When you send an invoice, the client can view it, download a copy, and, where you've set up online payment, pay it without leaving the portal. This tends to shorten the time to payment and reduces requests to resend invoices.
What the client sees
Under Invoices in their portal, the client sees a list of their invoices with the status of each, so paid, unpaid and partly paid are clear at a glance. Opening an invoice shows the full detail, the amount due, and a button to download a PDF. If you've recorded payments against it, those show too, so the running balance is never a mystery.
Paying online
If your firm has connected an online payment method, an invoice that's still owing shows a payment option right on the page. The client chooses to pay, enters their details with the payment provider, and the payment is recorded against the invoice automatically once it clears. No manual matching, and no waiting for a cheque to arrive.
- Send the invoice. The client is notified by email with a link into the portal.
- The client opens it. They review the detail and the amount due.
- They pay online. Where online payment is enabled, they pay in a few clicks.
- The payment is recorded. Once it clears, the invoice updates and both sides see the new balance.
Online payment only appears if your firm has set up a payment provider. If you'd rather take payment another way, simply leave it off and the client sees the invoice without a pay button.
Partial payments and statements
Where you allow it, a client can pay part of an invoice, which is helpful for larger bills or agreed instalments. The portal keeps the arithmetic straight, showing what's been paid and what's still owing after each payment. Clients can also view a statement of their account, which pulls their invoices and payments together in one place, handy at tax time or when they simply want the full picture.
Enabling online payment is one of the simplest ways to shorten the time between billing and getting paid. Clients who can see what they owe and pay it on the same page tend to pay faster.
Trust and retainer balances
Money you hold in trust is handled separately from ordinary invoices and follows the rules that govern client funds. If your firm applies trust money to an invoice, that shows on the invoice like any other payment, so the client sees the balance come down. The important point for clients is simple: the portal shows them what they owe and what they've paid, clearly and in one place.
When a client has a question about a bill
Encourage clients to raise billing questions through a support ticket in the portal rather than a loose email. The question then sits alongside the invoice it relates to, your reply is easy to find later, and nothing slips through the cracks. It also keeps a calm, written record if a fee is ever queried.
An invoice appears to the client only once you've sent it. A draft invoice stays firm-only, so you can prepare and revise a bill without the client seeing a work in progress.