted directly.
Demo or test payments that aren't clearly marked as Test Mode behave like real payments in the system.
Refunding makes sure the invoice doesn't affect your records, reports or what your client sees.
If you need more help, contact the ZipLeads support team.
Q: Why does the payment date disappear and show an "Invalid Date" error when I record a manual payment?
This happens when the payment date you enter is outside the accepted date range or doesn't fit the invoice timeline. The system rejects it and clears the field.
Why it happens:
The invoice was issued on a later date, but the payment date is set well in the past.
The system checks payment dates against the invoice's issue and status dates.
Language or locale settings can sometimes cause validation issues, but this isn't the main cause.
How to fix it:
Make sure the payment date is on or after the invoice issue date.
Refresh the page before recording the payment.
Try recording the payment with a date that fits the invoice timeline.
If needed, switch your account language to English temporarily and try again.
Q: Why can't I make a partial payment on an invoice?
You may not be able to make a partial payment if the invoice already has a payment schedule (instalments). The system doesn't allow partial payments in this case because they would clash with the scheduled payments.
To fix it:
Remove or change the payment schedule.
Then go to the invoice and select Record Payment → Record manually to enter a partial payment.
Q: Why does my processing fee show on one invoice but not another?
Processing fees set up in Settings → Charges aren't automatically added to existing invoices. The fee option only appears on invoices created after the setting is saved. To include the fee on older invoices, you'll need to recreate them.