> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://harnesscalendar.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Online payments
> Online payments let families pay an invoice by card or bank through Stripe.
Connect your own Stripe account once, and the [invoices](/docs/invoices) you send carry a pay link. When a family pays, Harness records the payment on the invoice and Stripe's fee with your expenses. Stripe then sends the money to your bank.
## What you need
A few things have to be in place before an invoice goes out with a pay link:
* The [Professional plan](/docs/your-plan). The free trial includes it. On the Hobby plan, you can still [record payments](/docs/payments) by hand.
* A Stripe account, which Harness sets up when you connect.
* **Accept online payments** turned on for the invoice, in the invoice editor's **Build** tab. New invoices start with it on once Stripe is connected.
* A small minimum due. A balance of a few cents can't be paid online.
If any of these is missing, the invoice still sends, just without a pay link.
## Connect Stripe
You connect once, and every invoice you send after that can take payments.
Go to **Settings → Stripe & payouts** and click **Connect with Stripe**.
On Stripe's site, add your business details, the bank account for your payouts, and your identity. Harness fills in your studio's name and contact details to start.
The page reads **Connected**. If you stopped partway, click **Resume setup** to pick up where you left off.
If Stripe needs more from you later, the page shows **Needs attention** and you get an email.
## How families pay
Families pay from the link on the invoice, and Stripe offers the payment methods your Stripe account has turned on:
* Card: recorded on the invoice the moment the family pays.
* Bank account: takes a few business days to clear. The invoice shows **Processing** until the money lands, and the family can't pay it twice. If the payment fails, the link opens again so they can retry.
* Other methods you turn on in Stripe, like Cash App or a digital wallet. You choose these in your Stripe account, not in Harness.
The pay page needs no sign-in and always charges the full amount still due, so families can't pay part of an invoice online. The link in an older email keeps working. To share the link yourself, click **Pay online** on the invoice to copy it.
## What Harness records
Harness keeps track of the money paid through its pay links, so you don't enter it yourself. Each payment lands on its invoice, and Stripe's fee lands as an [expense](/docs/expenses#fees-harness-records). Refunds, refunds that bounce back, and disputes are recorded too, including refunds you make in the Stripe dashboard. Payments you take in Stripe some other way aren't recorded, so [record them yourself](/docs/payments). You get an email and an [inbox alert](/docs/inbox-and-notifications) when a payment comes in or a bank payment fails.
## When money reaches you
Stripe pays out to the bank account you set up with Stripe, on Stripe's own schedule. Harness doesn't control payouts, so check or change them with **Manage in Stripe**. A bank payment that's still clearing shows under [money on its way](/docs/transactions#money-on-its-way) on Transactions, and it counts toward your totals once it lands.
## Disconnect
Disconnecting turns off every pay link at once. Click **Disconnect** on **Settings → Stripe & payouts** and confirm. Unpaid invoices stay unpaid, and you [record payments](/docs/payments) by hand from then on. Your Stripe account stays yours, but connecting again later sets up a new Stripe account for your studio.
## What your families see
Families can pay from the **Pay Now** button in the invoice email and its reminders, the pay link on the PDF, or the **Pay** button in the [student portal](/docs/student-portal#what-families-can-do), which shows the amount due. The pay page goes straight to Stripe's checkout, lists what they're paying for, and needs no account. When an invoice can't be paid online, like when nothing is due or a bank payment is already on its way, the page says so in plain words.
## FAQ
Bank payments take a few business days to clear. Harness records the payment when the money lands, and until then the invoice shows **Processing**.
Yes. Stripe pays out card and bank payments to the bank account you added in Stripe, on its own schedule. See [When money reaches you](#when-money-reaches-you).
No. Families pay the amount due, and Stripe's fee is recorded as your [expense](/docs/expenses#fees-harness-records).
No. Each payment is a one-time checkout, and no card is saved. With [automatic billing](/docs/automatic-billing), invoices can go out with a pay link on their own, but families still click to pay.
You can sign in to Stripe with the same email, but Harness sets up a new Stripe account for your studio. Each studio connects one Stripe account.
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