PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Payment Processing for Professional Services

Turn completed work into collected payments. Clearly Payments helps accounting firms, law firms, consultants, agencies and other professional businesses accept client payments online, by phone and in the office.

Send invoices clients can pay online, automate agreed recurring fees and see what payment processing costs your firm. Spend less time chasing balances and more time on client work.

Get a Quote for Your Firm

Or call 1-800-818-1402

FROM INVOICE TO PAYMENT

A simpler way to collect

Send the invoice

Give the client a clear payment request with an online payment option.

Let the client pay online

Use a hosted payment environment for card entry.

Review and reconcile

Check payment status and match the transaction to your records.

Built around invoices, projects and ongoing client relationships

Professional firms rarely bill like a retail checkout. One client pays a fixed-fee tax return, another pays a project milestone, and another has an ongoing advisory engagement. Your payment tools should accommodate those differences without making clients call the office just to settle a bill.

Clearly brings merchant services, online collection tools, terminals and recurring payments into one practical billing setup. Give clients convenient ways to pay and your team clearer payment records, with a proposal built around your firm.

Payment processing for accountants and accounting firms

Make it convenient for clients to pay tax-preparation, bookkeeping, accounting and business-advisory fees. Online invoice payments let a remote client settle a balance without mailing a cheque or arranging a phone call.

Tax preparation and seasonal billing

Send a clear invoice when the agreed work is ready for billing. The client follows the payment option, enters their card details in the hosted payment environment and receives a receipt. Your team can check paid and unpaid invoices and follow up with reminders. Discuss seasonal volumes and larger-than-usual transactions when setting up the account.

Bookkeeping and recurring advisory fees

Collect agreed monthly bookkeeping or advisory fees automatically instead of sending the same payment request each month. For variable work, send an invoice or use an authorised card-on-file payment for the agreed amount. Your client stays clear on what they’re paying, while your team spends less time on routine collection.

Reduce manual entry between collections and your books with Clearly’s QuickBooks payment integration. We’ll match the connection to your software version and billing workflow. For a practical collection plan, read our payment-processing guide for accountants and accounting firms.

EXAMPLE WORKFLOW

From a tax invoice to a recorded payment

Invoice: Create the client’s agreed tax-preparation invoice with an online payment option.

Collect: The client pays remotely through the payment page, or authorizes a phone payment through your virtual terminal.

Reconcile: Check the transaction, receipt and deposit against the invoice. Use the available accounting connection or export process for your setup.

Keep tax returns, SINs/SSNs and confidential working papers out of payment notes.

Credit card processing for lawyers and law firms

Offer practical ways to pay consultation fees, earned legal fees and invoices. A client can pay online, authorize a phone payment or use a terminal at your office. For a firm with several lawyers or locations, discuss account structure, reporting and reconciliation before implementation.

Match collection to the type of fee

The label “retainer” is not enough to determine how money should be handled. An advance for future work, a deposit and payment of an earned invoice may have different treatment under your jurisdiction’s rules. Establish the engagement terms and appropriate destination account before sending a payment request.

Separate payment streams with multiple merchant IDs for different bank accounts. Clearly helps you plan the arrangement around your firm’s earned fees, advance payments and reporting needs. Trust-account handling must also meet your jurisdiction’s rules.

Trust accounts and IOLTA need a separate review

For trust or IOLTA funds, the settlement account and the accounts used for fees, refunds and chargebacks need particular care. Work with Clearly and your firm’s compliance adviser to establish an arrangement that protects client funds under the rules that apply to you.

In British Columbia, the Law Society’s guidance requires arrangements for card-payment service charges to be paid from the general account. U.S. trust-account requirements vary by jurisdiction. Check the rules that apply to your firm before accepting advance funds. Read the BC trust-accounting handbook or ABA trust-accounting guidance.

For project work, retainers and recurring engagements

Consultants and advisory firms

Collect a project deposit, invoice an agreed milestone or arrange an authorized recurring payment for an ongoing advisory relationship. For remote engagements, a payment link or hosted page gives the client a direct way to pay. Tie each request to the engagement terms, invoice reference and approved amount; a recurring schedule should reflect the service agreement.

Marketing, creative and digital agencies

Handle a mix of project deposits, delivery-stage invoices and monthly retainers without treating every client as a subscription. Use invoicing for variable project work and supported recurring payments for agreed repeat fees. Review scope changes before collecting a changed amount, and keep payment receipts consistent with the client and project records.

Engineering, architecture and other professional firms

Collect around the milestones in your project: design stages, site visits and completed deliverables. Send an invoice with an online payment option to a remote client, or take payment on site with mobile equipment. Clearly helps you plan larger transactions and match payments to the right project records.

Choose the right payment tool for each client interaction

Give clients a convenient way to pay at each stage of the engagement. Combine online, phone, recurring and in-office payments around the way your firm bills.

Email invoicing

Stop turning an unpaid invoice into another round of phone calls. With Clearly email invoicing, create a branded quote or invoice and send a payment option directly to the client. See paid and unpaid invoices, resend requests and use automatic reminders to reduce manual follow-up. Branded receipts give the client a record and help your finance team match the payment. A useful fit for tax returns, consulting milestones and agency project work.

Hosted pages and payment links

A remote client should not have to call during office hours to settle a bill. Add a Hosted Payment Page payment link to an email, invoice or your website. The client opens the provider-hosted checkout and enters their own card details, giving your firm an online payment route without building a custom checkout. Configure the appropriate invoice reference and fields so the payment can be matched to the right client. Keep confidential matter or tax details out of checkout fields.

Virtual terminal and phone payments

When a client calls to pay, complete the payment in the same conversation. Authorised staff use Clearly’s browser-based Virtual Terminal on an existing computer or tablet, then send an emailed receipt. Manage payments, refunds and scheduled collections through the payment platform without buying a separate terminal for phone payments.

Recurring and card-on-file payments

Reduce repeated collection work for monthly bookkeeping, consulting retainers and agency services with Clearly recurring and scheduled payments. Set the agreed schedule and use tokenized card-on-file credentials for repeat charges. Email receipts, upcoming-payment reminders and decline notifications help staff manage exceptions instead of re-entering every payment. Instalment options let clients spread an agreed fee over time.

In-office and mobile acceptance

Let clients settle a consultation or completed engagement before they leave. Clearly payment terminals support chip, contactless cards and mobile wallets on compatible devices, with countertop and wireless options to fit your office. For an architect’s site visit or a consultant working away from the office, mobile payment processing brings collection to the client. Choose connectivity and equipment around where you work. The client gets a familiar payment experience and your team avoids another later payment request.

Reporting, refunds and reconciliation

Access payment data wherever you work and create sales reports by hour, day, week, month or year. Review transactions and payment status, send receipts and manage refunds through the Virtual Terminal. QuickBooks integration helps reduce re-entry, with the connection matched to your software and workflow. Our payment reconciliation guide explains transactions, batches and deposits. For several offices, explore Enterprise reporting and account arrangements for consolidated visibility and staff access.

Four straightforward ways to get paid

Invoice → online payment

Send the agreed invoice with a payment option. The client enters card details on the hosted checkout. Review the payment status and reconcile the transaction to the invoice.

Phone call → virtual terminal

Confirm the client’s authorization and amount. Process the payment in the virtual terminal and send a receipt. Do not keep card details in email or ordinary call notes.

Monthly service → scheduled payment

Agree the recurring terms once, set up tokenized card-on-file payments and automate the schedule. Notifications help your team follow up on a declined payment or update a changed engagement.

Office visit → terminal payment

Present the agreed amount on a compatible terminal. The client pays by supported chip or contactless method. Provide the receipt and record the invoice or engagement reference.

What does payment processing cost a professional firm?

Your total cost is more than a headline rate. It can include underlying interchange and network costs, the processor’s markup, transaction charges and the equipment or services in your agreement. Interchange is generally paid between the acquiring and issuing financial institutions and contributes to merchant pricing; it is not simply another name for Clearly’s markup. Visa explains interchange.

How clients pay

In-person chip/contactless and online or keyed payments can have different pricing. A manually keyed payment is not made card-present simply because a client is standing in the office.

Which cards they use

Consumer, premium and business cards can have different underlying costs. Transaction type and applicable qualification also matter.

Your billing pattern

Monthly volume, transaction count, average invoice size and seasonal peaks affect the comparison. Include platform and equipment charges rather than compare one percentage in isolation.

Cost Plus: see the markup

Underlying payment costs are passed through, with Clearly’s published percentage markup and per-transaction charge added. Published markup tiers decrease as annual card sales increase. View current Cost Plus rates.

Membership: an alternative in Canada

A monthly membership and fixed transaction charges sit alongside underlying payment costs, rather than a Clearly percentage markup. A fixed monthly fee remains a cost during quieter periods. Review Membership pricing.

To compare your current effective rate, divide total processing fees for a period by the matching card sales. Check what is included and review a representative busy and quiet month if your work is seasonal. Learn about effective rates or compare Clearly’s pricing options.

Review Your Firm’s Payment Costs

Protect payment data without confusing it with professional records

Give clients convenient payment options while limiting the card data your firm handles. Hosted collection and tokenized repeat payments support a cleaner payment workflow. Keep tax files, legal documents and other confidential client records in your professional systems, separate from payment notes and receipts.

Use hosted card entry

Let clients enter their card details on a hosted checkout instead of your own website. This reduces direct exposure to card data and can simplify the PCI DSS requirements for that payment channel.

Use tokens for repeat payments

Tokenization replaces a card number with a reference for supported stored-credential payments. Use the approved platform rather than saving full card details in spreadsheets or your CRM.

Understand encryption and EMV

Encryption helps protect card data during processing. EMV chip technology helps protect in-person payments against counterfeit-card fraud. These controls support payment security alongside your firm’s separate safeguards for confidential client records.

Do not retain CVV

PCI DSS prohibits retaining the card-verification code after authorization, including for recurring payments. Do not save it in a client file or authorization form. Read PCI SSC’s CVV guidance.

Does a professional firm still have PCI responsibilities?

Clearly provides managed PCI compliance support to help your firm complete the required validation. Hosted collection and tokenized payments reduce the card data your team handles. Your firm still follows the relevant security practices for its own environment. Read PCI SSC’s outsourcing guidance.

Connect payments with your accounting and business systems

Reduce the gap between a client paying and your books reflecting that payment. Clearly’s QuickBooks payment integration connects invoice, transaction and customer information for supported setups. Reviewing the version and sync workflow upfront helps you avoid paying for a connection that still leaves staff matching everything manually.

Connect collections with the tools your team already uses. Explore accounting integrations for Sage, Xero, FreshBooks and NetSuite, with Clearly helping you select the connection for your edition and required data flow.

Need payments inside a client portal rather than a separate workflow? Clearly’s payment gateway, modules and APIs give your developer a route to connect checkout with your website or software. Recurring-billing APIs also support custom repeat-payment workflows. Scope the data flow, security responsibilities and development work so the connection saves administration rather than creates another disconnected system.

Check the details that prevent manual work later

Software: Product, edition, version and any existing payment integration.

Records: Invoice references, payment status, fees, refunds and deposit matching.

Access: Who needs to take payments, view reports or issue refunds.

Locations: Merchant accounts, bank accounts and reporting needs across offices.

Legal practice-management, CRM and project-system connections require their own compatibility review.

Payment expertise that keeps your team focused on client work

A merchant account built around your firm

Accept client payments through a Clearly merchant account connected to your online, phone and office channels. Next-day funding is available for eligible accounts, helping keep collected fees moving into your business. We’ll plan around larger invoices, seasonal peaks and your account’s funding schedule.

Make payment costs easier to understand

Find out what you’re actually paying and where your setup could cost less. Clearly’s payment consulting and cost analysis examines processing charges, payment methods and technology costs. Back-office payment services can take statement review, reconciliation reporting and chargeback assistance off your team’s desk.

Work with people who understand payments

Get dedicated implementation help, team training and 24/7 technical support, so payment questions don’t have to wait until the next business day. Clearly’s service approach pairs transparent pricing with no locked-in processing contracts. Contact Clearly support when your team needs help.

A practical transition, with fewer surprises

Review your current setup

Share business payment needs, recent statements and the software you use through the agreed process. Explain seasonal peaks, larger invoices and any trust-account requirements.

Confirm the proposal

Review rates, transaction charges, equipment, platform features and settlement terms. Identify the integration work and any recurring-credential migration constraints before switching.

Test the collection process

Confirm payment links, receipts, staff access, reporting and refund procedures for the chosen setup. Plan the cutover so old invoices and authorized recurring agreements are handled consistently.

For a larger operation, Enterprise payment processing provides a relevant starting point for discussing higher volumes and multiple locations. For ongoing help, use Clearly Payments support.

Professional services payment questions

How can an accounting firm accept credit card payments?

An accounting firm can use email invoices with online payment options, a hosted payment page, a browser-based virtual terminal or an in-office terminal. Choose around how clients pay tax-preparation, bookkeeping and advisory fees. Recurring options can suit agreed ongoing work; pricing and software compatibility should be reviewed alongside the payment channels.

Can clients pay accounting invoices online?

Yes. Send a Clearly invoice with an online payment option or give clients a hosted payment-page link. Clients can pay without calling the office, and your team gets payment status and receipts. Clearly can help connect the process with your accounting software or establish a practical reconciliation workflow.

Can law firms accept credit cards for fees and retainers?

Yes. Clearly helps law firms collect earned fees and arrange payment channels for their billing model. Advance funds and retainers need a setup that follows your jurisdiction’s trust-account rules, including the treatment of fees, refunds and chargebacks. We’ll review the payment arrangement with you before it is used for trust funds.

Can consultants and agencies collect deposits and monthly retainers?

Yes. Collect authorised project deposits, send milestone invoices and automate agreed monthly retainers. Match the amount and timing to the engagement so clients know what to expect and your team has fewer balances to chase. Regulated firms must also follow any special rules for handling advance funds.

Can I accept a client’s payment over the phone?

A virtual terminal lets authorized staff enter the payment in a browser-based payment platform. Confirm the client’s authorization and provide a receipt. Do not request card details through ordinary email or retain CVV in notes. Staff handling card details also need appropriate procedures for the environment.

Can we keep a card on file for future services?

Supported tokenized card-on-file functionality can enable authorized future payments without your team storing the full card number itself. Agree when and how the card may be charged, and confirm how changes or cancellations are handled. A stored credential does not remove consent, PCI or professional confidentiality responsibilities.

What is the difference between recurring invoicing and automatic recurring payments?

A repeat invoice requests payment; an authorized recurring charge collects through a configured payment schedule. A client may still need to act on an invoice unless automatic collection is arranged. Confirm which behavior your platform supports, especially where monthly fees vary or an engagement changes.

Are online and in-person processing costs the same?

Not necessarily. The card, acceptance method, transaction qualification and pricing agreement affect cost. A website or phone payment can be priced differently from a properly captured chip/contactless payment. Compare your actual payment mix and total fees rather than assume the lowest advertised rate applies to every invoice.

Can Clearly support more than one office or bank account?

Yes. Clearly offers multiple-merchant-ID arrangements and Enterprise options for firms with several offices or bank accounts. Bring reporting together and give staff the access they need, with the accounts and permissions planned around your operation. Trust-account arrangements need a separate compliance review.

How do refunds and payment disputes affect our firm?

The virtual terminal supports refunds. Confirm the permitted process, fee treatment and destination account for your configuration. A refund is different from a cardholder dispute or chargeback. Keep engagement terms, invoice details and proof of authorized payment available; law firms must also check how any debit could affect client trust funds.

Do we need a developer to get started?

Not necessarily. Hosted payment pages, invoicing and virtual terminals can provide a payment path without building a custom checkout. A deeper accounting, CRM, practice-management or client-portal connection may need configuration or development. Clearly can review the options against your current systems.

What should we prepare for a quote?

Share your business type, country, approximate card sales, transaction count, typical invoice size, payment channels and software. Existing processing statements can support a comparison through the agreed process. Do not put tax files, privileged legal material, client records or full payment-card details into the enquiry form.

Explore the details behind your payment setup

Understand your effective rate

Learn how to calculate an effective processing rate so you can compare the total fees against your card sales, rather than focus on one advertised percentage.

Understand interchange

Explore how interchange works and how underlying payment costs differ from the processor’s own markup.

Understand tokenization

Learn how card tokenization works and why a payment token differs from keeping a client’s full card number in your own records.

Make it easier for clients to pay. Make it easier for your firm to get paid.

Tell us how your firm bills and where collection work slows you down. Get a proposal for the payment tools, integrations and pricing that help your team collect fees with less administration.

Discuss Your Firm’s Payments

Call 1-800-818-1402

Business enquiries only. Please do not include confidential client files or payment-card details.