Payment processing times
There are two ways for your clients to complete payments, using either smart files or lead forms. Each of these collection methods has an impact on payment processing times.
You can track the status of a specific payment from the Payments tab of your Bookkeeping tool. Learn more about tracking payments in HoneyBook.
Business days are Monday-Friday, excluding bank holidays. All times are approximate and may be subject to delay based on bank processes.
If the payment hasn't finished processing within the estimated time frame, you may need to take additional action on your account. Here’s how you can troubleshoot why the payment hasn't finished processing on time.
Payment capturing | Payment type | Processing time |
Smart files | Cardholder Entered or Card on File payment *Review additional information about time of day impact on transaction processing times below. | 2–3 business days |
Smart files | Bank transfer | 7–8 business days |
Lead forms | All payment types | 5–7 business days |
📣 Note
Payment processing cannot be expedited, and cannot be stopped or reversed once it begins. If your client made an error in their payment, you can refund their payment once it's finished processing.
Client paid with a credit card before 4pm PT
Payments made with a credit card before 4pm will likely land in your account after two business days.
Day (paid before 4pm PT) | Transfer begins | Expected deposit day |
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
Thursday | Friday | Monday |
Friday | Monday | Tuesday |
Saturday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
Sunday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
Client paid with a credit card after 4pm PT
Payments made with a credit card after 4pm will likely land in your account after three business days.
Day (paid after 4pm PT) | Transfer begins | Expected deposit day |
Monday | Wednesday | Thursday |
Tuesday | Thursday | Friday |
Wednesday | Friday | Monday |
Thursday | Monday | Tuesday |
Friday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
Saturday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
Sunday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
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 these 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 (processed outside HoneyBook) |
ACH/bank transfer | 1.5% of payment total (flat fee) |
“Cardholder Entered” payment | 2.9% of payment total + 25 cents |
“Card on File” payment | 3.4% of payment total + 9 cents |
Percentages are based on the payment total, and the additional fees for card payments (9 cents and 25 cents respectively) are added to that percentage.
You can review the total amount that was deducted for processing fees in your downloadable reports:
Select the Payments completed report type and the timeframe
Once downloaded, you'll see a column for Transaction Fee in the spreadsheet
📚 Tip
When you refund a client, transaction fees will be added back to the refund amount. You won't lose any money for granting a refund, and the client will receive the full amount of their payment back.
How your client can pay
How your client chooses to pay will affect how long the transaction takes to process, as well as the fees assessed. These are the different ways they can pay:
Cash or check: Your client pays you outside of HoneyBook, so you’ll want to manually mark the payment as paid
ACH transfer/bank transfer: Your client enters their bank details at checkout
Payments made using bank transfer take longer to process, but have lower transaction fees than credit card payments
Cardholder Entered payment: A payment made using a credit card
Card on File payment:
A payment made using credit card where the card details were previously saved
Payments made via autopay
You can adjust your clients' payment options on a file-by-file basis. Learn how to set (and check) client payment options here.
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!