Troubleshooting client payments

What to do if your client is having trouble submitting payment

Updated over a week ago

If your client is having trouble making a payment, there could be a few reasons why.


Client's payment was declined

What to check: your client might receive an error message when attempting to make payment—which indicates that their transaction did not go through. Here are some messages that might pop up, as well as the steps your client can take to successfully make payment.

Action can’t be completed

A general error message. If the issue persists, the client can reach out to [email protected] for additional assistance.

Bank account cannot be used for bank transfers

The bank account selected by the client is not authorized for debit payments. The client should reach out to their bank or pay by credit card if that’s a payment option.

Card has expired

The card entered by the client has expired. The client should check the expiry date or use another card.

Card has insufficient funds

The card has insufficient funds or a transaction limit. The client should use another card or contact their bank.

Card number is incorrect

The card number entered by the client is incorrect. The client should delete and re-enter the card details (card number, expiry date, and CVV) or use another card.

Card was declined

Typically, when a client's card gets declined, it's for one of several reasons:

  1. Card has a daily transaction limit

  2. Card has a limit per transaction

  3. The bank/credit card company does not recognize the transaction

If the issue persists, the client should check the card details, use another card, or contact their bank.

Incorrect ZIP code (US billing addresses only)

The client should check the ZIP code entered and make sure it is either 5 or 9 digits long.

Incorrect postal code (Canadian billing addresses only)

The client should check the postal code entered and make sure it is 6 characters long.


Client hasn't accepted file changes

What to check: make sure that your client has accepted the changes on the newest version of your file.

If you've made edits to a file, in some cases, you'll need to resend it to your client for review. They'll receive a notification that changes have been made, and will be asked to accept the changes and re-sign the contract (if the file includes one). Once they take these steps, they can submit their payment.

📚 Tip

Here are all of the cases where the client will need to accept changes before taking further action on a file.


Previous bank transfer is pending

What to check: review your client's existing payments by heading to their project and opening the invoice.

When a client submits a payment by bank transfer, they'll need to wait for the transfer's status to change from Processing to Paid before they can submit subsequent payments. Once the payment clears the client's bank account, they'll be able to make their next payment.


The file has expired

What to check: unexpire the file by following the steps outlined here.

Clients cannot take action (like submitting payment) on expired files.

📚 Tip

Wondering why the file has expired? You may have taken one of the following actions:

  • Set the file to expire at a certain point

  • Manually expired the file

  • Archived the project, which automatically expires all files within it


Payment is a milestone payment

What to check: If your client is seeing a payment listed as "upcoming and TBD" with no option to pay, it's likely a milestone payment.

You'll need to return the to file and click the Request Payment button. This will notify your client that the payment is due and allow them to pay.


Payment best practices

While the above steps outline what your client should do if they experience trouble making payment, there are some steps they can take to help their payment successfully process. Learn more about your clients’ experience with online payments.

  • Your client should confirm that they have a strong internet connection before beginning the transaction

  • If your client is consistently running into error messages, suggest that they use Google Chrome for the transaction if they aren't already

  • Have your client use an incognito browser to make the payment

If your client continues to experience any issues submitting a payment, please click the Question Mark icon on any page to send our Support team a message—we'd be happy to assist.

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!

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