Taking payments with Stripe

ForCounsellors uses Stripe, a payment company, to take your clients’ card payments and pay them into your bank. We never see your bank details.

Connect Stripe

1. Open Settings, then the Payments tab.
2. On Your Stripe account, press Continue to Stripe.
3. Stripe asks for your date of birth, home address and bank account, and sometimes photo ID. Your name and address are filled in for you. Allow about 10 minutes.
4. Stripe brings you back when you’re done. If you stop part-way, press Continue at Stripe to pick up where you left off.

Already use Stripe? Sign in when Stripe asks, and it links your existing account.

Once it says Connected, clients can pay you by card. If Stripe is still checking your details, come back later and press Check again.

Your fee and cancellation policy

On the same Payments tab, under Fees and cancellations:

• Set your Session fee. The calculator works out what to charge if you want to receive a set amount after card fees.
• Set your Cancellation policy: how much notice you need, and the fee for less notice or a missed session (no fee, half or the full fee).
• Press Save fees and policy.

A late cancellation or missed-session fee is only ever proposed. Nothing is charged until you choose to charge it.

How card payments work

1. When you book a session paid by card, the client is emailed a link to save a card. Saving it doesn’t charge them.
2. 24 hours before the session, a hold for the fee goes on the card.
3. When you mark the session Attended, the fee is charged and the client gets a receipt.

If a client doesn’t add a card in time, the slot is released and we email you. You can also send the link yourself with Save a card on the client’s page.

If a card is declined, we email the client to ask for another one, and the payment shows as outstanding.

Missed sessions and late cancellations

When you mark a session Did not attend or Late cancellation, choose Charge the fee or Waive the fee, and add a note if you like.

Cash and bank transfer

Choose Cash or Bank transfer under How they pay when you book. No card, hold or Stripe is involved. The payment is recorded as taken when you mark the session attended. If a fee is owed, use Mark as settled on the Payments page once it’s paid.

On the Starter plan, every payment goes by card through Stripe. Professional also lets you take cash and bank transfers.

The Payments page

Payments in the menu shows each month’s money Received (cash and transfers, and by card), what’s Outstanding, fees charged or waived, and your Next payout from Stripe. Export CSV downloads the month for your accounts.