Getting paid through HoneyBook means you can truly run your business all in one place, with no need to collect and manage payments through a third party. On your end, the back-end process is more efficient, and on the client side, they get to experience a streamlined and professional booking experience.
Setting up your account to receive payments
To easily receive client payments, connect your bank account from the Bank Details section of your settings.
✅ Note
If you've received a payment before setting up your bank details, you won't lose it! These funds will sit until you've added your bank details and they're verified. Once that happens, the payment will begin processing.
When you send an invoice through HoneyBook, your client can review the payment schedule you created and make payments via card or ACH/bank transfer. Learn more about connecting your bank account.
Payment processing times
The amount of time it takes a payment to reach your bank account differs based on the method of payment the client used. Learn more about payment processing times.
Payment type | Processing time |
Card payment | 2–3 business days |
ACH/bank transfer | 7–8 business days |
📣 Note
The above payment processing times are only for payments made on a smart file. Payments made via lead forms will usually take 5–7 business days to process.
Remember that once your client has initiated payment, the payment status will switch to Paid (card payments) or Processing (ACH/bank transfer).
You can review the estimated deposit date of the payment—as well as the payment status—via the Payments tab of your Bookkeeping tool, or from the invoice itself.
📚 Tip
Want more details on your client’s payment method, or looking to issue a refund? Just click on the payment in question to open additional information:
Payment transaction fees
Transaction fees are necessary for payment processors like HoneyBook to be able to facilitate the transaction between your client’s card or bank accounts and your account—and our fees are among the lowest in the market. The fees are deducted from the payment total before it’s deposited into your bank account.
Transaction type | Transaction fee |
Cash/check | No fee |
ACH/bank transfer | 1.5% of payment (flat fee) |
Cardholder Entered payment | 2.9% of payment + 25 cents |
Card on File payment | 3.4% of payment + 9 cents |
Percentages are based on the amount of the payment being made, and the additional values for card payments (9 cents and 25 cents respectively) will be added per transaction.
You can always review the total amount that was deducted for processing fees in your downloadable reports. Simply select the Payments completed report type and the timeframe—once downloaded, you'll see a column for Transaction Fee in the spreadsheet.
📚 Tip
If you ever need to refund a client, they'll receive the full amount of their payment. Transaction fees will not be deducted from the refund.
What do the different transaction types mean?
Transaction type | Description |
Cardholder Entered | Payments where the card is either being entered for the first time, or entered again manually.
For example, accepting payment for one-off transactions, taking initial deposits, and clients using a new card to complete a payment would be Cardholder Entered payments. |
Card on File | Payments made with a card that has been securely stored from a previous transaction. This includes payments made via autopay, which leverages Card on File payment processing. Clients that use this transaction type typically pay on time 20% more often.
Your client's card is not attached to any smart file they made a payment towards. "On File" means it is securely stored by HoneyBook if the client kept that card connected to their own account. If a client needs to update their card on file, have them go through the steps in this article. |
Can I have my client pay the transaction fee?
Currently, there is not a built-in way to pass payment transaction fees along to your clients.
We recommend researching your state's laws and your specific card regulations, or speaking with a legal professional—in some states and for some cards, it is illegal to pass these fees on to a client.
If it is legal for your state and your card, it's possible to add these charges as line items in your invoices. However, again, we'd recommend researching the state requirements on messaging this to your clients, as those may vary.
More on getting paid through HoneyBook
Learn more from the Payments FAQ, or head to the blog to learn about the benefits of getting paid through HoneyBook!
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!